Nightshifter Send Message

I had this one during a lovely breakfast at J. Christophers in Atlanta today. I was pleased that they had Harney and Sons teas as I really love Florence. Sadly, I couldn’t have anything caffeinated as I needed to go back to sleep before work overnight and this was one of two or three decaf options they had. Anyhow, this tea was in a bag and steeped in boiling water for about four minutes. The bag smelled like a tart berry blend prior to steeping. The steeped tea had a bit of a sour/tangy note in addition to the berry aroma and a deep red color in the mug. The taste was tart, tangy berries with perhaps a hint of apple, if these fruit were completely lacking in sweetness naturally. It wasn’t horribly unpleasant, but could have probably significantly benefited from a sweetener. I don’t drink many herbal teas, but this one was average to me. I’m glad I tried it, but nothing I’d order for myself to sip regularly.

Dry: Pretty loose black tea blended with white and semi-sweet chocolate chips along with red and white sprinkles. Has a wonderfully rich, sweet, and decadent aroma right out of the bag- this is a dessert tea for sure!

Steeped: Dark red-brown cloudy liquor with slight film on top. Not the prettiest tea liquor, but I attribute that to the chocolate and sprinkles melting into the brew during steeping. Smells like caramel cupcakes to my nose straight from the teapot.

Taste: After drinking primarily unflavored teas for a while before this one, I was a bit taken aback by how rich and sweet it is. I made it a few more times though and each cup was more appealing than the last as I started to pay attention to the nuances of the flavor, tea, and wonderful cake-y aroma. I get maple, vanilla, caramel or brown sugar, and chocolate notes and they somehow work together beautifully. Now this is probably my favorite dessert tea and I enjoy it for breakfast on days I am craving something sweet as well. This blends nicely with other breakfast black teas if you want to dilute the red velvet cake sugary notes and holds up to at least two steeps pretty well. I prefer it with a dash of milk and my only complaint is the artificial ingredients, though I guess some are required to make a tea that really does taste like a bakery creation. Yum!

Dry: Rich aroma of vanilla and lemony bergamot! This was one of the original teas that encouraged me to make the switch from coffee in the mornings. Pretty loose leaf black tea blended with cornflower petals.

Steeped: Deep brown clear liquor, no oily sheen noted. Smells wonderful! The citrus bergamot flavour can be too much for me in some Earl Grey blends, but this one is rounded out in a lovely way with straight-up vanilla and black tea.

Taste: I’m sure it will change at some point, but this is my current go-to morning tea. On the tongue, it is just as described: creamy vanilla meets citrus bergamot in a lovely organic black tea. It does hold up to multiple steepings, though it tends to lose creamy vanilla notes with the 2nd and 3rd. I like it with a dash of milk or without, hot or cold- very versatile. I don’t tend to add any sweetener, though if you have a sweet tooth then it may be just the thing. Overall, this blend is one of my go-to favorites and is also a lovely selection to introduce a friend or loved one to loose leaf tea.

Dry: Smells very buttery! And with a strong rum note as well, just as described. Pretty loose black tea with coconut flakes and cornflower petals.

Steeped: Brown clear liquor with a slight oil on top, presumably from the coconut flakes. Potent buttery-rum aroma, stronger on the butter note after steeping.

Taste: Hot buttered rum! I really think they nailed this one. I’ve made traditional recipes in winter and variations thereof, but I like this even better than the real thing (and it is a lot healthier, too). As this cools, I get notes beyond butter and rum including vanilla and coconut. I’ve found that I prefer this with a dash of 2% milk and a touch of something sweet to really bring out the flavor. To add more of a robust tea note, I’ve blended it with David’s English Breakfast for my morning cuppa. I’ve also tried it as suggested with rum and brown sugar and it was also exactly as described. This one doesn’t really hold up as well to multiple steepings in my experience (loses notes), but overall completely meets my expectations for a Buttered Rum tea and an added bonus is that it is organic.

Dry: Smells like a classic English Breakfast blend. Small, dark loose tea.

Steeped: Brown clear liquor. Full-bodied aroma that I associate with a wake-me-up morning cuppa.

Taste: This one didn’t wow me, but it is as promised: a straight-up classic English Breakfast tea. I enjoy it with nothing added, but my favorite is with a splash of 2% milk. No bitterness or astringency noted, quite robust in flavor. Held up nicely for two steeps and could have gone further if I had wanted, I’m sure. My husband, who enjoys English and Irish Breakfast more than I do, really likes it.

Dry: Pretty loose black tea blended with chocolate chips, red lip sprinkles, and a few peppercorns tossed into the mix. Smells like a mint-chocolate tea blend, delicious aroma out of the bag!

Steeped: Dark amber clear liquor with a slight film on top. Smells different than I expected straight from the tea pot, heavier on the chocolate note than anything else. Almost like hot cocoa with spices added.

Taste: I didn’t like this at first. At all. I was expecting something more mint-chocolate tea and I taste heavy chocolate at first with little else. As the tea cools a little though, it becomes much more complex with an actual tea flavor blended with the mint, peppercorns, vanilla, and sweetness from the sprinkles. I can see why people love it and I think it might make a lovely iced tea, too.

Dry: Strong rose aroma. Pretty loose green tea with pink rose petals.

Steeped: Light yellow clear liquor. The rose fragrance does not smell artificial or unappealing, but I am not really able to detect the green tea blended with the strong rose scent in the steeped tea.

Taste: I do not normally like rose teas at all, but this is actually better than expected. For the first steep, I was primarily getting straight rose with the very faintest green tea grassy note, but the floral note did not taste like a bottle of perfume either. I like this much better than black tea and rose blends I’ve had in the past. The second steep was pretty much straight rose as far as I could tell and I didn’t steep for a third time. I think for this kind of blend, it is a nice rose tea, but I wouldn’t keep it around simply because I am not a rose tea connoisseur. If you like rose tea blends though, then this is for you.

Oh, this tea. It is lovely!

Dry: Strong and rich vanilla aroma. If you love vanilla, this one is worth trying for sure. Large dark rolled leaves without adornment. This tea doesn’t need pretty colors in the loose leaf to be beautiful.

Steeped: Light amber clear liquor. The soft floral note peaks through the vanilla in a delightful way. I do not like strong floral fragrances or tastes and this one is just right for my palate. The tightly rolled loose leaves unfurl and show how large they really are. No skimping on small or broken pieces. These leaves need room to expand in your infuser, man!

Taste: Just as described, better than expected! Creamy vanilla meets oolong with a touch of floral on the tongue. This will be a staple in my home. I genuinely love it. Not too sweet or floral, no bitterness or astringency, and the tea comes out beautifully. What more can I ask for?

Dry: Rich and lovely chai aroma. Attractive loose leaf with tea leaves, coffee beans, and spices.

Steeped: Brown liquor with the fragrances of coffee and chai coming together in a pleasant way. Cinnamon overpowering some of the other notes though.

Taste: I really wanted to love this, but sadly it just doesn’t work for my palate. I like a good cup of coffee and I love a good cup of tea, but this one tasted like a flop on both sides. First steep was pretty overpowering cinnamon with a coffee aftertaste. I was getting some of the other spices, but I couldn’t really taste tea and the whole cup reminded me of watered down coffee with spices mixed in. For the 2nd steep, I added milk and then it tasted like a milky blend of spices and weak coffee. I didn’t do a 3rd steep because I wanted to move on to something else already. If you love loose leaf chai and cinnamon then this might be an interesting twist, but sadly it didn’t work out for me. Better luck next time!

Dry: Rich dark green tea leaves with a soft vegetal, almost sweet green tea aroma. I smelled a sencha after this one as a dry leaf and it is a very notable difference, with this one appealing significantly more to me.

Steeped: Lovely green, sweet, rich green tea. Clear yellow-green bright liquor.

Taste: If the aroma was nice, the taste is wonderful! Chlorophyll meets buttery sweetness. Almost the very slightest floral note at the end of each taste. This is what I wanted green tea to be when I first tried some of the others out there. It is both savory and sweet at the same time to my palate. 2nd steep was equally magical. Third steep starts tasting a touch diluted. Still, nothing needs to be added or changed- I love it just the way it is. The only unfortunate thing is that it is quite pricey for an every day tea, but worth it for something special. I have a birthday coming up and know what I will be asking for!