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We tried this tea out recently, on a chilly day. We figured a spicy chai would be a good relief from the cold and wind.

This chai is indeed very spicy. Opening the bag, the peppercorns really stand out, with ginger and cinnamon close behind.

We first tried tasting it straight. It wasn’t very enjoyable. Kind of like drinking peppercorn and ginger. Much too savory and spicy, without much balance. Good for clearing out the sinuses, I suppose. So, we moved on to adding milk and honey. This was much better and balanced the savoryness of the of the tea.

This is certainly a unique chai blend. Very spicy and savory, with the peppercorns and ginger overpowering everything else. If that’s your thing, jump on it. However, it just didn’t work for me. I would have preferred the black tea to come through more, along with the cinnamon and allspice.

Overall, it works with milk and honey, but for the price, I’ll pass in the future.

I picked this tea up during Black Friday sale. I quite literally purchased the last ounce available at the time. You may notice that this review is very similar to my Golden Orchid review; I comment on that below.

Opening the bag and taking a whiff is a real treat! A rush of cocoa and vanilla, with nice maltiness to back it up. A bit like fresh brownies.

The tea steeps a nice dark brown, and retains the lovely aroma.

The taste is exceptional! Smooth and full, lots of flavors. No need for sugar, as the vanilla beans give plenty of sweetness. The black tea blend is excellent, and would stand up well on its own without the vanilla. No corners were cut in putting this blend together. I should note that this tea is flavored with actual beans, which gives it a nice smoothness versus a typical “flavored” tea using extract or other processed flavoring.

A second steeping holds up well, but I find that I need to about double the concentration to maintain the same strength as a first steeping. (In other words, I use half as much water in the second steeping.)

Overall, a superb black tea! It works well as a morning wake-up or an after-dinner dessert companion. This is going on my must-buy list. I don’t usually enjoy “flavored” teas, but this one is done very well. If you prefer “straight” black tea like me, and you’re looking for something with a fuller flavor profile, don’t hesitate to pick this up!

I tried this side by side with Whispering Pines’s Golden Orchid. If you’re wondering, this tea uses Tahitian vanilla beans, while Golden Orchid uses Madagascar beans. I think the difference between the two is that Ambrosia has a more pronounced vanilla flavor. Other than that, they are identical in my opinion, so their reviews will be very similar. Whether Ambrosia is worth the additional price over Golden Orchid depends on how much you like a stronger vanilla flavor. I give both the same rating.

I was excited to see this back in stock, so I picked up a couple ounces. I’ve finally had a chance to sit down and have a real tasting, after having some nice cups with family.

Opening the bag and taking a whiff is a real treat! A rush of cocoa and vanilla, with nice maltiness to back it up. A bit like fresh brownies.

The tea steeps a nice dark brown, and retains the lovely aroma.

The taste is exceptional! Smooth and full, lots of flavors. No need for sugar, as the vanilla beans give just the right amount of sweetness. The black tea blend is excellent, and would stand up well on its own without the vanilla. No corners were cut in putting this blend together. I should note that this tea is flavored with actual beans, which gives it a nice smoothness versus a typical “flavored” tea using extract or other processed flavoring.

A second steeping holds up well, but I find that I need to about double the concentration to maintain the same strength as a first steeping. (In other words, I use half as much water in the second steeping.)

Overall, a superb black tea! It works well as a morning wake-up or an after-dinner dessert companion. This is going on my must-buy list. I don’t usually enjoy “flavored” teas, but this one is done very well. If you prefer “straight” black tea like me, and you’re looking for something with a fuller flavor profile, don’t hesitate to pick this up!

I tried this side by side with Whispering Pines’s Ambrosia. If you’re wondering, this tea uses Madagascar vanilla beans, while Ambrosia uses Tahitian beans. I think the difference between the two is that Ambrosia has a more pronounced vanilla flavor. Other than that, they are identical in my opinion, so their reviews will be very similar.

I recently received my first ever order from Whispering Pines. Since I’m sitting here looking at the ice outside, I thought I’d go ahead and review the tea I’m enjoying at the moment: Silver Needle. I’m tasting the Spring 2016 harvest.

The leaves are thick, fuzzy buds that look like little bananas. They smell like a nice white tea, very delicate with a little sweetness.

I followed the instructions on the package for my first tasting. I thought it was a little overdone, so I reduced the temperature just a little for this tasting.

The taste that stands out for me is “smoky”. It’s not powerful, but it is present enough that it stands out among the other flavors. Definitely more complexity than other Silver Needles or Silver Tips. The aftertaste is less sweet, and lingers for a while.

Overall, a very good white tea. Perfect for a winter afternoon.

After enjoying the sample so much, I ordered a nice supply of this tea. Unfortunately, I can’t re-create what I found with the original sample, leaving me a bit disappointed.

The dry leaves have a delicious chocolaty scent, just as I remembered. The rest of the experience was different, though.

For the first steeping, I used what I had in my previous tasting note (4 min @ 200). The end result was bitter and not very flavorful. So, I tried a lot of variations, and I finally settled on 2 1/2 minutes, 200 degrees, 1.5 tsp/cup. Steeping for less time leaves me with something a bit vinegar-y, and too much time is too bitter. Stronger seems to be better.

No chocolate aroma or flavor in the tea, leaving me wondering where it went after smelling the dry leaves. The flavor is good, but nothing stands out about it. I’d say it’s close to Irish Breakfast in taste. It’s been a while since I’ve had Harney’s Irish Breakfast, though, so take that with a grain of salt.

This tea is just OK. It is a very good price, so I am not crying foul. Just expected more after the excellent sample I had last time.

I picked up a tin of this tea with my most recent Harney order. Very enjoyable and very interesting!

The tea steeps a medium brown. The scent and the flavor are hard to characterize, and very different from a typical black tea. I think the closest comparison is Teavana’s Golden Dragon yellow tea. A nice, full mouthfeel. “Buttery” is the best way I can describe it. Very smooth. A great tea for sipping and savoring.

The Harney & Sons site says it has a “predominant” honey aroma and “honey flavors”, but I disagree. Not very sweet, but I suppose you could argue that there is a floral note in there. Definitely more buttery. (Ironically, their description of Top Chingwo Congou is “buttery”, while I thought it was chock full of honey flavor. Go figure.)

A great tea for a cool fall afternoon. I don’t recommend it as a breakfast tea; it’s not strong enough, in my opinion. (Plus, I like to start my day with some sweetness!) If it’s on sale again, I would buy it again.

I picked up a sample of this tea with my most recent Harney order.

It steeps a nice medium-dark brown. Definite honey presence in scent and taste. Smooth and sweet, and very bold. I really enjoyed this tea, and I’m glad I grabbed a sample while they lasted.

This tea is rather expensive – about twice the price of teas that are arguably comparable in quality. Not sure if I’ll buy anything more than a sample in the future, but I will definitely keep an eye on it.

I picked up a sample of this with my most recent Harney order. I’ve only had a couple cups’ worth, but it has left a definite impression on me.

This tea steeps a nice dark brown. The aroma and taste are both loaded with cocoa. Very bold and very smooth.

This may replace Teavana’s Golden Monkey as my go-to tea! I will be ordering a tin and reporting back.

I got a bag of this tea from a recent hotel stay. Brought it home and brewed it up, so I could use my own water and kettle and give it a fair shot.

I’d say this tea is a standard black tea that you can buy in boxes of 50 bags at your local grocer. Nothing stands out about it. I’ll give it a score right down the middle, because it will do in a pinch, but there’s no way I would pay money for it.

A very good black tea. A nice, lush scent with a slightly sweet note. Smooth flavor, bold yet definitely not as harsh as a typical assam. However, the finish is a bit bitter.

At $3.25/oz for loose leaf (as of this writing, per the website), this is easily worth twice the price. If you’re a fan of “straight” black teas, don’t hesitate to grab some.

I bought a cup of this tea (hot) at the Capital Teas stand in the Mall in Columbia. I don’t know how they steeped it, sorry.