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Tea of the afternoon…..

I was starting to wonder if I could ever possibly drink a whole pound of this. And then I have another cup that reassures me that this will definitely not be one of those teas I regret buying in a large amount. (Don’t we all have a few of those in our stash?..or maybe you have been smart to gift/rehome the evidence!) This is a staple tea for me. There is no other way to describe it, other than subtle Earl Grey with a sweet grapefruit kicker! Such a lovely afternoon pick me up. Thank you to Mr. Harney for listening to our pleas requesting this in loose leaf. It is a wonderful blend.

Usual mug method.

I had to move this to a corrected tea page, but I did not want to loose the info on the other page by editing it, so this is a double post.

Iced tea of the day….

Another sample from Russel at the Millerton Shop. (Thank you!) I was really glad to get to try this, because I have gifted it to friends and not even had a chance to try it for myself. I am a big fan of their Midsummer’s Peach decaf blend in loose leaf. MSP was the tea that introduced me to the Millerton Shop since I was not prepared to buy an entire pound of it, and that is how it is offered online in loose leaf other than a sample. Midsummer’s Peach makes a great iced tea, but usually, I want the caffeine during the day. Enter, the Peach Iced Tea in 2 qt. pouches.

I must say, the convenience of the pouches is wonderful. It makes the perfect gift for those who don’t have the patience or tea obsession to mess with leaves. I like it, too, actually. I made the iced tea in a pyrex measuring cup right along side my first morning cuppa. Then I added the super-strength brew to my favorite pitcher full of ice plus a little more water to bring it up to about 2 qts. Notes of fresh peach and oh so smooth and refreshing. It definitely holds a place in my top favorite iced teas, and readily nudged out Midsummer’s. I will have to purchase some….for me and more for gifts. Did you see how cute the tin is?

Iced tea of the day……

I just noticed the one they sell now is not Organic…..I will be moving this tea note to the proper tea page soon. My review is for Peach Iced Tea which is the offering as of July 2012….probably sooner, but it needed a date!

Another sample from Russel at the Millerton Shop. (Thank you!) I was really glad to get to try this, because I have gifted it to friends and not even had a chance to try it for myself. I am a big fan of their Midsummer’s Peach decaf blend in loose leaf. MSP was the tea that introduced me to the Millerton Shop since I was not prepared to buy an entire pound of it, and that is how it is offered online in loose leaf other than a sample. Midsummer’s Peach makes a great iced tea, but usually, I want the caffeine during the day. Enter, the Peach Iced Tea in 2 qt. pouches.

I must say, the convenience of the pouches is wonderful. It makes the perfect gift for those who don’t have the patience or tea obsession to mess with leaves. I like it, too, actually. I made the iced tea in a pyrex measuring cup right along side my first morning cuppa. Then I added the super-strength brew to my favorite pitcher full of ice plus a little more water to bring it up to about 2 qts. Notes of fresh peach and oh so smooth and refreshing. It definitely holds a place in my top favorite iced teas, and readily nudged out Midsummer’s. I will have to purchase some….for me and more for gifts. Did you see how cute the tin is?

Tea of the morning….

Thank you to Russel of Harney & Sons Millerton shop for the chance to sample this one! Oh my, it is like a candy bar in a cup. Notes of chocolate, peanut, caramel for sure. I do catch a little something fruity sweet in there, too. Must be the apricot. One thing that really stands out is the tea base is a little more hefty than most dessert tea blends. A little malt, a slight briskness. The mouthfeel is quite notable….it is heavy for sure, and this adds to the rich desserty feel of the tea. Yum. Very well done, Mr. Samulesson and Mr. Harney!

Usual mug method.

I need another Harney Logo mug when I order a few of these tins. The mugs stand up so well to the temperature extremes of brewing tea. Unfortunately, most of my regular mugs have become a safety hazard from making tea in them all the time….the bottoms were cracking out of them and I had to get rid of 5 of them as a consequence of my tea habit (and of course they are discontinued, too). So, this is a PSA! Check the bottoms of your mugs for cracking if you make tea in a mug very often! The cracks weaken the structure of the mug and it will eventually break. Plus, it probably harbors bacteria, which is not good, either.

Tea of the morning….

It has been a while since I have had an audience with the Queen. I love the way her subtle strength nudges you into action for the day. Cocoa notes, light malt and a hint of smoke. With those kind of flavors, you would think it a hearty cup, but it is still on the light side. One of my favorite Harney blends. Happy Monday!

Usual teapot method.

(2nd) Tea of the morning……

Ahhh. That is the sigh of happiness. My first pot of tea this morning was a dump out. You know those teas that you keep trying to like because you have a slight bit of buyer’s remorse…. well, this is the reward tea, because I finally got rid of the tea that was no longer making my tea journey a happy one. I should probably do even a little more stash editing, but I think my tea drinking friends are tealogged themselves!

Then, it was onto the tea that I know can fix any bad mood…..my first black tea love….Harney’s Keemun Mao Feng. I love this one any day. And really, I should drink this one more often. I still have a full tin from when they were sold as 4 oz (rather than 2) to enjoy.

Definite notes of cocoa and malt. The slightest hint of smoke. Very rich and wonderful. This is one of which I never tire.

On a super wonderful note, we are finally getting some much needed rain. I did not know my grass could turn gray in spots…..I have seen brown and crunchy, but never gray and essentially flat. I am thinking it might need reseeding in places. Actually, I have been more worried about the trees. Such an odd Summer. But I guess it was time for the extreme warm weather. I remember a summer here when we were lucky to get up to 80. Now 80 seems like a cold spell. Anyway, I will enjoy the rain and this wonderful tea. Life is good.

Usual teapot method….yes, a whole teapot with a resteep! Soo happy!

Tea of the afternoon…..

I am a lucky girl. Russel at the Harney Tea shop graciously sent me some teas to try….a couple of the new Ambessa teas and some iced tea sachets. It is funny on the iced tea sachets…I have always given them as gifts and never kept any for myself to try. Reviews of those will be up within the next week, as what else is there better to drink in this abnormally hot Summer we are having?

I have to admit, I was most excited about this tea, though. I love the subtlety in Harney’s Earl Grey blends….the perfect level of bergamot with the particular tea base of choice. I was very much drawn in by the mention of this being a smokey version of Earl Grey. Can we just say it is love at first sip? I wish I had tried more smokey Earls to compare this one, but then again, this will probably be the standard to which I compare all others. For comparing to other more standard Earls, the tea base is just heftier and more dark. I would even call it more mysterious and, of course, very lightly smokey. For some reason, I think this tea would be the perfect complement to a period mystery….. I definitely need some, but I think the tea base will lend itself better to cooler temps. Who am I kidding?….I bet I can’t hold off for more than a month.

Thank you, again, Russel for your generosity!

Usual mug method.

Have I mentioned how perfectly the Harney logo mugs go with my Forlife Curve teaware? They are the same mug as the tall infuser mugs! And it is a good way for me to have a few more cups to go with my infusers. Life is good.

Tea with lunch…..

I have been reading ashmanra’s reviews of this tea and decided I needed to give it a shot. I wanted another ForLife tall mug and a refill for my Malachi McCormick tin, so I decided to order from the Millerton Shop. As always, their service is great, and very personal. I have come to accept that if I value the personal service, it makes sense that it would be more evident in interactions from the shop than the website. Once a process becomes mostly automated and takes out more of the human element, it just becomes more impersonal. Both definitely have their place, though, and I do appreciate the simplicity of both, and that my favorite tea comes to my door. It is a wonderful thing!

I tend to think Assams are a little on the brisk side for me, but since this one is blended with the golden variety, I thought it might work. I get notes of malt, super light smoke, and I do sense a slight note of chocolate which I would not expect, along with a light briskness from the Assam. I do see why she thought there was a hint of Keemun in this, and it was actually that part of the review that intrigued me the most. My favorite blend for breakfast tea is Malachi McCormick, and I am amazed how similarly they taste. This one is a little maltier and brisker than Malachi, and lower on the cocoa notes, but still pretty smooth. In comparison with Harney’s Organic Assam, the Anniversary Blend is sweeter and more cocoa-ey with the Organic Assam having the edge over Anniversary Blend in briskness and body. While I don’t think it will replace my beloved Malachi, this is definitely a good one. It is like Malachi, but with an extra kick in the pants! Sometimes, that kick is very beneficial, especially on Monday. I also have to say how well this held up in a pairing with a ham, salami, and American cheese sandwich. Some teas get lost in strongly flavored food parings.

Usual mug method.

Backlogging iced tea from the weekend…..

I am loving these new iced teas offered by 52teas! Nicely done, Frank! The berry notes in this are at a perfect level for a very refreshing pitcher of iced tea. I love the tea base. There is just the perfect amount of Darjeeling to make it bright and I am sure that adds to the refreshing quality of the tea. So happy that I have some more en route to me in the mail!

Usual iced tea method.

Backlogging an iced tea from the weekend….

This, of course, is great iced. I still get the light bergamot and notes of sweet grapefruit in a refreshing iced tea. Thank you, again, Harney & Sons for making this available in loose leaf.

Usual iced tea method.