This post will introduce a new theme to this blog, namely tea. I have been a tea enthusiast for some years but have been reluctant to blog about it because there are so many perfectly good tea blogs out there by people who know so much more than I do, that I’m a little bit embarrassed. Still, I’d like to write about something while I’m finishing the next Trollope novel and I’m not going to stoop to speculating about the presidential primaries.
So a week ago I received a shipment of samples from a tea company called Harney & Sons in Salisbury, Connecticut. Yesterday I invited a friend over and we had a tasting party. The samples ranged from really good to really awful, so I thought it might make an interesting post. I’ll start with the good stuff. Prices listed in parenthesis are for a 4 oz. tin.
Golden Blend ($10.00) – really excellent! Nice and smooth with a very slight peppery quality. A blend of something called “golden monkey” from Fujian, China and FTGFOP Assam. I’d definitely buy this again.
All-India Blend ($6.50) – very interesting blend of teas from India’s three major tea-producing regions: Assam, Darjeeling, and Nilgiri. I’m a big Darjeeling fan and I admit it wouldn’t have occurred to me to mix Darjeeling with anything, but this is quite good. The Darjeeling gives it a nice perfumey quality while the Assam provides body.
Organic Assam GBOP ($6.25) – really good basic Assam. Has all the body and maltiness that you could ever ask for, and you can’t beat the price. Plus you get all those warm fuzzy feelings from buying organic.
Selimbong Second Flush Darjeeling ($29.00) – I’m a huge fan of Darjeeling tea, and decided that I would try a sample of a high-end Darjeeling to see how it differed from the mid-grade stuff that I normally drink. I have to say that this is a wonderful tea. The aroma is heavenly–very lively and floral. The taste is very smooth without much of the astringency that I’m used to in Darjeelings. Still, $29 is kind of rich for my blood. I think I’ll be sticking with my favorite organic first flush Darjeeling from Tao of Tea for about half the price.
Formosa Oolong ($4.75 for 3 oz.) – very nice oolong. Not spectacular, but definitely a good tea for the price. Nice woodsy aroma.
Ti Quan Yin, Spring Floral ($10.00) – This was a disappointment. In the past I’ve had Ti Quan Yin that I really like, but I’m learning that there is a lot of variation within the “Ti Quan Yin” designation. This one is very green, to the point where it hardly tastes like an oolong at all. In fact it reminded me of some bagged green teas that I’ve tried, and that’s not a good thing. This is Harney & Son’s “budget” Ti Quan Yin, so maybe I should have splurged for the good stuff, but since their “Top Ti Quan Yin” is $65.00 for 4 oz., that’s not very likely.
Elyse’s Blend ($10.00) – new sneakers? tires? diesel fuel? This tea had a strange chemical scent that I couldn’t quite place. But I assure you that none of the things it reminded me of were anything I would want in my tea cup. This tea is a mixture of Assam, Kenya, and Ceylon teas “slightly sweetened with honey flavors.” I can only assume that the “honey flavors” are to blame for the chemical quality. I could only choke down a few sips.
So, despite those last two, my overall review of Harney & Sons is positive. I’ll probably order from them again. They offer $2.00 sample size packets of many of their teas and I’m glad that I took advantage of this. I wouldn’t want to be stuck with 4 oz. of Elyse’s Blend.