I’d probably receive some hate over this review. I don’t like the Tower of London. I don’t hate it, but it’s not the cup I’d go for often. I disliked it plain. It was bitter. I could partially blame the water at work. I could partially blame my own fault at using the filter boiler/warmer and letting it steep for 3 minutes. I’m too lazy to drag my kettle back and forth. I’ll note that it’s quite lovely with cream/milk, but it’s still nothing I’d rave about.
I love the Paris blend. I love Earl Grey. I think it’s the cranberry (?) in this blend that is killing it for me. I like that citrusy punch with Earl Grey. I can tolerate this one, but that’s it. I would drink it if someone’d offer me a cup, but I’d probably ask for milk. I feel like I’ve letdown the YouTube followers that told me to try it. I don’t think I’ll post a video because it’d only lead to the harsh judgement that befalls amateur tea reviewers. I gave it a try. I did my best to like it.
Flavors: Cranberry, Vanilla
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Tower of London is blackcurrant rather than Cranberry, with black tea, oolong, vanilla, bergamot, caramel, and honey flavors in addition. Any chance you had something else or was it tainted in the container?
It was a fresh sample. I’ll give it another go. It didn’t have ingredients listed on the sample, so I was going off of flavors. It could be the blackcurrant.
I wasn’t fond of it either. If I steeped it short, there just wasn’t much in the way of flavor there. If I steeped it longer, it just got bitter.
I gave it a second chance. I thought that maybe it was the popcorn I ate, so I gave it a couple hours. I don’t think it’s for me. I shared some with a coworker and they thought it grand, so it’s me. I’d say it’s good with cream.
It’s unfortunate it was not for you. How similar are Tower of London and Paris? It sounds like Tower of London is Paris with honey flavor added. Harney & Sons also mentions stonefruit in the description but it is not in the list of ingredients, so I am a little confused as to what flavors this tea actually contains. Is it like Paris with honey or is it completely different from Paris? I have a tin of Tower of London on the way and I am curious to try it. I love fruity blacks so I will most definitely enjoy it.
I think that it’s good with cream. Maybe I’m not into the fruity black teas at the moment. I feel like this tea would’ve been something I’d’ve liked at some point, but maybe my palate has changed. Maybe it’s the season. I’m the type of person who’ll go for a certain cup at a certain season. This could just be one of those “not for winter teas.”
No hate from me, by the way! This is a really great community and we all like different things. Sometimes I am into fun, flavored teas and then I go through a streak of just wanting premium leaf served gong fu. One day a tea tastes magnificent with friends at a tea party and then the very same tea falls flat when drinking alone. It is good to hear your opinion!
ToL has a special memory for me. When I was new to good tea I wanted to try it and it was sold out everywhere, even on the Harney site. My husband tracked some down in a distant gift shop and surprised me with it for our anniversary.
That said, my beloved Boston does not taste the same anymore, and personally I think it has to do with the vanilla prices skyrocketing. I suspect that just as Vieux Paris is Paris with artificial vanilla, some of the real vanilla is being substituted in other teas perhaps because they just don’t taste the same. I gave away my tin of Boston.
@ashmanra- I didn’t read anything as hate. It’s always good to see a connection to tea. Paris was one of those teas in my early days that I sipped on and instantly loved. I simply feel bad for not liking it as much as I wanted to. So many people recommended it to me. I’m not typically overly picky and try to find the good in any cup of tea. With cream added, this is a good cuppa! I love the story you have with this tea though :)
I don’t do other social media, but in my experience with steepster, I don’t think you need to worry about “hate” or “judgement” here - if anything we like dissenting opinions on a tea, keeps it interesting, maybe narrows down the wishlist for me.. and I’m a fan of Tower of London! I’m definitely a suggester of “try all the steep parameters possible” for each tea like cooler water & a short steep – even 45 seconds might be better for some flavored teas. But yeah, I like seeing all the opinions on tea here! Welcome to steepster!
I don’t think there’s too much “hate” on going against the majority on any tea. IG doesn’t have too many, and if there are, I’ve been fortunate enough to not find them. I try to try different approaches to tea, too. It could always be my cause for the tea to not sit well. Thank you for the support :)
I was just surprised by your mention of hate and judgement and thought you meant other social media places had a lot of that (I don’t partake, so I wouldn’t know). But I have never had to worry about that on steepster. :D
I should’ve used another term. I just saw that it was highly rated and I thought, “uh oh. They’re going to eat me alive.” :p But nobody did. You all welcomed my review with open and arms, and that’s totally welcoming! :)
Open arms*
Tower of London is blackcurrant rather than Cranberry, with black tea, oolong, vanilla, bergamot, caramel, and honey flavors in addition. Any chance you had something else or was it tainted in the container?
It was a fresh sample. I’ll give it another go. It didn’t have ingredients listed on the sample, so I was going off of flavors. It could be the blackcurrant.
I wasn’t fond of it either. If I steeped it short, there just wasn’t much in the way of flavor there. If I steeped it longer, it just got bitter.
I gave it a second chance. I thought that maybe it was the popcorn I ate, so I gave it a couple hours. I don’t think it’s for me. I shared some with a coworker and they thought it grand, so it’s me. I’d say it’s good with cream.
It’s unfortunate it was not for you. How similar are Tower of London and Paris? It sounds like Tower of London is Paris with honey flavor added. Harney & Sons also mentions stonefruit in the description but it is not in the list of ingredients, so I am a little confused as to what flavors this tea actually contains. Is it like Paris with honey or is it completely different from Paris? I have a tin of Tower of London on the way and I am curious to try it. I love fruity blacks so I will most definitely enjoy it.
I think that it’s good with cream. Maybe I’m not into the fruity black teas at the moment. I feel like this tea would’ve been something I’d’ve liked at some point, but maybe my palate has changed. Maybe it’s the season. I’m the type of person who’ll go for a certain cup at a certain season. This could just be one of those “not for winter teas.”
No hate from me, by the way! This is a really great community and we all like different things. Sometimes I am into fun, flavored teas and then I go through a streak of just wanting premium leaf served gong fu. One day a tea tastes magnificent with friends at a tea party and then the very same tea falls flat when drinking alone. It is good to hear your opinion!
ToL has a special memory for me. When I was new to good tea I wanted to try it and it was sold out everywhere, even on the Harney site. My husband tracked some down in a distant gift shop and surprised me with it for our anniversary.
That said, my beloved Boston does not taste the same anymore, and personally I think it has to do with the vanilla prices skyrocketing. I suspect that just as Vieux Paris is Paris with artificial vanilla, some of the real vanilla is being substituted in other teas perhaps because they just don’t taste the same. I gave away my tin of Boston.
@ashmanra- I didn’t read anything as hate. It’s always good to see a connection to tea. Paris was one of those teas in my early days that I sipped on and instantly loved. I simply feel bad for not liking it as much as I wanted to. So many people recommended it to me. I’m not typically overly picky and try to find the good in any cup of tea. With cream added, this is a good cuppa! I love the story you have with this tea though :)
I don’t do other social media, but in my experience with steepster, I don’t think you need to worry about “hate” or “judgement” here - if anything we like dissenting opinions on a tea, keeps it interesting, maybe narrows down the wishlist for me.. and I’m a fan of Tower of London! I’m definitely a suggester of “try all the steep parameters possible” for each tea like cooler water & a short steep – even 45 seconds might be better for some flavored teas. But yeah, I like seeing all the opinions on tea here! Welcome to steepster!
I don’t think there’s too much “hate” on going against the majority on any tea. IG doesn’t have too many, and if there are, I’ve been fortunate enough to not find them. I try to try different approaches to tea, too. It could always be my cause for the tea to not sit well. Thank you for the support :)
I was just surprised by your mention of hate and judgement and thought you meant other social media places had a lot of that (I don’t partake, so I wouldn’t know). But I have never had to worry about that on steepster. :D
I should’ve used another term. I just saw that it was highly rated and I thought, “uh oh. They’re going to eat me alive.” :p But nobody did. You all welcomed my review with open and arms, and that’s totally welcoming! :)
Open arms*