As athletes from around the world come together this summer to compete in Paris, we had to wonder: what if there were an Olympic-style competeation where teas from around the globe were tasted by customers and given gold, silver, and bronze status?
Thanks to the awesome reviews our customers leave when they drink our teas, we didn’t have to build a massive teapot-shaped stadium or create a steeping pool with 175° water to know which teas could take the podium in their individual events. And while we want to stress that there are absolutely no losers when it comes to our teas – they’re all world-class winners – these teas have earned rave reviews from more customers than others in their category. If your favorite tea isn’t here, consider two things: sending in a review for your favorite and also trying some of these champion teas!
Without further ado…here are your Harney Tea Olympics Champs!
Green Tea Event
Gold: Japanese Sencha (1413 reviews). There’s a reason our founder and my grandfather, John Harney, started his day with this tea. It is a very pleasant, easy-going green tea.
Silver: Genmaicha (483 reviews). With its brown rice kernels, customers find Genmaicha to be an interesting and unique tea.
Bronze: Organic Gunpowder (176 reviews). One of the first teas Harney & Sons carried, we’re still carrying this smoky winner 40 years later.
Black Tea Event
Gold: Hot Cinnamon Spice (11,726 reviews). It’s no surprise that Hot Cinnamon Spice took the gold medal in this category. If you don’t know why it’s consistently our #1 best-selling tea, maybe it’s time you try it!
Silver: Earl Grey Supreme (3739 reviews). Another customer favorite, tea connoisseurs love this elevated classic. The silver tips we add to a basic Earl Grey are all the difference (and how appropriate that EGS took the silver medal!).
Bronze: Irish Breakfast (1259 reviews). A stout competitor, Irish Breakfast tea is able to take on cream or milk and still provide you with a hearty start to your day.
Herbal Tea Event
Gold: Peppermint Herbal (2031 reviews). Another perennial best seller, Peppermint Herbal has got it all – flavor, refreshment, and can even help with an upset stomach. The only thing it doesn’t have is caffeine.
Silver: Herbal Hot Cinnamon Spice (991 reviews). Even when we use earthy rooibos as a base instead of black tea, Hot Cinnamon Spice is still a big-time winner (hint: it’s because it tastes delicious!).
Bronze: Yerba Mate (81 reviews). An Argentinian favorite, Yerba Mate stands out for many reasons, including that it’s the rare herbal tea that actually has caffeine.
Oolong Tea Event
Gold: Milky Oolong (705 reviews). Like the creaminess of adding milk to tea but not the additional fat or calories? Milky Oolong may be your gold medal tea as well! Smooth, creamy, milky texture and flavor without a single drop of milk.
Silver: Formosa Oolong (508 reviews). This winner is the tea most people think of when they think Oolong; in fact, it may be the tea they oolong for! Give this classic from Taiwan a try.
Bronze: Ti Quan Yin Spring Floral (164 reviews). For the cost-conscious tea drinker, a bonus to the lovely floral notes of this oolong is that its ball structure – instead of leaves – allows you to re-brew it several times and still get a great cup.
Decaf Tea Event (also known as the Decaflon!)
Gold: Decaf Hot Cinnamon Spice (4251 reviews). It doesn’t matter what we do, we can’t keep Hot Cinnamon Spice off the top of the podium! Customers love this decaffeinated version of our best seller, probably because it enables them to keep drinking HCS from morning to night.
Silver: Vanilla Comoro (2419 reviews). No sloucher in the popularity category either, Vanilla Comoro is the very definition of indulgence when it comes to teas: rich, creamy flavor, tastes like dessert. Zero caffeine, zero guilt.
Bronze: Decaf Paris (1044 reviews). Our Paris tea is always giving Hot Cinnamon Spice a reason to keep looking over its shoulder in the race for first place. Much like the gold medal winner in this category, Decaf Paris allows devoted Paris tea fans to drink it day and night.
Matcha Event
Gold: White Peach Matcha (445 reviews). This peach of a green tea has won the hearts of tea lovers looking for all the health benefits of matcha but with a lighter, fruity flavor.
Silver: Matcha iri Genmaicha (325 reviews). The fact that this is the second Genmaicha tea in this whole competition to take a medal should tell you that customers are fans of these unique brown rice teas. We’ve coated the bancha leaves and rice with matcha to create this winner.
Bronze: Matcha Jobetsugi (305 reviews). This thin grade matcha is a lighter-bodied matcha for those who prefer that flavor over a thicker grade. This means it’s also great for cooking, making it a winner in more ways than one.
Jasmine Tea Event
Gold: Dragon Pearl Jasmine (2291 reviews). Between the exquisite jasmine flavor and aroma and the beautiful, hand-rolled “pearls,” you couldn’t keep this tea from winning this competition.
Silver: Jasmine Tea (610 reviews). Beloved for centuries, this ancient Chinese tea is delicate and fragrant. We add jasmine flowers because, well, because why wouldn’t we?
Bronze: Yin Hao Jasmine (194 reviews). Elegant curls of white and green leaves nestled among a sprinkling of jasmine flowers helps this jasmine stand out as a special tea in its own right.
If you’re not already enjoying some of these impressive teas, we hope you’ll give some of them a try soon. They’ve all been training hard to be delicious!
