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“Sorry to have been a bit absent lately. I have something strange going on with my nose. lol Feels like someone punched me in it. Started to hurt on the right side then went over the other side...” Read full tasting note
“Sipdown no. 77 of the year 2014. I’m sorry to see this sample go. This tea is going on the wishlist for whenever I am able to place a Harney & Sons order. Ah, Brigitte. It has been so long...” Read full tasting note
“Tea of the afternoon… I need a serious pick me up and this is it! The last time I had Brigitte, it was very strong. This time I added a small amount of milk….just enough to turn the color caramel...” Read full tasting note
“Harney & Sons has such nice black tea blends. I got this as a sample and was looking forward to trying it this morning. I may have used a tiny bit more leaf than usual because I wanted...” Read full tasting note
This tea is named after the mother of three of the Harney grandchildren and the wife of Mike Harney. It is an elegant mixture of silvery Ceylon and golden Assam. Like Brigitte, this blend is perfect in many situations.
At London’s Dorchester Hotel, this tea is called Dorchester Blend.
Details:
This is another version of the BLT (British Legacy Teas) Ceylon & India. It is the most elegant, which is fitting.
Dry Leaves:
The golden and silver tips brighten up the predominating dark brown leaves of this blend. It is a blend of New Vithanakande and Golden Tipped Assam.
Liquor:
A light brown liquor.
Aroma:
The aromas are honey with some undernotes of cocoa and apricot.
Caffeine Level:
Caffeinated
Body:
Since this is a blend of two teas with good body, it also is full bodied.
Flavors:
The cocoa notes blend with honey aromas from the Assam to create a special tea.
Brewing Time:
4 to 5 minutes
Brewing Temp:
212° Fº
Since 1983 Harney & Sons has been the source for fine teas. We travel the globe to find the best teas and accept only the exceptional. We put our years of experience to work to bring you the best Single-Estate teas, and blends beyond compare.
Seems like forever since I have been on this site… but back to write a quick review. I wasnt a big fan of this… it made a really strange cold tea but I found that was my favorite way to drink it. Or maybe I just brewed it with too many leaves? j really wasnt a fan of this hot, it just wasn’t anything special. I think I was expecting looking at the blend if leaves.
The dry leaf is lovely. Intense black mahogany flecked with gold leaf here and there.
As soon as the water hit the leaf and the cocoa honey scent rose, I knew I was going to love this smooth malty blend. And I do.
So pleased that I ordered directly from H & S after the Canadian distributor disaster.
I do have one irritant to share though. My order was a substantial one. If a Canadian is going to pay the hefty exchange rate and the generous shipping fee and risk getting dinged with more charges at the border, he or she is usually going to make it count.
With my order came one teabag sample. What, really?! My first order with your company, and it’s a big one, and you send one teabag as a hello how are you thanks for coming?Have I done something to offend you?
I am grateful for that one teabag, but gosh, really, you could do better.
I think I generally get two wrapped teabags from them?
Thanks, Cameron. I was feeling ticked off about this. I know postal fees are expensive and not the fault of the tea company. Americans get free shipping with a minimum purchase of whatever while Canadians and others pay $25 US plus in shipping plus the other charges mentioned. You’d think the company would realize and recognize this discrepancy in some small way that doesn’t affect them too much.
I know that that is the deal and the buyer makes the choice to purchase or not, but yanno.
Unless it just changed, Americans get free shipping period. No minimum. But with rising costs they may have altered that.
Yes, I just checked. Free domestic shipping in the US, so it doesn’t matter if you buy one tin or twelve. And it is the same or similar with other tea companies there. In Canada, there’s a free shipping threshold for our companies. Something like $60 or so.
It just got to me today and I needed to vent.
Are you feeling better today, ashmanra?
Not yet, Evol! Soon, soon. I got the shot at 5 pm and it was super quick and didn’t hurt. By a few hours later it felt like my arm was made of lead. Then headache and body aches by noon. Have dozed and read, hoping tomorrow morning I will be back to normal.
Years ago, Harney did have a free shipping threshold. I think it was $40.
CA is painful to ship to. Stuff I have sold across the border is $$$. Man only one sample. I normally do 3 per package and enough for a couple of sessions.
Sorry to hear that, ashmanra. Sounds like you are treating yourself with care in all this.
I realize that shipping here from the States is costly, and potentially a pain, compared to your domestic post. Still, the customer pays for that on top of the tea and currency exchange rate and possibly duties at customs. it seems to me that a bit of appreciation to foreign clientele who still choose to shop with you, despite these impediments via heavy fees on top of your products, is not too much to ask.
I mean, if someone is spending well over a hundred dollars on your products, is a free 25 gram sample pouch or two or a sample few teabags really an imposition?Small independent, and even most large, tea businesses manage to do this without a huge sacrifice. ( I think the range of three is standard, teabags or small pouches, as you say. )
Needed to vent, apparently.
Even more so, as the USA is supposed to be known for customer service. I realize that the country is so large that there are enough American customers that you may not need international buyers, so there’s that. But still.
No doubt, I enjoy many of H & S’s products, but when it comes to placing orders, I am well aware of which tea businesses make me feel valued and appreciated.
Wow, that’s a lot of venting :)
Ha ha! I don’t blame you for the vent! It would be really nice if big orders got extra samples, or maybe an extra nice tea! They should have a sample generator….if customer buys (X) they get a sample of (Y) cuz they might like it! I get Organic English Breakfast over and over and I really dislike that one.
I try to avoid ordering from the U.S. because of the exorbitant shipping cost, even though it’s not the vendors’ fault. And yes, one teabag is pretty stingy as a sample. I appreciate companies that offer generous and/or curated samples (What-Cha is great at this and does seem to change the number of samples given based on the order size).
This is a tart, astringent, layered black tea. I found it to be OK – I broke one of my rules and added a wee bit of honey to see if that helped and it worked much better. I’ll finish the sample up, but I don’t think I’ll need to reorder it. I wasn’t impressed that much.
Wow, I’m surprised how much I enjoyed this sample of this black tea blend. There is nothing unique that stands out that should be so outstanding – but there is a certain something that’s indefinable. I’m put in the french phrase for it but I never know how to spell or pronounce it, silly me.
It’s such a great blend- I’m hoping with my next sample test I’ll enjoy it just as much. If so, this will definitely be a full container order for me soon. It would make a nice breakfast blend with no milk, it’s not brisk/bold, but it’s good for morning. It’s a great afternoon and casual blend as well for these reasons.
