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I used to drink a cup of coffee first thing in the morning and then switch to tea throughout the day. Because of ongoing stomach problems, I stopped drinking coffee and switched to tea entirely. This was one of the first teas I bought to replace my morning coffee since the description on the website said something about how this would appeal to coffee drinkers.

The problem is that I always drank my coffee black—no flavors at all. This tea, however, has a very strong flavor of bourbon! A hint of vanilla is also there, but the bourbon flavor is overpowering.

It’s been sitting on my shelf for awhile since my first attempt so I thought I’d try it again today. I made it extra-strong (2 tsp for 8 oz of water; brewed for 6.5 minutes) so that I could add milk and stevia to it to hopefully detract a bit of the flavor and make it more palatable. It still isn’t great but this made it somewhat more appealing.

I don’t think I’d get it again; it doesn’t appeal to me. For flavored coffee drinkers, though, I could see how this would be a welcome, lighter alternative.

I do not normally buy many herbal tisanes but this one intrigued me. I think it is because I love the smell of the lavender oils my wife uses around the house. Oh, and the beautiful purple liquor in the picture on the Harney website!

That said, my brew turned out green! I was a bit disappointed by that. :(

The drink itself is very good. Naturally, one first notices the lavender aroma and flavor. Behind that, though, I am also tasting a chamomile flavor and a slight sweet mint note—reminding me of a brewed peppermint tisane. The combination of these flavors makes this a wonderful drink to have right before bed. It is quite calming as expected.

I am glad I bought the sample and will likely purchase another shipment of this sometime. I won’t drink it regularly, I’m sure, so I can’t imagine buying a whole tin of it, but it is good to have a small quantity on hand for those occasional evenings when I am in the mood for it.

It is the first Thursday of the month, so that means it is the morning of the branch/departmental supervisors’ meeting at work! Going with my favorite Assam, brewed strongly, is the only way I’ll make it through the morning and the three-hour meeting. Glad that this one is a tea that I can purchase in bulk at my local cafe—I am going to need more soon.

I have been looking for a good quality, inexpensive Assam which I can have on a daily basis for my morning cup(s). This one is perfect for that!

The quality is very good, even though the price is cheap and the leaves are CTC rather than whole leaf. I have brewed it for a few days in a row now and the taste is consistent each day. I taste the usual maltiness and slight astringency of a quality Assam, along with a light toast flavor. It has a full body and caffeine so this will certainly get you started in the morning! As far as CTC or bagged teas go, I’d rather have this tea than nearly all other brands/varieties which I’ve tried for my morning cup (one exception off the top of my head is No. 18 Brahmin by Steven Smith, but that is a bagged, full-leaf tea, not bagged fannings/dust). I still prefer an orthodox, loose-leaf tea as frequently as possible, but I am recognizing that I can’t do that and still stay within my monthly budget! :)

Overall, it is an excellent quality Assam for what it is. I recommend it for anyone else looking for an inexpensive Assam to have on a regular basis.

Brewed in a gaiwan. The liquor has a reddish-brown color once it is brewed. Has an earthy scent and taste—like wet wood. Also has a cooked spinach scent and taste—but not in a vegetal way, like a green tea would. Cooked spinach. Different.

It is a bit similar to the pu-erh I had from a different vendor previously, but haven’t decided if I like it or not. Still not sure if it is the taste of this particular tea or of pu-erh in general so I am not marking this tea down yet because of it. I think this just isn’t “my cup of tea”, as they say. I like Assams. And Darjeelings. And I am not going to fault a pu-erh for not being a Darjeeling or Assam, since this is clearly a good-quality pu-erh that I am not crazy about. Maybe it is just me—and I am fine with that. Now I know.

In the end, it meets my expectations, but I think I just don’t like pu-erh tea. But, it is definitely better quality than the other variety I have tried, which had a different taste—like wet mud. This was different from that—earthier, more like a good spinach.

It was okay—nothing memorable about it. It seemed to be a standard English Breakfast-style blend. I would not go out of my way for it, but it is preferable to some other English Breakfast blends in bags that I have tried and found overrated (Tazo, for example). There really wasn’t any flavor note that stood out for me in this—just black tea. The sachet was nice—pyramid-shaped to enhance the brewing.

This was a sipdown as it was the last of the free tea I received as a gift on my last business trip. I will drink it again if I am traveling and it is offered, but won’t go out of my way to hunt it down.

Did some yard work today and all the flowering trees inspired me to finally try this tea I purchased a few weeks ago. The bergamot is a bit overpowering but compliments the flavor of the rose petals well — a good combination. I was surprised by the creamy flavor hidden behind the bergamot as well — I wasn’t expecting that. It’s slightly bitter, but that could be my own fault — I’ll try a shorter steep next time.

Overall, it is pretty good, but not something I’ll have regularly. It’s a good evening tea, even though it is caffeinated. The flavor reminds me of a spring evening so it is perfect for tonight.

I am not a huge matcha drinker; most of the time when I have had it, I haven’t enjoyed it all that much. That said, I love this one! It is made like it should be: an extremely fine powder that doesn’t clump when the water is poured on it, and it whips well into a frothy liquor. I don’t really know what “mouthfeel” is supposed to mean when it comes to tea, but the tea is very pleasant as I swirl it around for taste and texture, so I assume that it has good “mouthfeel”. :) Flavors of seaweed and spinach which work very well together. I’ll definitely order more of this one!

Pretty good for a bagged tea blend. Has a pure taste—no additional flavors outside of the black tea fannings used in the blend. I can taste a bit of maltiness to the tea—not unusual for black teas sourced in India.

It was a gift and I enjoyed it, but don’t know if I’d go out of my way for it again.

Has a woody flavor with an undertone of wet stone. Muscatel. The scent of the brewed tea reminds me of a rain shower. The aftertaste is very slightly astringent—probably because I brewed it longer than I should’ve…? That said, I actually do like this tea and would rank it as one of the better darjeelings that I’ve had! It has a pure taste and strong, dark color. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to make it this morning as I was more in the mood for a malty Assam, but I am glad I did. I will gladly finish off my supply and look to buy more in the future.