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“My order of 13 Harney and Sons samples came today, and this is the first I have tried. It is a complex blend of four different teas, all of good quality, but I found the four teas competed rather...” Read full tasting note
“I purchased this on a quest for a daily yet versatile cup of black. The aroma of the dry leaves is somewhat smokier than I had expected, yet the more I inhaled I sensed a bit of sweetness as well. ...” Read full tasting note
“Elaine’s Blend has an earthy, dusty aroma and a medium-dark color. Its flavor is smooth at first, round, and dry with a slightly bitter finish. I needed to add milk and sugar to soften the...” Read full tasting note
“It was an okay cup. Not something I would purchase again. H&S has other blends that I prefer more.” Read full tasting note
Little did Elaine Cogan realize she was launching a revolution when her complaints about the poor quality of restaurant tea were printed on the editorial page of the New York Times. When the Times responded in agreement with an editorial entitled Tea Snobs and Coffee Bigots, Elaine was inundated with letters and phone calls from tea lovers all over the country. It was 1983, the same year we at Harney & Sons started our business, and John Harney and Elaine became friends and colleagues, both anxious to spread the word about how to select and brew good tea. They have been gratified to see understanding and taste for high quality tea spread. Still, Elaine was not completely satisfied until she created her own Special Blend, a smooth tea that is refreshing all times of day or night. We are proud to offer this unique combination of fine Darjeeling, Keemun, Ceylon and Assam teas to our discriminating tea drinkers.
www.harney.com
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.
My order of 13 Harney and Sons samples came today, and this is the first I have tried. It is a complex blend of four different teas, all of good quality, but I found the four teas competed rather than blended well together. Strangely enough, I tasted the fruity Darjeeling flavor first, then the malty Assam, which I though would have dominated the tea. The Keemun and Ceylon flavors were in the background. I steeped this too long, which may have brought out the Darjeeling too much.
I purchased this on a quest for a daily yet versatile cup of black.
The aroma of the dry leaves is somewhat smokier than I had expected, yet the more I inhaled I sensed a bit of sweetness as well. The aroma is about as full bodied as the tea, and complex enough to make you consider exactly what’s going on there.
The cup brews fairly dark and like the dry leaves has a somewhat smoky scent. Oddly enough, I don’t really taste the smokiness, which came as a surprise. Instead I sipped a round, rather full bodied cup of black in which the assam and keemun flavors battled one another for dominance.
It’s a solid tea, enjoyable at that. Better after a meal than on its own.
Elaine’s Blend has an earthy, dusty aroma and a medium-dark color. Its flavor is smooth at first, round, and dry with a slightly bitter finish. I needed to add milk and sugar to soften the bitterness, though it remains rather dry. Perhaps five minutes was a bit too long for steeping. I will try four minutes for my next pot of Elaine’s Blend and let you know how it turns out.
Very brisk tea. It rests on the edge of bitter without crossing over. Malty enough that it makes me think of Harney’s Dorchester blend. It’s a good, solid tea probably best for the morning. It gives me the wake up kick of Dorchester or Irish Breakfast, though my preference is still IB.
It took cream well and as it cools the honey flavor blends in with the malt.
Flavors: Honey, Malt
This one only gets three minutes from me! You are brave.