Harney & Sons

I wanted to love this one, but the flavor was so muted and indistinct at first. Luckily I kept trying! When I used two teabags for a relatively small mug, things drastically improved. Now I finally taste that molasses-heavy cookie I wanted! I’d say the spices could still be a little stronger, but now I like it. My partner thought it was extremely good, and the friend I bought a tin for enjoyed it as well. It really does taste like a gingerbread cookie! I may have to get this one again sometime!

Tried a long time ago hot and did not like it but did not take notes. And then it sat untouched for a couple years because I did not like it and didn’t want to drink it again just for notes.

I finally gave in and though I would try to sip it down via cold brew .

Nope, no way, no how.

Into the trash it goes.

More catching up on notes.

The ingredient list on this sounded interesting. White tea, lavender, almond, vanilla. It sounded nice and delicate.

The lavender really isn’t standing out. This is surprising, but I do appreciate, as florals can be too much for me. I can detect hints of it here and there, primarily in the aftertaste. So thumbs up in this area.

But I’m also not getting much else either. I guess I was right with delicate, but just not in the way I imagined. It could be I’ve just had too much strongly flavored tea today, so I do plan on trying again another time to reevaluate.

Last time I had this, there was a strong sweet flavor that was really just too much and made me feel kind of queasy. Today I didn’t notice it while the cup was hot, but as it cooled, here comes the sweetness/queasiness.

One thing I find funny. I spilled a little on my hand and now I can smell a hint of vanilla on my hand, but still not in the cup.

I can absolutely see people loving this, but I suspect its just not my thing.

More catching up on notes.

I really wanted to like this a lot more than I do. If someone gave it to me and asked me to guess what’s in it, I wouldn’t have a clue.

Its got a scent that makes me think of maybe some sort of alcohol flavoring. It also feels somewhat weak in flavor and watery in mouth feel.

It really needs more oomf of some kind. I think it could be improved with a better base with a thicker mouth feel. That would help sell the idea of caramel better.

Oh, and I can’t detect the salt at all, which I consider a good thing.

But honestly, the flavor just doesn’t match its name for me. I guess its ok, but its really not something I enjoy drinking.

Catching up on some notes.

I’ve had this one a few times now over the course of the month. Its not bad. Its got a decent balance and no one flavor is dominating the others.

There’s an interesting little spicy note at the end of the sip that I found unexpected given the ingredients list

Its pleasant, but definitely a have to be in the right mood type tea.

I was in Japan last year, and had several roasted rice-infused teas that were rather good.
I was looking for something back here in the states, and found this one.
It is very roasted-rice forward; smells and tastes a lot like the Sugar Smacks roasted rice cereal I ate as a kid, though obviously not sweet.
I can’t say I taste a lot of the tea flavor; this is also a “low-caffeine” tea, so good for afternoons or evenings if you’re sensitive to caffeine.

Some of the largest leaves I’ve seen in any tea; very flavorful, but not in a “traditional” black tea taste. Strikes me as more of a green or oolong tea flavor, but it is very tasty. Just not what I expected from a “black” tea as it is described in their literature.
Malty, I wouldn’t say sweet as some others have, but sure, some honey flavors. Nice scent.
Leaves are so large I had to just use my fingers to get the tea, my little round scoop I usually use is useless.

Sipdown! (23)

One of my tea goals for this year was to start cold steeping again, and so far it’s been going well! I have a little stash of teas I bought specifically for this purpose, and this was one of them.

Harney’s fruit teas are all quite enjoyable cold steeped (aside from the Goji Berry one, which I was not a fan of), and I’d be hard-pressed to choose a favorite. Anyway, this is one of the more hibiscus-y ones, but I can still drink it without sweetener, and it’s enjoyable tangy with prominent strawberry notes. Not sure whether I’ll repurchase it or not, we’ll see how I feel after I finish the rest of my cold steep stash!

I bought a set of 12 Days of Christmas teas, kind of like an advent calendar thing, but completely neglected to open it until, well, today. Better late than never. The holidays and work completely took up the majority of my time and attention.

Starting off on a fairly average note here – this tea was…fine, good even, but largely unremarkable. There are notes of slightly bitter, almost matcha-like flavors, but the overall taste is nice. I expected something a little stronger. I wouldn’t buy this particular tea again, but I’m optimistic that there will be some better brews coming up in the box.

— Color of liquor: Copper, with hint of red

— Aroma: Muscatel, floral

— Flavors: Stone fruit, muscatel

Strong stone fruit flavors in front, with a slight muscatel base. Slight astringency. A typical 2nd flush Darjeeling – I’ll enjoy it while I have it but likely won’t buy more.

I found this by chance on Harney’s website when I was looking at the Schitt’s Creek collection, and I couldn’t not get it ha ha. I love Japanese food in general, and red bean is such a classic dessert flavor that happens to be one of my favorites.

I am honestly shocked by how much this tastes like red bean paste. Obviously it’s not as sweet as the real thing (thankfully), but they totally captured the sweet and rich, yet earthy and beany flavor that anko has. The tea itself is a bit thin, but perhaps next time I’ll try three sachets for my 16-ounce cup. I see this as more of a one-time fun tea to try for me, mostly because it’s only available in sachets, but it’s really delightful!

Homemade Advent Calendar from AJRimmer: Day 25

The final tea in our advent swap, and one I’ve wanted to try!

I’m 99% sure I’ve never had this tea before, yet it tastes SO familiar to me. Either H&S is totally nailing the flavor and I’m just thinking it’s familiar because it reminds me of real gingerbread, or another company has a dupe/twin/doppelganger available.

Regardless, it’s really nice! Super cozy, with a great balance of spices… no overwhelming clove here. Personally, I find it a smidge on the sweet side, and I would prefer a stronger base, but those are minor quibbles. I could see this being a great tea to bring to a holiday gathering!

On the topic of gingerbread, I made Nigella Lawson’s Luscious Vegan Gingerbread this year and it was AMAZING. I subbed chopped medjool dates for the prunes and added some chopped candied ginger, but otherwise I followed the recipe as written. It’s super complex and delicious and will be my go-to gingerbread recipe going forward!

2024 Holiday tea #15

Somehow I had a note typed up and it disappeared… I always wanted to try this one due to so many of you that are fans here on Steepster.  Thanks to Cameron B, I finally get to try it!  The scent is JUST LIKE gingerbread.  The flavor is too, but somehow the fragrance is more prominent than the flavor.  Two delicious steeps.  However, I really wish the sort of base for a gingerbread flavored tea was a much deeper, darker black tea.  It’s a bit light. That would be my only complaint here.
Steep #1 // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 minute steep

Kelmishka Homemade Advent Day 20! I taste chamomile and mint and a bit of herbaceous. I’m enjoying this cold, though it doesn’t stand out a ton to me. It’s smooth and nice though! I’m glad there are two bags so I can have it again!

I want to like this so much.
Opening the tin is a delight and smells so wonderful.

This time I tossed the tea into my pot which still has the leaves I’ve been steeping all day. I thought maybe a bit of an extra base in there might help.

Freshly piping hot and it smells so good. Even the taste is good with that lovely warm ginger.

But as it cool the ginger steps back and the orange and especially clove take center stage. And I just can’t tolerate that combination. Actually I suspect its more the clove than anything else. I’m really developing a dislike for it.

Having this mixed with another black tea isn’t really making any difference.

I’m planning on another order next fall. I’ll have to give Gingerbread Festival a try and see if it suits me better.

Other than the orange element, there is no way I could not tell this is supposed to be like gingerbread. Which is odd because I don’t normally pair orange with gingerbread. But Orange and Ginger is a really good combination. The after taste is wild how much this gives gingerbread vibes. There’s a faint sweetness, but not too much.

As it cools, the flavor becomes significantly more orange and clove with a bit of ginger. Not a fan of the combination of orange and clove.

Second steep, sweet orange and ginger when hot, orange clove when cold.
The feeling of gingerbread has died out as well. I think because the ginger is fading and the orange and clove are standing out more. I could do with more of a hint of orange than the strong orange I am getting. And the clove could go jump off a cliff.

I got excited right after the first steep, but the feeling I got then changes so much as this goes, and its moving into a direction I don’t enjoy.

I’ve been having a cup or two in the evenings and I am still really enjoying myself.

Maple is what I’m noticing the most now, both in scent and flavor with ginger and cinnamon in the background. I do wish the ginger was standing out just a little bit more.

This isn’t an excellent tea, but it has been a lot of fun to drink, especially with this cold snap we’ve been getting. It brings up images of being curled up under a warm blanket while its cold, wet, and blustery outside.

It does not resteep well. The flavor is weaker on the 2nd, and the 3rd is just hopeful thinking more than anything else. But none of this is surprising for a flavored tea.

While not my thing personally, I can completely see this as a latte, steeped strongly, with maybe a hint of sweetener to enhance the maple.

I suspect this will be a rebuy next fall.

Not what I initially imagined from reading the ingredients list, though I am still finding this quite enjoyable.

I’m not really getting any pumpkin. The ginger is the predominate flavor. I expected more of a raw ginger flavor, but I think I prefer how it comes across here. The cinnamon is more in the back of the sip than you might expect. Its so common for cinnamon to dominate, but that is not the case. The maple and vanilla are more in the aftertaste, rounding everything out. I don’t think I am getting much in the way of caramel, though it may just be blending with the vanilla and maple.

Overall, I am quite enjoying myself. I’ve been looking for ages for a spiced tea that was neither so strong there was no sign of the tea anywhere nor smacking you in the face with clove. This appears to be filling that niche quite nicely.

Second steep still has a good amount of flavor, though the base is standing out more now. As a flavored tea, this is not unexpected. But still, likely will not go well with my steep the same leaves repeatedly all day method of making tea.

Third steep and I have ruined my sense of smell sniffing all of the new flavored teas I picked up. I’m no longer sure what I am smelling from where at this point and my office is smelling like a craft store at Christmas. But it is confirmed. Two steeps seems to be all this tea can realistically give. I let it go a nearly 10 minutes but the flavor is decidedly anemic at best.

Okay, okay, so I had to get the Schitt’s Creek teas from Harney. Mostly for the tins, but I was surprised to find that this blend (for the Rosebud Motel) and the Botanical Blend (Rose Apothecary) are both actually new teas. A lot of times it seems like Harney just packages their existing teas into decorative tins, sometimes with a slight change as in Gingerbread Festival and the Williamsburg Ginger Cake (tastes the same but with orange added).

This one is a cinnamon roll black tea, which I don’t think they have another version of. It’s not at all similar to Hot Cinnamon Spice, as it doesn’t have that intense Red Hots cinnamon flavor. It’s quite mellow, actually. I’m surprised by how much I can taste the icing/glaze part of the cinnamon roll, and then there is a buttery element as well as the mellow cinnamon. It’s nice! A bit thin, so I might try two sachets for a 12-ounce cup next time and see how that goes (normally I do 1 sachet per 8 ounces). Honestly kind of reminds me of a Simpson & Vail tea in that aspect, earthy base and a bit thin ha ha.

(ETA: It looks like Botanical Blend is the same as their Mind Your Body Lemon Balm Chamomile, but still didn’t find anything similar to this tea.)

Devon Bartholomew Advent Day 13

I’m really enjoying this stretch of straight black teas! Surprised I haven’t tried this one before; but if I did, I clearly never logged it in Steepster. This is much smoother than many of the Assams I’ve tried; I detect no bitterness or astringency even after a 4-mintue steep. However, it is intensely flavorful and malty and I think it would hold up well to milk. I feel like I’m detecting a bit of smokiness as well…not sure if that native to the tea or cross-contamination? Either way, I’m quite enjoying this cup!

Day 5 of my DIY advent. I’d forgotten that there was a non-Adagio tea in here. The Harney and Adagio orders arrived at the same time, so I included this Harney sample when I was making up the packets. I save chamomile teas/blends for bedtime in hopes that they will help me sleep. They never do! But I keep doing it anyway because hope springs eternal I guess. I like this specific chamomile! It’s got that clean chamomile flavor, a bit apple-like and very mildly sweet. None of that dry hay note that can sometimes creep in with chamomile and make it taste stale.

I received a sample sachet with an order of tea from Harney & Sons. I really like English Breakfast tea, but I have to say that although this tea was nice, it had no distinguishing characteristics. It wasn’t offensive in any way, but…I don’t really have a reason to buy it. It was a mild, average-flavored black tea.

TTB tea! This is quite mild. I taste a bit of green tea and a bit of a floral flavor. It’s comforting and pretty smooth cold. There’s just a hint of astringency. It’s not my sort of tea, but it’s not bad for what it’s going for.