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My first SBT. I was lazy and cold steeped it (that’s my preferred method most of the time anyway), a little worried it’d be too subtle or bitter or something given it was designed to be conventionally iced, but it’s really good! At the front you just get refreshing iced tea flavor; most of the vanilla and cola notes come out at the end of the sip and linger, and the more you drink the more those flavors build. Really enjoyable. Curious how it’d be turned into a tea syrup concentrate a la Southern sweet tea, then added to club soda.

This smells wonderful steeping, rich and sweet and enticing. As for taste, it’s strong like Irish Breakfast, malty and a bit tannic, Assam-y for sure but something else is smoothing it out and keeping things “clean”-tasting and a little sweet (the Ceylon I guess). Seems suited for milk and/or sugar, but I didn’t add any this time around. A nice eye opener.

It’s too bad Harney doesn’t do a bold blends type sampler; I’ve dug every single one I’ve tried so far. Trying a new one each day has made the past few mornings excellent. Only one more to go.

Not bad considering it’s rooibos-based (I don’t generally mind rooibos, but I tend to associate the chai flavor profile with black tea pep, so there’s no way around that disappointment after dinner). With some milk it’s quite decent. I’m weird and arbitrarily judge teas by what they do when milk is added (when I happen to be adding milk, which is becoming rarer and rarer these days for some reason)—if they turn that muddy cloudy dishwater hue I kind of internally dock the tea some points, and when they get a nice creamy opaque marble it impresses me. No real reason, admittedly; the former’s just unappealing. Anyway, this one does the latter, so kudos.

This is pretty yummy! Per Sil’s recommendation I let it steep a long time, almost 10 minutes. It smells really good steeping, just like its namesake—you get jammy strawberry as well as buttery cinnamon-y vanilla-y pie crust. I was nervous it’d be fruit-astringent and border on bitter (strawberry flavored black teas and I usually don’t get along), but the fact it’s honeybush means that’s not a problem! Really nice stuff, possibly my favorite 52teas so far (for sheer “how on earth did he do that?!” impressive evocation Pancake Breakfast gets my vote ‘cause it actually makes your mouth feel like you’ve eaten fluffy pancakes, with that starchy film on your teeth and everything, but that’s not something I crave as much as strawberry jam and pie crust notes :b).

EDIT: Yeah, I just offered to make my husband a cup for the strictly selfish purpose of having an excuse to make a second one for myself. I think this is the first 52teas I’ve tried that I love with no reservations.

EDIT the second: Thennnn that second cup was so good—and we were talking about how good it was—I automatically decanted the rest of my brand new pouch into one of my prized chalkboard painted mason jars (where my favorite teas get to live). I think having this around is going to make the cold front this week more bearable. What is it with me and strawberry when it’s with any other tea/tisane besides black (I’m a huge fan of Butiki With Open Eyes and American Tea Room Nirvana, and now this) vs. black (even a company as reliable as Zen Tea couldn’t sway me)? Nuts.

This was alright, but not the favorite for me it is for so many. We had afternoon tea today (green apple, camembert, and ham on toasty ciabatta with a mix of dijon mustard and butter); my husband had Adagio Elevenses (still pawning off my oldest, newbiest teas on him as he grows to appreciate tea! I did buy him a TON of Southern Boy iced tea bags, so it’s not like I don’t think of him :b) and I had this. He liked mine better, so there’s that. It does smell of blueberry—not fresh ones, but that’s not to be expected given the name—but I didn’t get much pastry flavor until the end. Not bad, not fantastic. He can help me drink it up. (: Now I’m kind of wondering if anyone else does a tea that could evoke the tanginess of cream cheese for me.

Mm, this is yummy. It feels smooth as you drink it, and like some other Harney blends you only register an astringency in that it builds up gradually so that by the end of the cup you’ve got a thick, woody feel in the mouth; it’s only then that you realize it’s been coated in tannins. It’s not unpleasant either, because yeah, there’s a smoothness at the front. Complexity too—there aren’t many, but when I meted out the dry leaf I saw a few long silvery-green tips. There’s something cleanly floral, something Darjeelingish, and quietly in the background a sturdy spine of Assam or Keemun or something like that, just that hint of bitterness and brick-y chocolate. I could definitely drink this again. Might be a reorder.

I was quite impressed with this—a lot of cream EGs are so creamy-sweet they no longer taste much of “clean” bergamot/classic EG, but this one strikes a great balance. It is sweet and creamy, richer than standard Earl, but you never forget it’s an Earl you’re drinking. I really enjoy Della Terra, Zen Tea, and Upton Imports’ cream EGs but they’re so creamy I don’t tend to think of them as EGs really in that when I crave that particular taste they’re not what I’d reach for (they’re more for when I just want creamy vanilla tea in insta-latte-ish, almost dessert coffee-like form). This is more like, hey, I definitely want EG with all its clean fresh bergamot-y Earlness, buuuut it’s cold outside so I also kinda want it to be richer and sweeter. Really delivers. Also, the smell steeping is heavenly; you get that immediate Earl Grey gratification but also trip all the pleasure center wires with that sweet, smooth vanilla. Yum!

Tried this this morning before a beautiful fall day full of cheap greasy spoon breakfast, taking the abandoned cat to the vet (and thus discovering she is in fact a she, and might actually do ok outside provided we feed her and she uses the shelter I made over the weekend in times of extreme cold…she has a follow-up visit in 2 weeks because she needs to be under sedation for the vet to get a better look and run more extensive tests), my husband going to his doctor appointment and picking up his friend/bandmate from the auto repair shop, and kicking off the week of Italian classics making my grandmother’s Sunday gravy, braised pork with peppers, and marinating the beef for Tyrolean pot roast tomorrow. Going to take a bath now and relax. It was a rollercoaster of a weekend but it ended on a note of hope (and feeling like I’ve done all I can for her) and a bit of progress. My husband was awesome yesterday—I cried on and off all day to the point my eyes had that gross sticky swollen shut feel to them where your vision is fuzzy, and he did everything he could to make me feel better. Having someone love you and care for you that much is priceless; I need to appreciate it more (and return the favor, of course).

Wow, my tealog sure has been about not-tea stuff lately. Sorry guys. Anyway, this was good, strong and smooth and noticeably different from the other Harney blends I’ve sampled so far, but I really do love Queen Catherine so much I admit it’s hard to give this one full attention/respect. I did enjoy it though.

After an emotional but then ultimately hopeful day we sat down to watch Le Plaisir as it was one of Kubrick’s favorite movies. Made a big pot of this for it. Husband loves it! He says it reminds him of mini-wheats (which he used to subsist on as a bachelor); for me it’s like toasty, roasty rice. Agree too that it’s kind of like the half-popped kernels of popcorn at the bottom of the bowl. Like a snack in a cup. Not sure if it was the tea or the emotional wind up and release or what, but I was sleepy as all get out after having this.

Dang this is a chocolate-y tea! Steeping the sweet chocolate smell (there’s a little honey too) is overwhelming and really inviting. Sipping it, there’s the slightest tinge of bitterness and a splitsecond moment of astringency, just enough to give the sweetness some edge. Excellent. Doesn’t need milk or sugar (though I’ll note the tannic astringency builds up in the mouth as you drink—I don’t mind it unadulterated but I reckon many Steepsters would) but I’m betting it could take to either or both like a champ too. I’m really enjoying my Harney black blend samples, I gotta say.