Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Tea Description:
We blend powdered green Matcha into our Genmaicha. It has been a hit at our tasting room with a brilliant green liquor and toasted notes.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! The roasty-toasty character of Genmaicha just screams AUTUMN to me, and I love the added sweetness of the Matcha in this blend.
The flavor is light yet comforting. It’s the kind of tea that you like to have with you when you’re curling up under a warm, fluffy blanket. The toasted nut flavor speaks of fires roaring in the fireplace and roasting nuts over the open flame.
But beneath it all is a delicious freshness that whispers reminders of spring. The gentle sweetness of the green teas that are just barely vegetative in the presence of the the stronger nutty and toasty notes.
This is really good (and very refreshing!) served as an iced tea, although I do prefer it hot, if for no other reason than the comfort factor. It’s one of those teas that is wonderful to enjoy no matter the season. That’s what I love most about a Matcha infused Genmaicha like this Matcha iri Genmaicha from Harney & Sons. It’s simple and delicious … like tea’s answer to your favorite comfort food.
Li Shan Oolong from Harney & Sons
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Tea Description:
This is one of Taiwan’s highest mountain teas. The tea plants must battle cold (sometimes even snow) and frequent mists. This makes a haunting brew with echoes of honey and cream.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve had the opportunity to try several different Harney Teas, but this is the first time I’ve tried their Li Shan Oolong! And it is delightful!
It is extremely fragrant. The dry leaf offers some very vegetative notes, reminding me of a cross between freshly cut grass and mild green vegetables, with hints of flower in the background. But it is the aroma of the brewed tea that has me captivated. The smell wafting from my teacup at the moment is so beautiful: sweet … almost honey-esque, with flowery notes (the floral notes that were almost hidden in the raw leaf have emerged with the brewing process). I also smell fruit notes, reminding me almost of the smell of cooked peaches (you know that smell that fills the kitchen while baking a peach cobbler? Yeah, that’s what I smell… without the “cobbler”)
The flavor is INTENSE! Much more so than I would have expected from a Li Shan. It offers a strong sweetness that is somewhat honey-esque, but, more like the sweetness of an orchid … drenched in honey, if you can imagine that. The floral tones have a slight sharpness to them, which seems to cut through some of the honey notes which would otherwise linger on the palate and possibly overwhelm it with sweet tones. With the sharpness I find that I’m able to better explore the other flavors of this complex tea.
Generally with greener Oolongs such as this one, I don’t notice as much fruit-like flavors (for me, I notice more fruit tones with more oxidation … the darker the Oolong, the more enhanced the fruit notes become), but with this Li Shan the fruit notes are well pronounced, even in the early infusions. The first two infusions were also pleasantly creamy, offering a honey, cream, and fruit flavor that was positively felicitous on the tongue. By about the fourth infusion, the creaminess wanes, but, the floral notes begin to emerge a bit more and the tea becomes much like a lovely stroll through the garden!
Truly a worthwhile experience, this Li Shan Oolong. If you like Oolong tea, this is one worth trying!
Supreme Breakfast Blend from Harney & Sons
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Tea Description:
Smooth and full-bodied. Fantastic teas from India and China are combined to create this Breakfast Blend. A wonderful tippy Assam gives it full body that is then smoothed by the rich distinctive flavor of Hao Ya ‘B’ Keemun.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a strong brew! It has a very pleasing, robust flavor with some serious gusto to it – the kind of tea that you want to drink in the morning, when you need a good wake up tea.
The Assam gives it an enjoyable, full-bodied flavor and a delicious malty tone. The cup also has some sweetness to it, although I wouldn’t describe it as an overly sweet tea, and I do think that this tea would be nice with the addition of honey or sugar to help soften the edges a little. Some milk would add a delicious creamy element.
There is also some bitterness to this cup. I don’t think I oversteep it (I steeped it for just 2 1/2 minutes in boiling water), but a jarring bitterness does hit the palate about mid-sip. I don’t find it off-putting, though, nor is it something that would render the cup undrinkable. Instead, I think it kind of helps the tea … it seems to give me an added “jolt” that is helping to invigorate me.
The Keemun in this blend adds a lovely smoky element to the cup. It isn’t a strong smoky flavor; it is a flavor that does develop on the palate though, becoming increasingly stronger with each sip, although it never really becomes what I’d call a really bold smoky note.
I love the way the flavors come together in this cup. Malty, sweet, bitter, smoky … they all seem to meld together in a pleasing sort of way that I find agreeable. This tea makes waking up in the morning a much more pleasurable experience!
Tokyo from Harney & Sons
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Tea Description:
Japan’s capital is the inspiration of this tea. Green Bancha is blended with toasted sesame seeds and caramel flavors. The delightful flavor is reminiscent of some of Tokyo’s best desserts.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The description of this tea sounded just unusual enough to make me want to try it … sesame seeds and caramel? Hmm… I’m intrigued!
The fragrance of the dry leaf has a caramel overtone, with a toasted, nutty scent in the background, as well as a hint of grassy notes. The brewed tea has a stronger caramel-y scent, together with a strong vegetal note (it almost smells like celery… you know that aroma that fills the kitchen when you saute celery to soften it? Yeah, that’s what it smells like to me… slightly browned butter and celery!)
This is quite tasty! The Bancha offers a slight vegetal flavor that develops as I continue to sip. It doesn’t really taste grassy, but more like steamed spinach: mild and savory. There is a buttery tone to the cup as well, although not quite as buttery as you might taste from a Sencha.
The caramel offers a pleasing sweetness that melds nicely with the natural sweetness of the green tea, while the toasted sesame seeds give a toasty nut flavor that marries well with the natural nutty flavors of the tea. The overall cup is very harmonious and deliciously sweet and creamy, with just enough savory tones to keep it interesting. There is a mellow astringency that is neither too dry nor too tangy, but it does manage to cleanse the palate to ready it for another sip.
This is the kind of tea that keeps me sipping … and I like that!
Da Hong Pao from Harney & Sons
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Product Description:
This wonderful tea is produced from plants grown from the famous 3 tea plants. Its large leaves are about 40% oxidized and have a warm, toasty flavor, & the leaves can be brewed several times. Origin: China
Taster’s Review:
I previously reviewed this tea, but since I received a package of it in the Oolong October Steepster Select box, I decided to revisit it. Since the time of that review, I have really become fond of this Da Hong Pao!
The complexity of this Oolong is amazing. In my aforementioned previous review, I mentioned a flavor that evokes thoughts of roasted peaches… and while that flavor is still present, I am also noticing an apple-like flavor, a sweet apple taste with a hint of sour.
The smokiness is there, however, either my taste buds have just become more accustomed to the smoky tones in some teas, or it is simply less prominent than I recall noticing with Red Robe Oolongs such as this one.
Another fabulous Oolong, thanks to the Steepster Select program!