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Brewed western style for five minutes. This is a wonderful Lapsang Souchong tea. The smoke flavor was neither overpowering nor did it fade too quickly in the cup. It wasn’t as heavy as I expected it to be, given how full Lapsang Souchong teas tend to be. The only drawback is that it doesn’t stand up to re-steeping—this is a “one-and-done” tea.

I’ve had this tea for over a year now but rarely drink it since I really have to be in the mood for Lapsang Souchong. This morning was perfect for it—cool and overcast outside.

Another gift from a friend who knows I like black teas. This has moved its way into my regular rotation, mostly because I like the flavor and because I can re-steep the leaves (western style) three times before they lose their flavor too much.

The initial flavors I have noticed are woody and creamy. The creaminess reminds me of a good-quality Keemun tea. There is also some astringency to it, but that could be because I prefer steeping for a bit longer than normal. I don’t notice any of the menthol flavors that sometimes can be found in a Ceylon tea. Overall, this is a great tea for day-to-day enjoyment!

Something I received as a gift. I was pleasantly surprised by this tea! As someone who generally drinks heavy, black teas, the description didn’t appeal to me very much initially but I have grown to appreciate it for what it is: a light tea—perfect for evenings. The lemongrass is the strongest flavor, with spearmint undertones. Sadly, I don’t taste the green tea at all. I appreciate having this for times when I am in the mood for something completely different than my usual.

Got this as a sample with my last shipment from Harney. The sample was one large bag with instructions to pour two cups boiling water on it, then steep for 15 minutes, then add six more cups of cold water and enjoy.

I followed the instructions and it turned out okay. Flavored teas are not my thing, though, so I can’t really speak to it. There’s definitely the flavor of coconut in it — far more overwhelming than I had hoped. I couldn’t taste any other flavors with it.

I won’t have this again, but my wife and my kids all enjoyed it and finished off the pitcher of the tea. I might actually order this for my mother, though, who loves anything/everything coconut. I can see her drinking this every day.

This has become one of my regular morning drinks lately. I first tried it about six months ago when I was looking for something with high caffeine for the mornings which broke out of my usual black teas, and fell in love with the taste. The caffeine buzz was also really nice.

The taste is unique — vegetal of some kind — mostly similar to grass, in my mind. I tried it with stevia once and really disliked that combo — I’m now sticking to the straight tisane with nothing added. The dried leaves are cut/torn into small pieces and are very lightweight, so I am hesitant to use the normal weight in grams for this teapot that I do with black teas — I have found 7-8 grams of these leaves seems to work well with 20 oz of boiling water for 6-7 minutes.

Another tea I forgot I had, but found once again while re-arranging my tea cupboard this week.

Definitely taste the muscatel and apricot in this — apricot is particularly strong as an aftertaste. Initial flavor is slightly floral. Also slightly astringent overall, but in a good way — not bitter.

As far as Darjeeling teas go, I prefer second flushes to first flushes. This tea is a perfect example of why — much more flavor and body. I’m glad I have enough of this one to last for the rest of summer!

Date of picking on label: 12 June 2017

When I originally purchased this tea, it was known as Dharamsala Mann Premium Kangra First Flush, and it was excellent (see my previous reviews). Vahdam then changed their marketing on this to call it Western Himalayan Kangra — and with that change came a decrease in quality, I thought. It just wasn’t as good. I even contacted the company to see if they changed their supplier to someone else, because I was so disappointed.

Anyway, since I was so happy with the product under its former name, I had purchased a large quantity under its new name, only to find out the quality wasn’t as good. I was disappointed and left it alone on the shelf for over a year.

I recently found it on the shelf and decided to give it another try. It actually improved over that time! It had the same flavors I remember it having when I first had it under its former name! I am so happy to be able to dip back into my supply of this tea and start drinking it again. I’m no tea specialist, so maybe it is just that I prefer this tea after it has aged awhile (and maybe even gotten old and tired) — I don’t know. But I am happy to have this old friend back and look forward to enjoying it over summer.

This tea is still not good. I’ve learned to appreciate it more as an iced tea, but that is the only way I’ll finish it off. Hard pass on this one.

I am not a fan of white tea — never have been. I can’t figure out how to work it into my daily routine — is it a morning tea, an afternoon tea, or an evening tea? All in all, though, this one was pretty good. It wasn’t too heavy and had a unique, indescribable, vegetal flavor to it. It ended up being an afternoon tea for me, as the caffeine was just enough to be keep me going but not enough to help start the day.

A pleasant tisane to have in the evening during summer. I love the sweet, citrusy flavors that seem to be the foundation of the tea. There’s also a sweet flavor behind it, which ensures it doesn’t come across as bitter. Overall, a light, refreshing drink for warm summer months.