Flight of Teas! April 30th and May 1st!

This week we will be offering a selection of our Tea consultant Annie's favorites for you!

Dragon Pearl Jasmine is a masterpiece from Fuan, China. Beautiful little hand rolled pearls are gently infused with the floral essences from Jasmine flowers. The tea is a delight to look at and its brew also delivers a light liquor that is full of floral and sweet aromas. Always a delight, this blend of white and green teas is harvested in early May. The jasmine blossoms are harvested in June and are laid on the tea for seven weeks in order for the tea to naturally acquire such a delicious jasmine taste! Dragon Pearl Jasmine are beautiful hand rolled pearls that unfurl once steeped and will yield multiple-infusions. This may be our most elegant Jasmine!

Sencha Scent of Mountains is grown in the village of Kawane in the South of Japan. It is one of the highest tea growing gardens in Japan. The cold and foggy climate dictates that the tea grows slowly, giving it a lovely vegetable aroma. One of our staff favorites, the leaves can be brewed multiple times. We the love the leafy vegetable flavors like spinach, and broccoli, and the aroma is reminiscent of more floral notes, simmilar vegetal flavors, though sweeter and with a lovely finish.

Queen Catherine is a blend of three Chinese black teas in honor of Queen Catherine, who introduced her love of tea to the British. Queen Catherine is a blend of  Keemun, Yunnan, and Panyang Congou black teas. Notes of chocolate, coffee and sugar aromas, a bit of smoke are most present and steeps a deep dark reddish liquor. The many fragrances smooth out into a malty, wonderful aroma. There’s a little bit of smoke but it’s not super smoky. A great afternoon and morning blend!  We are privileged to have this tea featured in the Museum of Tea in Hangzhou, China. Harney & Sons is the only Western tea company to receive this honor.  As lovers of good tea, we have many reasons to be thankful for Queen Catherine of Braganza of Portugal. By marrying King Charles of England, she brought tea drinking to the British and thus on to the Colonies.

Flight of Teas! April 23rd and 24th!

This week we will be offering a selection of our Tea consultant Sarah's favorites for you!

Fenghuang Shuixian is a beautifully twisted Chinese Oolong, with deep browns and hints of russet. When brewed, the tea has a light roasted spice quality and lovely fruity bright peach flavors which overlay a pleasing, spicy astringency. The flavors in this tea are very active, seeming almost effervescent at times. When tasting this tea, the development of the flavor from brilliant peach to toasty subtle spice are quite enjoyable. This tea is created by the artisans high above the city of Fenghuang China and is a favorite of Mike Harney. He enjoys seeing how they transform the big leaves into twists of brown sepia.

Risheehat 2nd Flush Darjeeling is a great second flush Darjeeling. Full of body yet balanced. Capable of standing up to milk, if you take your tea that way. Interestingly, this tea is from “China” tea bushes, meaning the plant stock is descended from Chinese bushes taken to India over 150 years ago. 

Bangkok (Green Tea with Thai flavors) The rich flavors of Thailand are the inspiration for this tasty blend. It is a combination of green tea, lemongrass, vanilla, coconut and ginger. It is a tribute to one of the world's great cuisines. So please come in and enjoy this weeks flight!

Flight of Teas! April 16th and 17th!

This week we will be offering a selection of tea consultant Lizz's favorites for you!

Gyokuro is one of Uji’s most famous teas. Japanese aristocrats have sipped this shade-grown tea for centuries. The dark green tea makes for a very special cup. Judging the gentle differences that shade growing makes requires careful attention. Though Gyokuro grows partially in the shade, and Sencha teas grow in the sun, both are processed the same way. The leaves therefore resemble each other closely, both in appearance and in taste. The shade covering of Gyokuro accounts for a subtly lusher, darker, more mouth-coating tea with flavors of the freshest steamed spinach, and toasted walnuts. This tea has a brothy, textural quality that coats the mouth. This tea also embodies a umami, which to the Japanese is like a sixth sense. 

 

Ti Quan Yin is a classic lightly oxidized oolong that can yeild a floral and buttery steep that at times can border on fruity. This delicious tea is a great value. We search through all of Anxi to find a tea that captures the high floral notes and has nice body, but not too expensive. Its tiny greenish balls can be re-brewed several times. 

NEW!  Golden Snail is a terrific Chinese black tea from the Hubei Province.  It has curls of dark and gold tea leaves, thus reminding one of snails. We can assure you that no snails are used or hurt with this tea. The dark cocoa and sweet flavors bring to mind chocolate. Golden Snail is already a hit, so we invite you to try this newcomer to the Harney line-up.

Flight of Teas! April 9th and 10th!

This weekend we are presenting staff favorites. Our employee, Jelani, has chosen his favorite  teas to share with you!

Ceylon Vintage Silver Tips 

A rare white tea with a light, sweet, sublime flavor. This tea is plucked and made just for us. These are the terminal buds of the tea bushes grown high in Ceylon. They are handled carefully so the bud remains whole and will become silvery. Since there is no leaf, there is no traditional tea flavor, it yields a natural honey and maple-like sweetness.

Pomegranate Oolong

The full leaves of premium Ti Quan Yin oolong are deliciously infused with tangy pomegranate to create this inspiring yet complex full-bodied blend that brews into a sweetly fragrant, silky textured cup of tea.  The Ti Quan Yin oolong used is named after the Chinese “Goddess of Mercy.” Legend tells of the goddess leading a devout farmer to a tiny, yet intriguingly aromatic tea plant that he nurtured and shared among neighbors with prosperity soon following. An ideal light brew that also tastes amazing iced!

Mother's Bouquet

A beautiful blend of chamomile flowers, rosebuds, cornflowers and orange peel, infused with natural citrus flavor, which creates a surprisingly refreshing caffeine-free beverage.  Perfect for those who have a caffine sensitivity, this refreshing herbal is one colorful cup!