A very palpable shift happens to me around the end of August. Whereas starting in early spring, I’m drinking iced teas like they’re literal manna from heaven, suddenly when autumn starts to peek its head around the corner, I abandon all my cold beverages. Jars upon jars of iced tea sit in the fridge, un-sipped (the horror!)– I’m just not FEELING it anymore, friends.
Alternatively, suddenly, all of my spiciest chais, warmest and more comforting flavors of black tea are suddenly getting all the air time. I’ve been blowing through my current stash of black teas like they’re going out of style, doctoring them up into tasty lattes, sipped as I drive to work in that brisk, summer’s-almost-gone morning air. So you can imagine, when sifting through my tea samples to find more autumnal, latte-ify-able teas, this one was just begging to be brewed. So potent is the scent that I’ve literally had to stash this one away from any other teas lest it impart its warm, spicy flavor on my delicate greens, it’s a perfect fall cuppa. The robust black tea is balanced well by the cinnamon spice– and it’s spice, indeed. Think Red Hots candy, minus the chemically, fake candy flavor. This tea packs a PUNCH, and it is not only incredible sniff-able, but takes milk and sweet quite well, making for the perfect latte to sip while you watch the leaves begin to change and fill your home with cinnamon-y candles and adorable pumpkin décor. This tea is for fall, for sure. And autumn is indeed right around the corner– I’ll drink to that!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Description
Our most popular flavored tea worldwide, Hot Cinnamon Spice is an assertive blend of black teas, three types of cinnamon, orange peel, and sweet cloves. No sugar added. Kosher. (n.b. Hot Cinnamon Spice & Hot Cinnamon Sunset are the same tea; the name varies only in certain packaging).
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Earl Grey Supreme from Harney & Sons. . . .
I have a friend who is always talking about how I have not truly lived until I have tried Harney & Sons’ Earl Grey Supreme. She will lock eyes with me and tell me I need to go to an Au Bon Pain (or whatever) and get a cup.
She is slightly terrifying.
I grabbed a few-ounce sample while I was on vacation, but lost it. I didn’t tell her this, because I feared repercussions. Luckily, I found it, and today is the day.
This is a very powerful, no-holds-barred bergamot-slam with a smoky underbase.
This is a MANLY sort of Earl Grey.
This is an Earl Grey that strips down to just a pair of suede pants and wrangles animals. Then goes back to his castle and eats boar for dinner and winks at the maids. He sleeps like a log, then wakes up, gets kicked back into gear with this blend, and goes back outside to get some more stuff done.
This Earl Grey does not do his own accounting. This Earl Grey is sort of frustrating to his wife.
This tea will put hair on your chest, whether you want it or not.
I like it, but it’s not for the weak of heart, or the person who doesn’t want to take an express train to Flavor Town. There are probably people who would find it overwhelming.
But if you DO find it overwhelming, for the LOVE OF HEAVEN, don’t tell my friend that. I fear what she would do.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Description
For the connoisseur we offer Earl Grey Supreme, which uses a higher grade of teas with the addition of Silver Tips. Most of our customers never go back to our regular Earl Grey once they taste the Supreme. If you love bergamot and fine tea, this is the blend for you!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea by Harney and Sons
I steeped this tea in approximately eight ounces of 212-degree water, using one tea bag, for about three and a half minutes.
These are really cute pyramid tea sachets! (I know pyramid sachets have gotten much more popular recently partly because everybody is recognizing how cute they are, but it still strikes me every time!) I don’t usually buy these, but you have to admit they’re super convenient. There’s no measuring, no latching and unlatching a tea-ball or pouring through a strainer after steeping, no wishing the mesh was smaller so the tea particles wouldn’t get out, no wondering why all of my tea steeping baskets are in the dirty dishes and how I’ll ever get the cooked-on milk out of the mesh of the one that I made chai with that one time.
The Harney website says that there are three types of cinnamon in this tea; I wonder which ones they are. Google says there are four main types of cinnamon in the world today that are used commercially: Ceylon, Cassia, Saigon, and Korintje, so I guess this tea has most of those. It certainly smells very strongly of cinnamon, and there are chunks of cinnamon bark visible with the tea leaves in each sachet before brewing. There’s plenty of quality tea leaves in the bag. Much more intact than in most teabags.
The tea liquid, once steeped, is amber-like but a bit darker. The smell is like those red-hot candies that my grandma used to keep in a candy dish at her house–I used to always wish she’d let me have one when I was little (I didn’t get one very often though, in my recollection at least, but in retrospect that might only be “not very often” in comparison to the number of times I asked, which if you know anything about little kids and how many times they can ask for something per minute, means you should probably take that with a grain of salt). The tea is kind of opaque, probably from the cinnamon granules–which tells me that there’s probably powdered cinnamon in the mix as well as the chunks that I saw.. It’s a teeny bit viscous, too.
First sip: sweet and spicy. The spice isn’t as up-front as expected-more “hovering,” which is nice because it means that the tea flavor even comes through a little. It’s a tad astringent, but not bitter at all.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Description
Our most popular flavored tea worldwide, Hot Cinnamon Spice is an assertive blend of black teas, three types of cinnamon, orange peel, and sweet cloves. There’s no sugar added. Try our great value, a bag of 50 tea sachets. Each tea sachet brews a 12 oz cup.
Ingredients:
Black tea, orange peel, three types of cinnamon, cloves.
Contains Natural & Artificial flavors.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Soba Roasted Buckwheat from Harney & Sons. . . . .
Familiar and comforting, that is what you get when sipping on this tea.When I first tried it, I didn’t know what I was in for but it quickly brought me back to flavors I know and love.
Most notably, this tea is similar to those served at sushi restaurants along with your meal. The tea you sip on and don’t think much about while enjoying your hand rolls and sashimi. However, when you take a minute to focus, you realize it is much more than a mere thirst quencher at your local all-you-can-eat.
This tea has been lovingly named “cereal tea” by a tea friend of mine and she hit the nail on the head with that one. It’s a little bit sweet, a little bit nutty, a little bit grainy, a little bit roasty, and a whole lot of yum. Think warm puffed rice cereal and that’s what is in store for you here.
So simple yet different than most other herbal/caffeine-free options making it a great alternative when you want something new. Truly great to have around for when you want something that isn’t fussy but still delicious. Plus, it is flavorful without being in-your-face so it is the kind of tea you can have time and time again without getting bored of it.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal Tea
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Description
Soba roasted buckwheat is a traditional Japanese specialty that is prepared as you would an herbal tisane. It is naturally caffeine free, with a delightful toasty flavor and nutty undertones. It was always Brigitte Harney’s favorite on our visits to the former Takashimaya on Fifth Avenue, where we supplied tea for their renowned tea room over many years. We’ve since found a fine source, and are pleased to continue offering it.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Green Tea With Coconut from Harney & Sons. . . . .
This is a sweet little darling of a tea! They had it out at the dentist’s office beside a giant Starbucks machine, so I decided to try it. (They also had some Tazo blacks, but I’ve tried most of those, so this was a moment of adventure).
The trip to the dentist’s office was awful, but this tea was delish. It’s a green tea with lemongrass, vanilla, coconut and ginger. It’s a soothing little dessert! If you don’t like sweet, this might not be for you, but if you have a sweet tooth, this is tons of taste with very few calories.
You can even pretend it’s “healthy” because hey, it’s green tea. People who drink green tea live absolutely forever. That’s just science.
People who drink green tea probably don’t have a weird tongue that needs its under-ligament cut — which is the exact surgery that my dentist suggested. Apparently my tongue is too low (what?!). It pushes against my lower teeth and gives them tartar. They want to ZAP the ligament away with a LASER. Points for science-fiction surgery, but yikes.
Have you ever heard of something so horrific? I DESERVE this tea. At least I got a yummy new flavor out of the morning.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Description
The rich flavors of Thailand are the inspiration for this tasty blend. It is a combination of green tea, lemongrass, vanilla, coconut and ginger. Tin of 20 sachets. Each tea sachet brews a 12 oz cup of tea. Caffeinated. Kosher.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!