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Thank you to Lori for this sample!

I am with Morgana on this one. I smell and taste darjeeling. I don’t know if it is really in there, but that is what I get. It is smooth, not too astringent, and I really don’t detect any smoke at all. It has good flavor, though, was decent both plain or with milk and sugar added, and ….I think…..it may be reminding me of Margaret’s Hope 2nd Flush FTGFOP. That’s the darjeeling I am sensing, I suppose. Maybe the tiniest bit pepper-y, too?

Yes, I drank this one AGAIN. Yes, I still love it. It is still lightly smokey and intoxicates me on frumpled mornings. And even though I used the last marvelous leaves to make this cuppa, I refuse to click “Remove from Cupboard” because I marched right in here and ordered a whole pound. Aaaaaaaah.

I ordered the sample of this one since I am not a huge fan of Yunnan teas, although I enjoy a few pu-erhs. It is rpetty nice, but I would say that the astringency is leaning toward 2 for me, though Harney and Sons rates it as a one. The teas with NO astringency usually get a one. This one was a little drying on the tongue the more I sipped. The flavor is pleasant, I detected the very lightest whiff of smoke, and there was just a hint of pepper. I agree with another post that it tends to a white pepper scent rather than black pepper. Still, I stand by my personal feelings about yunnans and this one doesn’t sway me, though if you are a yunnan fan, you just may love this one.

Thank you to Lori for this sample! This is an individually wrapped teabag. When I opened it there was a refreshing and strong peppermint aroma. From this I really expected this tea to taste exactly like my plain peppermint herbal tea, but not so. As you drink this, the smell of peppermint is so relaxing but the green tea is definitely there when you drink. Nice balance of the flavors. This is a slightly astringent green, not a buttery one.

A lovely, smooth oolong! The aroma is mostly woodsy to me, but I thought I detected some raisin-y in the background. Not astringent at all. Made a surprisingly dark brew! Thank you to Lori for this sample!

Just about finished my tin of this one today. I may have a teaspoon left.

This was hard because I decided to choose EITHER this one or Queen Catherine to keep on hand. I already have H&S English Breakfast and SS Organic Breakfast, and with the tower of tea I have already I can’t justify buying both! (Well, maybe I can, but will the hubby go for it?) Although I like this one and it is quite good, I am not the biggest fan of Assam tea, so Queen Catherine has won. The two are so similar that it was a hard choice, but QC is a blend of three China teas, and they are really my favorites.

I was a little afraid of this one when I smelled the dry leaves, but I needn’t have been. It is very smooth, a little sweet, and the smoke is not overpowering at all. It was good enough to have a second cup. Went really well with cheese cubes and whipped chocolate bar Aero bar.

This is a very nice breakfast tea. I often have it in the afternoon with Pepperidge Farm cookies as well. It is not as strong as some keemuns, being lighter in cocoa notes and lacking smokiness as well. This is a great keemun for people who don’t like strong keemuns. They say it has red wine or muscatel flavors, but so far I haven’t picked that up. I will have to try to sharpen my senses….

So glad I bought this one! The scent is delightful – I drank this from a gaiwan and I think I sniffed the lid as often as I sipped the tea. The aroma is light and lovely gardenia, so worth taking the time to slow down and appreciate this light, floral aroma! The taste is very creamy, buttery, and lightly vegetal. I detect the flowers as a light aftertaste – it isn’t a strong floral taste to me, just floral in the aroma. Some teas will irritate my reflux. Not this one. Smooth and lovely. Will try resteeping this one and learn more about this “lovely seriousness” Harney and Sons talks about!

Second pot of the day is youngest DD’s favorite! A very nice tea, and my favorite Irish Breakfast so far.