If only this tea tasted as good as it smells in the tin!!
I first discovered Harney & Son’s Green Tea several years ago. I thought it was one of my all time favorite teas. I went through 5 tins, sharing enthusiastically with friends and loved ones, before I realized…I don’t actually love this tea.
When you first open the pretty pink tin, it smells divine, like exotic flowers, fresh vanilla beans, and tropical fruit and coconut.
Unfortunately, no matter what volume or temperature of water I use, or the steeping time allowed, it never tastes half as good as it smells. At best, I end up with a cup of fairly bland green tea with flavors of grass from the lemongrass. I imagine I can barely taste the coconut, vanilla, and ginger, but I think I might be fooling myself.
A second or third brewing often brings out the subtlety and flavor of high quality green tea, but with this one it comes out even more bland after a second steeping.
My primary complaint is that the tea just doesn’t taste as good as it smells. The other problem is that it’s not cheap. Unfortunately, the only way to purchase this tea is in a fancy pink tin with 20 little silk sachets inside. If H&SFT would sell this tea as loose leaf, I would still likely buy it, just because this tea smells so amazing.
Unfortunately, the amount of tea you get for the price, combined with the flavor not meeting the expectations created by the scent, made me realize that I don’t love this tea as much I as I thought I did.
Thanks so much for the likes! I posted this review on Amazon last year and got 0/3 helpful votes. The philistines of Amazon love this tea and hate me for not loving it. I’m glad to have found my fellow tea snobs.