Harney & Sons

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drank Tilleul by Harney & Sons
3226 tasting notes

Sipdown

This was actually a sharedown. I ended up with a huge amount of Tilluel and decided to share this one with someone who loves using lots of natural remedies.

I still have a big bag of Theodor Tilluel Mint left for cold and flu season.

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85

Strange VariaTEA TTB #19

I had no idea what this blend was supposed to taste like when I grabbed it from the box, but I could see and smell the coconut, so I went for it! Turns out this tea has not one but two of my favorite flavors: coconut and caramel both! It’s super smooth and buttery and rich and I’m quite enjoying it.

Flavors: Butter, Caramel, Coconut, Smooth

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 4 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
gmathis

This sounds delicious—like Girl Scout Samoas minus the chocolate!

Inkling

Ooh, yeah, that’s a good description! And those are my favorite Girl Scout cookies. :)

gmathis

If your local grocery stores have Keebler cookies, Coconut Dreams are Samoas.

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65

Sipdown! (1 | 403)

Haven’t been around much in the last week because my mother-in-law was staying with us. Let’s just say, I’m relieved that she left this morning ha ha… ^^’

Anyway, this tea. It sounded so good to me, but I just don’t love it. I get maple in the smell, but not the taste. The combination of the pumpkin (I think) and the ginger together just comes out so earthy, it’s odd to me. And then there’s a touch of candy cinnamon in the background. Just a strange combination of things to my palate.

Anyway, not a fan. But I’m partially glad about it, since this is yet another tea that is only offered in sachets in a tin…

Flavors: Candy, Cinnamon, Earthy, Ginger, Pumpkin, Spices, Thin, Watery

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 16 OZ / 473 ML
AJRimmer

Aw that’s too bad, this one sounded tasty!

Cameron B.

I know some other people who really love it!

Rosehips

I have this one too, and it’s so weak to me! And I was so hopeful, too.

Cameron B.

I didn’t find it weak per se, just didn’t enjoy lol. I used two sachets for 16 ounces.

ashmanra

Wow, and Harney says their sachets are for twelve ounces of water! I didn’t get this one but I have ordered the new Salted Caramel. I hope it is decent!

Cameron B.

To be fair, I always overleaf ha ha. To me, one teabag or sachet is for 8 ounces of water.

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65

Had to make an order to pick this one up, as the flavors sounded too good to miss. Of course, a few other teas tagged along… :P

To be honest though, I’m not loving it? Mostly I’m getting a little bit of cinnamon candy and a lot of earthy ginger flavor. Nothing here tastes like pumpkin or maple or vanilla to me, and it’s making me sad. I like ginger, but I was more excited for the sweeter/dessertier flavors listed in the description.

Harrumph. We’ll see if my opinion changes after I try it a few more times…

Flavors: Candy, Cinnamon, Earthy, Ginger, Mineral, Spices

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 16 OZ / 473 ML

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I wanted to like this but something about the strong bergamot and very floral jasmine kind of gave me a headache. I don’t know if it was just too much flavouring oil, but whatever the case I didn’t particular enjoy this one. It’s just a lot.

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78

The TTB has arrived! So big, so many teas… no chance to try them all!
Tea #29

I was in a mood for something simple. Tea bag preffered. Found in the TTB this tea, unknown what to expect.

This is nice Ear… ehm, there is something else. Yes, there is a bergamot, nice level of it, but it is warming me up from the inside, some woody notes… research needed … ah well, bourbon. With that alcohol I have again limited, if any, experience. I drink sometimes Scotch, if offered by brother, but this is certainly more woody.

A bit spicy, if you ask me, about this tea. Nothing distinctive, but it’s part of it. A nice autumn-weather tea, if you are not looking spice-forward tea.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec 10 OZ / 300 ML
gmathis

I never would have thought to combine bourbon and bergamot!

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30

Getting close to half way through this tin and still haven’t written notes.

I find this a bit harsher than I like. A bit astringent and maybe something else? Hard to describe. Its not bad necessarily. I’ll likely finish it, but its not something I actually enjoy.

Astringency gets harsher as it cools.

Another that might work well with add-ins if you are an add-in type of person.

ashmanra

I don’t drink much Assam but I bought this to share with a friend who loves it. I don’t add milk and sugar to my tea usually. I found that if I used a lower temp and shorter time, this one was pretty nice, and my friend who loves brosk and malty tea liked it and didn’t find it too strong for her. Not a repurchase for me and if I remember correctly, I gave the rest to her.

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78

Sipdown! (6 | 6)

Been enjoying sipping through this one with milk, and now that it’s gone I had to go and order some Hot Cinnamon Spice loose leaf! Sadly they were out of Hot Apple Spice in a reasonable size.

I’m pretty sure this one is just Hot Apple Spice on a green base. Though to be fair, it’s also basically the same as Hot Cinnamon Spice, since there’s very little discernible apple flavor anyway. Just another of Harney’s sweet cinnamon teas! Not sure why they keep making more that are so similar to their classic version…

Anyway, it’s gone and I’m sad about it. :P

Flavors: Candy, Cinnamon, Spices, Sugar, Sweet

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec 16 OZ / 473 ML

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78

I saw this tea with a “new” tag when I was on Harney’s site, picking up their new A Haunting in Venice tea and restocking a couple of fall and winter favorites (Heirloom Bartlett Pear, Winter White Earl Grey). The description sounded good and I love apple teas, so into the cart it went.

About that description though… It mentions “…fragrant and fruity notes of apple are perfectly complemented by a subtle hint of cinnamon…”, but I’m calling bullshit ha ha. This tastes like all of their other hot cinnamon style teas, with a strong and sweet cinnamon candy flavor. There’s barely even a hint of apple here. I think this is just the green version of their Hot Apple Spice, which tasted similar but has a black base.

Anyway, I’ll still drink it and enjoy it, because I do like their hot cinnamon teas, but I feel like the description is deeply misleading lol. Oh well, I’m partly glad since this only comes in the bulky and expensive 30 sachet tin format… :P

Flavors: Apple, Candy, Cinnamon, Smooth, Sweet, Thin

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 0 sec 16 OZ / 473 ML
ashmanra

Boooo! I saw this and was intrigued. I dislike that strong red hots flavor, so I will pass on trying this. I am glad you tried it and warned us! I want apple plus a hint of cozy cinnamon!

Cameron B.

Ha ha I know! I like their hot cinnamon teas but come on, do something different! :P

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90

I was a little worried when I got this blend, I’m not going to lie. I am not typically a fan of Harney and Sons’ Pumpkin Spice but this blend is not that at all! It’s a pumpkin (without the spice) black tea with some spices along with vanilla and maple flavors. This blend tastes like a hot cuppa paired with some freshly baked pumpkin bread. It’s super yummy, buttery, and somehow light at the same time. I think I may need to grab some more before it sells out, plus the tin is gorgeous!

Flavors: Cinnamon, Cream, Icing, Maple, Pumpkin, Whipped Cream

gmathis

This sounds much better than all the ubiquitous pumpkin spice varieties that pop up this time of year.

ashmanra

I have been hoping to see a review of this one because I don’t want it if it is just ginger and clove! This sounds tasty, so it is a someday tea when I finish off a few more in my cupboard.

thereadersteacup

It’s super mild and delicious! 10/10 reccommend

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87

A strong CTC black tea. This tea often was unpleasant to drink because it had the tendency to go very strong extremely quickly, but this was a great tea for milk tea. I’m little sad that Harney & Sons doesn’t sell this anymore, though I completely understand why. The full version tastes way, way better and I would recommend that one over this.

sold for $8.5/4oz

edit: The website has it again! Now the 4oz tin is sold for $14

https://www.harney.com/products/songluo-broken

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Most companies get the ginger part right but completely miss the pastry side of their gingerbread/cookie teas. (Yes, this means you, Bigelow Ginger Snappish. Sorry.)

Our H&S friends have nailed both elements accurately. Not so much ginger it burns; and just enough “cookie” to make it believable without being cloying. Nicely done. Thanks, ashmanra!

ashmanra

You are very welcome!

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80

This tea takes you places. There I was in my office, working away at my computer with a mug of this tea at my elbow. Then it was like I was sitting around a campfire, smelling smoke and sipping whiskey. This may not be my favorite tea ever, but I think I’m more impressed by it than any other tea I can remember.

Dry, it has a very pungent smoky scent with a hint of bourbon in the background. Brewed, the smoke is subtler, although still the dominant flavor. I slightly oversteeped my sachet, but the tea was forgiving and did not become more bitter or astringent than the bourbon and vanilla flavors could handle. There’s a slight mustiness to the flavor, but in a pleasant way, like the damp smell you get in the woods when it’s recently rained, and the sweetness from the bourbon flavoring comes through like burnt sugar.

If I made this an everyday tea, it would lose its ability to transport me, but I think it would pair well with certain experiences. Maybe I’ll drink it on my front porch one rainy morning. Maybe I’ll take it for a walk in the woods.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 30 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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55

Except for the fact that it’s only early September and it got up to 90 degrees this afternoon, today was kind of a perfect fall day. I went for a walk in the woods in the morning, I baked a loaf of fresh bread when I got home, and this evening I sat down with a tea that’s named after my favorite season.

But what a letdown! First of all, let me say that I love hibiscus. It’s one of my favorite flavors, and all other things equal, if I have to pick between a tea that does have hibiscus and one that doesn’t, I’m going to go for the hibiscus. But in this blend, it gets in the way.

For the first couple of sips while the tea was still piping hot, the hibiscus was all I could taste, and somewhat faintly at that (although the cup was tart all the way through). There was a brief window at a warm-but-not-hot temperature when I got a faint hint of orange and a little of the woodsy body of the rooibos, but once this mug reached room temperature, it was back to hibiscus water. I can’t say I ever tasted the cranberry.

This tea smells beautiful in the tin and I do love hibiscus, so I’m not giving up yet. I’ll play around with how I brew it, but my hopes are not high. This is what I get for trying to rush Mother Nature.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec 8 OZ / 236 ML

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90

Okay, technically I got this tea to take to the office, but come on, who can resist trying all of the new teas ASAP when they’re delivered?

I drank this one in stages. I had about half of it hot, and the first thing I noticed was the vanilla scent. That flavor doesn’t come through as strongly on my tongue, where the flavor is dominated more by the lemongrass and the richness of the coconut. I couldn’t identify the ginger at first, but once I’d read it on the label it was clear how much the sharpness of the ginger adds. I adore coconut in a tea (and in everything else), but it can sometimes create an oily mouthfeel, and this blend avoids that: it’s more velvety than oily. Between the coconut and the tea itself, I get a nice floral aftertaste with minimal astringency.

So that was Stage 1. Then I realized I was running low on time to run a couple errands, and I had to run out of the house. By the time I got back, the tea had cooled to room temperature, and unfortunately, Stage 2 cannot compete. I couldn’t taste the green tea anymore or even much of the coconut. It was all lemongrass and ginger.

Would I drink this one cold? Nope, nope, nope. But that’s on me and my bad time management today, so based on the hot tea, this one gets an A. It’s the most I’ve enjoyed a cup of tea since I restarted the tea habit.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec 8 OZ / 236 ML

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74

Seems like forever since I have been on this site… but back to write a quick review. I wasnt a big fan of this… it made a really strange cold tea but I found that was my favorite way to drink it. Or maybe I just brewed it with too many leaves? j really wasnt a fan of this hot, it just wasn’t anything special. I think I was expecting looking at the blend if leaves.

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63

I’m out of my routine this morning, and this tea is part of it. I love being up in the morning, but I hate getting up, and the window in between the alarm clock going off and sitting on the sofa with my coffee is the worst part of my day. It helps if I know my coffee is almost ready, so I normally set it up after I wash the dinner dishes, but last night I had evening plans and skipped the coffee routine. Big mistake. Turns out I’m almost out of coffee and can’t eke out a pot, or even a cup.

So tea it is! I got one bag of this English Breakfast as a sample in a recent order, and it’s fine for what it is. English Breakfast isn’t a style that sets me up for success because I’m prone to oversteeping, and I find the astringency of oversteeped English Breakfast stomach-turning. I was careful this time, though, and I’m … not not enjoying this cup. It has a pleasant earthy and toasty flavor, noticeably tart, with a sweet, almost agave-like aftertaste. I can’t imagine I’ll buy it again, but it did the job for me today.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 8 OZ / 236 ML
ashmanra

I used to actively dislike this tea which was a frequent sample with my Harney orders but one day I decided to steep it the way Teavivre recommends their Keemun – 190F for 3 minutes. It was much better that way to me, and I won’t mind seeing it as a sample again, but I wouldn’t seek it out and order a tin.

StrangeButTrue

Thanks for the steeping tip! I’ll try lowering the temperature next time and see what flavors come out.

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85

Every time I drink unsweetened, unflavored chamomile, I remember the first time I drank pure chamomile. It seemed so improbable to me that a single flower could produce a tea that’s both grassy and almost farmy but at the same time so sweet. The magic of chamomile is that no matter how often I drink it, the sweetness is always a surprise and a pleasure.

I got a single bag of this as a sample with a larger order. I brewed it in a glass mug, and I’m glad that I did, because it produces a beautiful, bright yellow, almost golden liquor. I expected an apple flavor but don’t quite find it, although I’m enjoying the hay-like flavor so much that I don’t miss it at all. I’m going to need more of this one.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec 8 OZ / 236 ML

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70
drank Apple Cinnamon by Harney & Sons
3986 tasting notes

Ordered a sample of this when I was picking up their fruit teas. It just caught my eye and I was already deep into fall mode, so into the cart it went ha ha.

Honestly, I’m finding it a little disappointing. The aroma is lovely, but the flavoring is actually quite light. I taste cinnamon but not a whole lot of apple, and mostly I taste the mellow black base. There’s a hint of apple in the finish.

Not a favorite. There was an apple cinnamon honeybush I really liked from New Moon, I may have to look into getting more of that one…

Flavors: Apple, Cinnamon, Earthy, Oats, Smooth, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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96

A sweet black tea. This is probably my favorite tea from Harney & Sons. The website’s flavor description “like sun-dried hay” is accurate, but the tea also has a very strong honey note. When chilled the tea almost tastes like honey water. This one makes amazingly malty milk tea as well.

I wish other vendors sold this at a cheaper price, it’s weird this tea is so obscure that I only found one other vendor selling at an even higher price.

sold for $30/4oz

https://www.harney.com/products/songluo-full?variant=12568836374599

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drank Egyptian Chamomile by Harney & Sons
2891 tasting notes

I’ve always been an “eh, chamomile always tastes like chamomile no matter what” drinker, but Harney’s variety tasted a little less musty than others I’ve encountered. Might’ve helped ease some kinks out of the back of my neck on a stress-uous (rhymes with “tempestuous”) afternoon.

Zoey

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74
drank Golden Monkey by Harney & Sons
2285 tasting notes

I always have a hard time describing plain black tea – this sure does taste like golden monkey! It’s not one of my favorite sorts of teas, but it’s not bad either. Pleasant enough sweetened with milk. Nice to try from the TTB!

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78

Sipdown! (5 | 5)

Finished this one off with milk as my first tea of the morning. This is essentially the same as their Hot Cinnamon Spice or Hot Apple Spice as far as I can tell, there’s no discernable difference. I think there’s supposed to be orange or something, but mostly it just tastes like sweet candy cinnamon. I hadn’t tried it with milk before, but I really enjoyed the combo and now I’m a bit sad it’s gone! :P

Flavors: Candy, Cinnamon, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 16 OZ / 473 ML

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