Before the Tea Festival I was falling into a bit of a tea rut. What I mean by that is that I wasn't exploring and I was only really drinking a few of my regulars. There isn't anything wrong with that, except that it was starting to bore me. Then by luck, I was introduced to Harney & Sons. I had tried some of their teas at Barnes & Noble a few years back, but brewed incorrectly these teas become bitter and stout so I hadn't touch them since, until now.
If you can tell I turned myself loose on their products. They are the friendliest family based company that really cares about their product and sharing tea with the world. When speaking to them they feel like tea has gone up in popularity because people want conversations and alternatives to coffee over those conversations. There is no real 'true' way to consume tea; rather a journey of sharing listening and learning. As a tea enthusiast that is strongly against tea snobbery and elitism, I was so happy to hear a company on the market that shared my views. They are mainly what I bought at the tea festival, which I did gladly! I look forward to reading the book by the Harney Family: TEA. This is after I complete my meditation book. As for the teas...
Harney Teas come in these beautifully decorated tins that carry silken sachets. This is a good cross between loose leaf and bagged teas making them convenient while keeping the herbs in tack. I for one am in love with the classic look of these tins, as they match my library nicely and give me a beautiful tin to store other teas in the future.
They also generously gave me samples to bring home. They're really good about that sort of stuff and really want to share their passion and blends with others. They even went as far as to open some tins up and throw a few loose bags in for me to try other than the ones shown above.
Here's all of the teas I brought home with me:
Hot Cinnamon Sunset: They're best selling Tea! This is a black mixed with three types of cinnamon to give an intense burst of sweet cinnamon goodness. When I say sweet I mean it; this tea has a sugary taste which they say is the cinnamon tricking your taste buds. I know for sure you can get this tea at Barnes and Noble. Give it a try! I'd imagine it with a plate of Snicker-doodle Cookies.
Paris: I just fell in love with the smell of this tea! The main notes in this black tea are honey, currant, bergamot, and rose petals. It just smells like a sweet warm fire on a cold rainy day. This is a great milk tea, but I personally love it straight steeped hot as I curl up under the covers or write in my journal.
Organic Green w/Gingko: Wow! Let me just say wow! I love this tea! I love the hint of citrus in a mellow green with that soft nutty taste from the gingko. Its so refreshing to have a citrus tea that doesn't bite or zing. I could see myself drinking this green everyday relentlessly. I won't order online just yet because
I know one (or two) tins of this simply won't be enough. I was so bummed that this wasn't being sold at the festival either...
Bangkok: An exotic green tea blend of coconut, ginger, and lemongrass. Its a pleasant experience for green tea lovers that want a little bit of zing. I personally wasn't in love with this tea as much as the gingko and loved the Cinnamon Sunset in the spice choices. I would recommend this tea with a good asian salad or light asian fare.
Another tea I would love to mention was the Soho Blend. A decadent black tea with chocolate and coconut notes. It wasn't really my thing, but I was proud to have met the blender for that tea who happens to be the manager for the SoHo store.
I plan to order more of their teas online, Especially the Green with Ginkgo. I also heard from their representative that they're working on expanding here on the West Coast especially in the Los Angeles area. I'm looking forward to that. Until then I'll enjoy the lovely tins that I have as well as the yummy samples.
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