In our latest Harney and Sons Fine Teas catalog, my dad, Mike Harney, writes about exploring and enjoying the greatness of tea. As he talks about his recent enjoyment of traveling to China, Taiwan, and Japan and the opportunities he had to try wonderful new teas, he says, “You, too, can explore teas, getting a bit outside your regular tea and discovering other options. Maybe it’s one that is similar to your beloved brew or something completely opposite. It is always interesting to get outside one’s comfort zone. We are here to guide you.”
That’s exactly what we hope to encourage you to do with this blog. Below, we’ve paired five of our best-selling teas – New England Breakfast, Japanese Sencha, Chai, Peppermint Herbal, and Pomegranate Oolong – with three other different yet similar teas for your sipping consideration. Cheers!
Enjoy:
New England Breakfast. An American homage to the classic breakfast test, our New England Breakfast begins with a base of strong, bright-tasting black tea. Then we infuse it with rich maple, creating a distinctly New England brew that’s creamy and warm on the palate but still full of spirit.
Explore:
- Hallowe’en Party. Part of our Agatha Christie trio (which includes Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile), Hallowe’en Party is a black tea that New England Breakfast fans can really sink their fake vampire teeth into! Enjoy the warm pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, maple, caramel, and vanilla flavors that are perfect for a chilly morning.
- Salted Caramel. “Decadent black tea with caramel” is what we put right on the front of the tin of this delicious tea. A touch of Himalayan salt gives it a level of sophistication to elevate your senses morning, noon, and night.
- Continental Breakfast. One of three teas in our new Schitt’s Creek Collection, Continental Breakfast is inspired by the iconic TV show’s Rose Motel and the cinnamon rolls Johnny Rose made available for motel guests. Savor this black tea with cinnamon powder, caramel and vanilla flavors and skip the cinnamon roll calories…or indulge yourself by pairing the two together!
Enjoy:
Japanese Sencha. Our Japanese Sencha is from the central Shizuoka province. It is a very pleasant green tea with mild vegetal flavors and light accents of citrus and toast. It’s a fine choice for every day, and our founder and my grandfather, John Harney, drank this every morning.
Explore:
- Sencha Scent of Mountains. This wonderful green tea is lighter than other senchas due to its lack of deep steaming. Our customers love the delicious light vegetal taste and distinctive aromas; in fact, Scent of Mountains is one of the most popular teas at our SoHo store.
- Earl Grey Matcha. We know, right? Who would have thought that a traditional tea like Earl Grey would pair with the distinctively different flavors of matcha…well, we did, and it turns out we were right. This East meets West is a matcha made in heaven.
- Tencha. Tencha is the mother leaf of matcha, so if you’ve had matcha you’ve had tencha, only in its more popular powdered form. A rare offering, tencha’s dark green leaves yield a light, yellow cup of tea that we find delightful.
Enjoy:
Chai. You know what they say about chai tea: don’t knock it ‘til you’ve chai’d it! An Indian staple, this deliciously spicy black tea is in a category all its own. But that doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy exploring some similarly spicy teas.
Explore:
- Chocolate Chai Supreme. We start with classic chai flavors – ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg – and add in chocolate and vanilla for a one-of-a-kind experience. Makes a most excellent latte!
- Organic Rooibos Chai. Instead of the traditional black tea base used in chai, we swapped in the earthy herbal rooibos. It’s a wonderful pairing of flavors and offers chai fans a naturally caffeine-free option.
- Gingerbread Festival. If it’s spice you’re looking for, it’s spice you’ll get with Gingerbread Festival. We took black tea and gave it some ginger, cinnamon, molasses, vanilla, and clove sass. Who needs a tiny gingerbread man when you can have a whole festival?
Enjoy:
Peppermint Herbal. Customers absolutely love this pure peppermint tisane. We source the peppermint from Washington State and enjoy it for its aroma, its flavor, and its magic ability to help calm a queasy stomach.
Explore:
- Chocolate Mint. Fans of York Peppermint Patties or Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies will trip over themselves to get to this tea. The black tea base means it’s not caffeine-free like our Peppermint Herbal tea, but if that’s not an issue, you’ll be in heaven.
- Organic Moroccan Mint. This traditional Moroccan blend of organic gunpowder green tea and mint is a lovely exploration of a different type of mint tea that imparts a uniquely brisk and aromatic green tea experience.
- Coconut Mint. Part of our Children’s Tea Collection, this playful tea isn’t just for kiddos! Coconut Mint is a spirited, caffeine-free, sugar-free blend that brings together the zest of organic lemongrass and the warmth of ginger root with spearmint leaves and coconut pieces to create a creamy, minty experience.
Enjoy:
Pomegranate Oolong. Our Pomegranate Oolong tea blends large Ti Quan Yin leaves with the tangy, sparkling flavor of pomegranate. The result is a luscious and fruit-forward brew with a toasty aroma and ample flavors of bright pomegranate.
Explore:
- Coconut Lime Oolong. Fans of our fun and fruity Pomegranate Oolong are sure to go (coco)nuts for this oolong tea infused with beachy coconut and lime flavors. Go ahead and add a tiny umbrella, it’s all good!
- Ginger’s Oolong. This inspired blend came about when thinking about our popular Peaches & Ginger black tea. “Hmmm,” we thought, “Formosa Oolong has peach notes, let’s add some ginger root to that.” And that’s how this peachy and spicy oolong was born.
- Pomegranate Garden. This new addition to our Williamsburg Collection offers a level of sophistication befitting Colonial Williamsburg. We blended oolong tea with sweet and tart notes of pomegranate flavors and hibiscus along with blue cornflowers reminiscent of the beautiful Williamsburg gardens.
