120 Tasting Notes
A sample of this came to me via the ever lovely Quilt Guppy. H&S says this is tea with heft.
That is exactly my take on it. I found it rich, full, and somewhat nutty. There was also a hint of dried hay. I normally would not find hay appetizing, but in this case, contemplating as I always end up with a cup of black tea, my mind yields to relaxing thoughts of the country, hay meadows on a late summers day. Thanks QG, you always make it interesting.
We are setting records for heat, so I have been mixing some iced tea into my day. This has become a favorite. Brew a pot of this including a large sprig of mint, combine in a quart mason jar with ice, a twist of lime, and a little sweetener as desired and my goodness, you have a refreshing and delicious beverage. Goes well with Rat Lunch too, hmm what time is it? I am getting hungry!
This particular brand was my first-ever experience with gunpowder tea. If I recall, its pretty stout as greens go - bet the lime with it is great.
The lime does smooth it a bit. You have to be careful as with most teas, over steeping or under steeping, but the sweet spot for it is wonderful. I was doing my own version of Moroccan mint with it hot, but now I would have trouble deciding which I like better, hot or iced.
Trying this out today courtesy of SimplyJenW. Dry, this is a very appealing black tea with blue flowers mixed in. Steeped it delivers as promised. A fair balance of Bergamot and cream. I really like the combination. For me, the Bergamot is there at the beginning and end of the sip with the cream in the center, like an Oreo cookie. It is an interesting affect.
Thanks SimplyJenW, I am very glad to have tried this.
I really like this one, too. I wonder if Harney would consider an Earl Grey Cream?
I would vote for it, and knowing H&S, they would do it right.
By the way, I guess I should repent for the grammar police out there…
“the Oreo effect affected me interestingly”
Better?
I will ask Mike to consider it! Dashing over to their facebook page now!
I forgot we had our own H&S agent!
Maybe it is time to try a blend of Earl Grey Supreme and Vanilla Black. 3:1 or 2:1?
2:1
Great idea!
Rat lunch today, looked my office stash over and noticed a long forgotten and neglected friend. This was quite tasty with my grilled cheddar and rye with yellow mustard on the side. This tea partners well with a lot of foods. I was eating Thai fried rice the other day wishing for some of this. I think my next order will be carry out. :) Nothing new to add, other than this is one tea that has stayed consistent and I have never lost my taste for it. I need to keep the tin closer to the front!
Rat lunch forever!
This also makes a delicious iced tea!
I will try that, but it will have to be good to get me off my gunpowder green/homegrown spearmint/ twist of lime iced tea I have been drinking. :)
Glad to see you back with us QG !
mmmm good call QG. I had some iced last night.
…What is rat lunch?
it is a term ashmanra introduced to me, I believe if memory serves it is
toasted (grilled) cheese, with mustard and a distinctly British tea
She might enlighten you further…
After yesterdays confusion and euphoria with new teas, then the stress of evaluation thrown in, today is going to be much slower and deliberate.
I appreciate SimplyJenW who is helping me round out my “Tour de Harney.” First of all, I would not have bought this. I am a bit of a traditionalist, I enjoy courses in a meal separate. I dont like foods getting too close on my plate unless it is by design or recipe. I don’t really care for coffee flavored tea, I would rather just have coffee if I am in the mood. The same goes for cocoa and tea. I love them both and know full well a piece of dark chocolate and a cup of black tea are a divine combination, but I like them to compliment each other on their own, not mixed together. All this is to say, I have avoided chocolate flavored teas until now. This may seem odd, but it is just how my tastes have grown over the years. Thank goodness for Steepster, and friends like SimplyJenW, OUR beloved QuiltGuppy, KiTT and so many others who willingly share to help expand our tastes. Every sip of this, I have to do a double take to see if it is in fact tea or cocoa. I can imagine this would be excellent for a cold winters night, rather than a hot summer day, but it is good all the same. Dry it smelled of a chocolate bar. Steeped, it smells just like cocoa with warmed milk or cream. The Hazelnut is subtle, just barely there. It seems well balanced, not too much of anything (a Harney trademark from my standpoint) and is a comforting cup.
I like this and honestly expected not to. I will however plan to get some and have it on hand for the hounds of winter. Good as it is, I will enjoy it more in a traditional setting. :)
Thanks SimplyJenW. You changed my mind about this one.
I thought chocolate tea sounded disgusting when I first started drinking the good stuff, and I really didn’t like hazelnut. Ten I tried this one, and I had to have it! I now have to ship some overseas because my daughter wrote me this morning that her Irish boyfriend has gotten her hooked on Nutella, and since he loves tea I think he will love this one. Pus, it is always cool enough over there for hot tea! LOL! She is cold while we are 104 degrees today!
Oh my, another one I must try!
Continuing to punch my card of H&S teas I have not tried, thanks again to SimplyJenW who made this possible. Announcement follows: Here ye, I am now an official fan of honey flavored teas. I love the blend of black tea and the taste of honey. I have not met an Assam I did not like, I think this is my first Kenyan tea, my only reference was they produce wonderful coffee. The Ceylon levels it a bit. It is very good, but I think the Tower of London still has a hold on me.
Thanks to SimplyJenW, I was able to give this a try today. It is appropriate to me that a tea named for the city of light lights would be bright and clear. I have been wanting to try this and compare to Tower of London, a new favorite, and there are some things they share yet still have personalities of their own. The fruit seems to me to be a little more forward in Paris, the black tea base is the same in both I suppose. The honey in TOL overpowers the other flavors. (not a problem with me, mind you) but Paris is a little lighter and more subtle. I think some have called this “Tower Light” and that is my take as well. While writing this it is cooling a little and the caramel notes are coming through. They were hidden when it was first steeped. All considered, I really like this, find it a close relative of TOL, and yet ANOTHER Harney & Sons Tea I enjoy.
No meh for me ya’ll :)
The Absent Meh: See Oh Joy!
I am glad you liked it! I do think the two of them are different. I like the honeyed flavor of the Tower just a little more than the fruity bergamot flavor of Paris.
Yes, different, but related. It is always interesting to me that teas can reveal different things to different people. I agree too, I like the Tower more, but the difference is like comparing billions to trillions for me.
Thanks again!
I thought of TOL as Paris light! I think because it has less bergamot, though maybe more stone fruit and the addition of honey. But both are indescribably good. I really do love to keep both on hand. I think a lot of the preference depends on mood and pairings.
I didn’t take time to reread the posts. I got it backwards :) but to me Paris was lighter of the two. BUT, I have only had TOL in a sachet and I had Paris leaf.
That could explain, I likely used less leaf than the sachet…hmmm I guess I will just have to order some Paris, TOL and compare sachets.
I love both of them equally, really. Yeah, they’re similar, but they’re different enough that I couldn’t pick one as my favorite! Of course, Tower of London will always have a special place in my heart since it was one of the teas that sparked my current tea obsession.
FYI, the sachets have about 2 tsp in them, so you can compare that way; differing amounts in the leaf does seem to make a difference, but I think loose and sachet are pretty similar when the same amount is used.
I am thinking I mislableled that leaf for you (ugh…who can you trust these days?!). I only sent a sachet of Paris. Maybe this is Black Currant?
I have some Tower of London loose if you want to try it, teawing! I might have..cough, cough, ahem….a pound bag. I begged Mike Harney for it in loose leaf for so long he finally broke and offered to make me one pound. I asked for three, someone else ordered two, and it escalated until he decided to just give up and sell it loose leaf!
No Jen, the error is mine. You had it all lined up for me. I just got distracted with work then confused myself with thoughts about it after the fact. It WAS a sachet. So, for me, it seemed lighter than TOL. And it was an even comparison, doing them both the same way. I just tried the Black Currant and there is no mistaking it. WOW, a review will follow.
The Ellyse’s Blend was loose, that might have been where I got confused.
So, SimplyJenW had it correct, I was confused. Moral of the story, don’t try too many new teas in one day, then try to recall them all after an employee evaluation!
Oh, the joys of poundage! Since I am completely confused as to leaf, sachets and what I have tasted today, let me contemplate your offer. It is nice to know it comes in sizes that big. I have been watching these sachets disappear very quickly!
@ashmanra and I loved the turns/turns loose quote in another thread!
Thanks for the offer.
From Meh to Aha! in ten easy Ste(e)ps!
Wow, I did not get that at all from this tea. To me, it was heavy and earthy and certainly not caramel… maybe I had a bad batch!
Another sample from QuiltGuppy afforded the opportunity to try this. It was everything I hoped for. A rich black tea, light fruit essence, and a smackerel of honey. I doubt Pooh ever had it this good. H&S is still batting 1000 with me. Their teas are excellent.
Have you tried the Black Currant? If not, I should send you some.
This is one of the few flavored teas my hubby likes. I had seen a review on here on wanted to try it but Harney was sold out, so he googled and hunted and found it for me as a surprise! I have a great hubby! This tea is like Paris light, but oh soo good. Sometimes I think I like it better than Paris!
@SimplyJenW no, have not tried Harney’s Black Currant.
I would love to…
@ashmanra so Paris is the same basic profile only more intense?
I have one sachet of Paris I can add to your package for comparison. Any others in my cupboard you might want to try?
Perhaps Florence and Ellyse’s blend?
I can do those!
Yea!
Not the same profile, but similar. There are additional flavors in Paris that are not in Tower of London. You will love both!
I don’t know if dired hay appeals to me, buy hay notes could work. I am from the country and the smell of hay is just so sweet and delightful.