I get really excited when Harney and Sons announces new teas. I got my introduction to whole leaf tea with their Royal English Breakfast, Paris, and Golden Monkey. I almost feel like they should let me know FIRST when they are adding something to their catalog. So I was super excited when I got an email a while back about four new flavored teas.
I love my single plantation pure teas, but I also love flavored teas and serve them to guests often. Of the four new teas, I was most captured by the description of this one – silvery Mutan leaves, pieces of pear, apple, and peach, plus nutmeg and two kinds of cinnamon.
The golden tea smells warm and rich. Even though it is desperately hot outside right now, the nutmeg aroma puts me in a holiday mood and makes me dream of serving this in fall and winter this year. As I drink it, I hear the wind blow in a cold front, and leaves crunching underfoot, then I see the table set for Thanksgiving, and hear the chatter of people gathered for Christmas. Bliss.
They say this tastes of crisp Bartlett pear, and I supposed it does, but even on a good day pear is a very, very mild flavor to me. The apple serves to enhance the pear flavor but I simply can not discern the peach, which is good because I would rather pear tea taste like pear tea. The nutmeg is fabulous, just right, and perfectly balanced. The cinnamons are not overpowering but give the impression of a perfectly spiced warm cobbler. And yet the white tea flavor doesn’t get buried in all this!
If you have tried white tea and thought it just tasted like a cup of hay water (which I happen to like), I would encourage you to try this tea and change your mind. There are wonderful layers of flavor here, and this is a definite re-purchase for me.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Harney and Sons
Description
Heirloom Bartlett Pear tea is a fruit-filled lovesong to the light, sweet leaves of Mutan white tea and crisp flavors of Bartlett pears. The silvery white and green Mutan leaves mingle with delicately succulent pieces of pear, apple, and peach. Spice notes of nutmeg and two kinds of cinnamon add a touch of zing. The result is a multifaceted, beautifully layered infusion that’s light and warming in every cup.
Ingredients:
White tea, pear pieces, apple pieces, peach pieces, pear flavor, nutmeg, cinnamon, white cornflowers, peach flavor. Contains natural flavors.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
