3240 Tasting Notes

drank Boston by Harney & Sons
3240 tasting notes

This was served for tea party today, and the aroma drew an immediate reaction. It does smell sooo good! The cranberry high note is rounded by a full, deep almond or amaretto scent and flavor. So nice! I drank it sans additions, guests took it with milk and sugar. Everyone liked it, even the children but they are seasoned tea drinkers! Why don’t I make this more often?? I am glad mrawlins brought it to my mind so I could suggest it for today’s offerings. Many thanks to my little barista, my youngest daughter, who makes all the teas and prepares the dessert plates for our tea parties!

Mike Harney, you done good! :)

Preparation
Boiling

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This is a beautiful tea to look at! I have the sachets but I can still see those lovely petals through the nylon. I am not much of a herbal tea drinker, but this one is very drinkable for me and needs no additions to taste good. My guests added sugar to theirs, and one even added milk, too, and they seemed to like it! The chamomile and citrus flavors take the forefront and the floral notes are subdued and nice.

Preparation
Boiling

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drank Chai by Harney & Sons
3240 tasting notes

I tried this one iced today, but I didn’t increase the sugar or leaves at first. It was a bit watery, but the addition of more sugar helped, though I really should have made it with extra leaves if I was planning to ice it. I had the second cup from the pot warm, and it was just as yummy as it should be! It seems so thick and frothy made with 2 parts milk to one part water, and I feel like I am drinking liquid pumpkin pie. Delicious! It is a smooth and mellow chai.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C

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drank English Breakfast by Harney & Sons
3240 tasting notes

A whole pot with some Swiss cheese cubes to celebrate a beautiful day! Harney’s English Breakfast is 100% keemun, and having just had a cup of their Hao Ya A I can really tell it! This has very nice cocoa notes and great body and flavor. It is smooth and lovely and while it is considerably less expensive than Hao Ya A it has all the attributes of keemuns that we love.

The wind is blowing billowing clouds of yellow pollen around, so my earlier washing of the car is already undone, but I don’t mind – it was too pretty to stay inside! The dogwoods are so heavy with flowers they are almost blinding, the tall pines all around me are releasing puffs of yellow, and there are five speckled blue eggs in my fern thanks to the little house finches. It’s a good day. I’m taking the tea tray outside!

Preparation
Boiling

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drank Hao Ya 'A' by Harney & Sons
3240 tasting notes

I had only one teaspoon left of my sample and wanted another taste to help decide whether this goes on the next order. The first time I tried this I was a tea novice and thought it terribly strong. Today I thought it very smooth and sweet, with lots of body and flavor. How tastes change! I would love this as a breakfast tea with milk and sugar, or as an afternoon tea taken plain. I read that the Queen of England usually drinks a Hao Ya A for breakfast. She has good taste in tea!

Preparation
Boiling

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drank Chai by Harney & Sons
3240 tasting notes

Ah yes! Today I have the house to myself and can read quietly for a little while. I decided this was a great time to try Indian Spice again, this time prepared the way Harney and Sons recommends in their special instructions in the tin.

I feel like I am drinking liquid pumpkin pie! It is really yummy! On my first tasting note of this tea, I stated that it was rather bland and plain until we started eating Belgian Cream Puffs with it. The next sip of tea after was completely different, very full and sweet. By preparing the tea this way today, that is the taste I got right off the bat. It is rich, thick, and full of flavor, but not strong or overbearing. I consider this a very calming cup.

I used 16 oz. skim milk and 8 oz. water and since I didn’t have Demerara sugar cubes (they call for six) I used 5 teaspoons of sugar instead. You heat the milk and water, add the tea and sugar, simmer for 4 minutes, and strain. I do have some succanat, and I believe I will try that next time in place of sugar. I think the honey notes of succanat may go very well with this.

I wish Sandy were here to try it this new way with me!

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C
gmathis

The “like” is less for the tea than for the “house to myself so I can read!” Woo-hoo!

ashmanra

Indeed. Homeschooling four children and having three of them still in the home now means you are almost never EVER home alone! Hubby used to tell me to go off and have fun, and I told him what I really wanted was to be in my own home by myself a little! Adore my kids but I sure do like a quiet house now and then! :)

gmathis

Treated myself to a binge-read of half of “Christy” by Catherine Marshall this weekend (one I’ve had half-memorized since sixth grade) and regretted having no sassafras tea currently under the roof to go with it.

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drank Florence by Harney & Sons
3240 tasting notes

Aaaahhh! I haven’t had this one in a long time, and Sandy suggested it today for our virtual tea party via Skype. It is a lovely blend of chocolate and hazelnut, very well balanced, and the tea is quite smooth.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C

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drank Vanilla Comoro by Harney & Sons
3240 tasting notes

So very good again today! I gave this to a guest who is absolutely new to hot tea – the one who tried Paris and liked it. She loved this one today with no additions at all, except for the frosted brownie!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C

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drank Keemun Mao Feng by Harney & Sons
3240 tasting notes

Raining, raining, and gray! Chilly, too, so I needed a great cuppa to warm myself up. For some reason, this one is tasting like a terribly expensive dark roasted oolong today and I am LOVING it! There is the barest hint of keemun smoke and some cocoa notes. The tea is sweet and smooth – doesn’t need a thing.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C

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drank Vanilla Comoro by Harney & Sons
3240 tasting notes

We wanted special teas to go with our frosted brownies today and Vanilla Comoro came to mind right away as a special dessert tea. I use the loose leaf which is just full of vanilla bean specks – soooo good. This is one of the best decaf teas I have had with rich vanilla and caramel flavors and a lovely sweetness.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 30 sec

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Profile

Bio

I am a music teacher, tutor, and former homeschool mom (25 years!) who started drinking loose leaf tea about fourteen years ago! My daughters and I have tea every day, and we are frequently joined by my students or friends for “tea time.” Now my hubby joins us, too. His tastes have evolved from Tetley with milk and sugar to mostly unadorned greens and oolongs.

We have learned so much history, geography, and culture in this journey.

My avatar is a mole in a teacup! Long story…

Location

North Carolina

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