I do not deserve to be tasting tea.
I have been very bad tonight, I did not wait for my friend, and I have already sampled three of the teas and I am about to burst. I DID save enough for a pot for us to share, so maybe I have redeemed myself a little.
But the main reason I do not deserve to be tasting tea is because I got this one…ALL WRONG!
I remembered that there were Ceylon Silver Tips in it, but that was all I remembered of the description. I could see the long, silver leaves in the tea as I dipped it out of the pouch. The dark leaves were rather fine, but there were plenty of long thin leaves.
The dry tea smelled great, the steeped liquor even better. I took a sip, hoping this was yet another I could drink plain, and oh my goodness the smell! As I lifted the cup to my lips and inhaled, there was a delightful, slightly smokey, chocolate-y Keemun aroma. Mmmmm. Keemun. Some are too harsh for me, some hold a dear place in my heart. This one was just about perfect. I could really see us oo-ing and ah-ing over this one at tea party day, especially since it was so perfect with my lemon pound cake made from freshly ground soft white wheat and that is the sort of thing we serve at tea party.
Except then I looked up the tea and found that there IS NO KEEMUN IN THIS BLEND! Oh, the shame!
I guess I don’t care that I got it wrong. What counts is that Harney and Sons didn’t. They got it right, and this is one sample of which I will buying a big tin. It reminds me of the Fengqing Black Pearls, and is going to be a near perfect afternoon tea. I wonder if it ices well? I wonder if they still sell the pretty little silver-plated caddy for it?
Russel and Harney and Sons, bravo on this one. Totally affordable enough to drink every day, yet tastes like a special occasion.
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oooh – just added to my list. :)
Amy- I hope you like it, too! We already like their Ceylon and India a lot, and the site says this is a dressed up version! I don’t know why it smells like cocoa to me tonight but it sure was good, especially with my lemon pound cake with lemon fluff frosting. I am able to burst!
This particular blend of Ceylon and Assam is in my opinion the tastiest of the 3 H&S offers (Ceylon and India, Brigitte’s Blend, and Anniversary) and has a distinct cocoa aroma with lingering tastes of malted honey. So glad you enjoyed!
Can you elaborate on this “lemon fluff” frosting? I think I need it in my life!
It was a recipe in a Southern Living cookbook years ago! I am going from memory right now, but I think it is one stick of butter creamed with 3 cups powdered sugar and add 3-4 tablespoons of lemon juice. Realemon is fine, or fresh squeezed. It is very refreshing on a summertime pound cake!
Russel – I am so glad you said it had cocoa notes in your comment! So often, Ceylons are bright, lemony, minty, orangey, so when I got chocolate I thought there was Keemun and felt like a tea failure when I was so far off! Glad to know there really ARE cocoa notes in this. It really is Keemun up front and Assam at the end! Thank you! It was delicious.
DaisyChubb: here you go! 1/2 cup butter, 4 cups sifted confectioners sugar with a dash of salt, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tsp. lemon zest. Cream butter, add 1/2 sugar and salt and cream well. Add remaining sugar with lemon juice and cream until light and fluffy. (add lemon zest or grated peel here if you have it, I used to always use Realemon for this so I didn’t have zest and it was still great. Hope you enjoy!
Oh, I must try this one….. I think I will have to add a few ounces to my next shop order since the smallest amount you can buy on the website is 7 oz!
oooh – just added to my list. :)
Amy- I hope you like it, too! We already like their Ceylon and India a lot, and the site says this is a dressed up version! I don’t know why it smells like cocoa to me tonight but it sure was good, especially with my lemon pound cake with lemon fluff frosting. I am able to burst!
This particular blend of Ceylon and Assam is in my opinion the tastiest of the 3 H&S offers (Ceylon and India, Brigitte’s Blend, and Anniversary) and has a distinct cocoa aroma with lingering tastes of malted honey. So glad you enjoyed!
Can you elaborate on this “lemon fluff” frosting? I think I need it in my life!
It was a recipe in a Southern Living cookbook years ago! I am going from memory right now, but I think it is one stick of butter creamed with 3 cups powdered sugar and add 3-4 tablespoons of lemon juice. Realemon is fine, or fresh squeezed. It is very refreshing on a summertime pound cake!
Russel – I am so glad you said it had cocoa notes in your comment! So often, Ceylons are bright, lemony, minty, orangey, so when I got chocolate I thought there was Keemun and felt like a tea failure when I was so far off! Glad to know there really ARE cocoa notes in this. It really is Keemun up front and Assam at the end! Thank you! It was delicious.
DaisyChubb: here you go! 1/2 cup butter, 4 cups sifted confectioners sugar with a dash of salt, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tsp. lemon zest. Cream butter, add 1/2 sugar and salt and cream well. Add remaining sugar with lemon juice and cream until light and fluffy. (add lemon zest or grated peel here if you have it, I used to always use Realemon for this so I didn’t have zest and it was still great. Hope you enjoy!
Oh, I must try this one….. I think I will have to add a few ounces to my next shop order since the smallest amount you can buy on the website is 7 oz!