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“So… I really need to look through my reviews before buying tea on impulse. I added this on to some order in the past to make the free shipping level. Just now getting around to opening the tin....” Read full tasting note
“The aroma is light and vegetal. The flavor is earthy and smooth, a bit dry but not too much. I’m not overly impressed but I can’t say anything particularly negative about it either. It takes milk...” Read full tasting note
“Yet another sample from Ost this summer. Thanks Ost! Whereas I usually have 14-20 oz mugs of tea, whenever I make plain black ones, I always make just a little. I used less leaf and less time than...” Read full tasting note
“Thank you for the sample Nicole/Tea-Historic!! This is a wallop of a tea. Caffeine = yes! what a high. It managed to kick my headache for atleast an hour after finishing my cuppa. It’s back now,...” Read full tasting note
Located between Lake Victoria and the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, the Kaimosi estate is known for a tradition of great tea. While there, Emeric Harney had to bring back this tea. The tea brews dark and red like the CTC’s of Assam, but since it’s given three times as much time to oxidize, it has less of a bite to it.
www.harney.com
Since 1983 Harney & Sons has been the source for fine teas. We travel the globe to find the best teas and accept only the exceptional. We put our years of experience to work to bring you the best Single-Estate teas, and blends beyond compare.
So… I really need to look through my reviews before buying tea on impulse. I added this on to some order in the past to make the free shipping level. Just now getting around to opening the tin. Yeah… a whole tin. I can see cold steeping for the whole summer with just this tin to use it up. :)
Anyway, it’s still an fine tea-tea. I still don’t get any special notes from it. I had some without to taste it on it’s own. Then I indulged and used some cream leftover from the last tea party and dumped about a tablespoon into a For Life mug amount of it. It’s really good with cream. Or, I suppose you could say that the cream is really good and adding this tea gives it depth. :)
The aroma is light and vegetal. The flavor is earthy and smooth, a bit dry but not too much. I’m not overly impressed but I can’t say anything particularly negative about it either. It takes milk and sugar well. Overall I think this is a good basic cup of tea.
Yet another sample from Ost this summer. Thanks Ost! Whereas I usually have 14-20 oz mugs of tea, whenever I make plain black ones, I always make just a little. I used less leaf and less time than usual since it’s CTC, and it still turned out strong enough. It’s a bit astringent, but it has a nice maltiness. I think I actually prefer this one without milk. It tasted best fresh and tasted a bit unpleasant after sitting out for a few hours. Overall, I’d say it’s pretty average for a plain black tea.
Thank you for the sample Nicole/Tea-Historic!!
This is a wallop of a tea. Caffeine = yes! what a high. It managed to kick my headache for atleast an hour after finishing my cuppa. It’s back now, unfortunately. (next stop is more caffeine and an aspirin). I saw the reviews indicating how strong it was, so I underleafed at just under a teaspoon. I’m glad I did, as it came out perfectly balanced. My nerves are strung up, so I agree with others here, this is not for anyone who is caffeine sensitive, or consumption in large quantities. Maybe I shouldn’t have had that small mug of coffee shortly beforehand!
Lost track of time but I’d guess I let it go for about four minutes. Really good on it’s own, no sugar or milk added, so a dynamic tea in that regard.
A bit coppery, with a good hit of fruitiness underneath and a pleasant drying sensation. Very smooth, considering the intensity.
With a dollop of cream, it does well too.
aaaand now that I’ve tried it with regular kettle boiled water, I’m saving the rest of the sample to try at work with the water tap. For comparison.
It’s been a long time since I’ve had a H&S tea. I’m sure that is adding to my giddiness :P
Caffeine is a tricky one for my headaches. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it triggers a migraine. I’m glad it helped yours, even if only for a bit.
H&S teas can make me giddy, too.
It seems to be weather related for me. The temp went way up today, air pressure messes with me. Temp went down and now the headache is gone. I hope you don’t get any more migraines :/
I’ve only tried a handful of Harney teas, but they’ve all impressed me for the most part. All hail the Queen (Catherine)
Do H&S not ship to Canada or is it just cost prohibitive?
$30 shipping, but there is another website now that sells most Harney teas that has cheap shipping. http://www.premiumteas.ca/?gclid=CIDemO_qmdICFQSNaQodRLAGDA
Oof. Yeah I like their teas but no way would I pay that much shipping.
Definitely not worth it! I’d considered making an order that would ship to my parent’s hotel when they went to Florida, but then I’d have to fess up to them about making another tea order. Now I don’t have to :P
LOL
What an odd-looking tea! It’s the first time I come across a CTC. Well, I’ve probably drank many CTC before without knowing since it’s apparently common for supermarkets tea bags to be CTC. Oooohh mamma mía, this is strong! Maybe I used too much tea or steeped it for too long. The strenght is not only felt with my tastebuds but on my whole body. After drinking half of my cup, my hands were shaking and my heart was pounding. I’ll have to be careful next time.
CTC’s are best on those mornings when it would just be better to take your tea intravenously, so I’m glad this little packet from Nicole was in plain sight. (Two sessions in the garage storm shelter, one at 3:00 a.m.)
I’d call this the Kenyan version of PG Tips—very strong with a little bit of sharpness in the sip, but not enough to call it metallic. Had I not gulped down the mug like a tea-starved maniac, I would have tried it with milk. Good stuff for unleaded lovers.
