Tag: Harney & Sons

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Harney & Sons’ Hojicha

Hojicha by Harney & Sons
Green Tea / Straight
$5.00USD for 2oz

First Impressions

Hojicha was one of my purchases from Harney & Sons in SoHo when I was in New York City back in October 2017. I picked up the 2oz tin from their wall display of many, many tins because it’s honestly just a tea that I don’t often come across in Vancouver. The tea comes in a sealed silver packet inside of a the tin.

Hojicha consists of roasted tea twigs. That said, the tea consists of short, straight little sticks. I would definitely describe the aroma from the dry leaf as being roasted, it has an almost nutty smell to it.

Preparation

For green teas, Harney & Sons recommends steeping in 175°F (79°C) water for 1 to 3 minutes. My initial steep of Hojicha was for 90 seconds.

First Taste

Hojicha steeps to a beautiful golden orange and it retains a lot of that roasted nuts aroma. The flavour of this tea reminds me a lot of walnuts, and has that toasted element to its flavour profile from the treatment of the short twigs. It’s got a full-bodied flavour, with a great mouth-coating quality to it. Hojicha does not have a subtle aroma or flavour to it, I would describe it as being strong. There’s a subtle sweetness that I found at the end of each sip that I wasn’t expecting, and it made for a surprisingly complex flavour profile, which I really enjoyed.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Hojicha a total of three times (four steeps total), adding an extra 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. I found that the flavour got a bit sweeter for the first resteep, and began to wane in flavour for the next two resteeps. However, the toasted nuttiness remained fairly strong throughout, so it resteeped quite nicely.

My Overall Impression

I loved Harney & Sons’ Hojicha. I really enjoyed the flavours of this Japanese green tea, and liked the way it steeped. The little sticks sure packed a punch of flavour! I think it would be a great morning tea, if you need an extra little somethin’ somethin’ to get you going in the morning, and might make a good coffee replacement if you’re a coffee drinker.

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Harney & Sons’ Paris

Paris by Harney & Sons
Black Tea & Oolong Tea / Flavoured
$8.50USD for 4oz

First Impressions

I bought Paris at Harney & Sons SoHo location in New York City during my visit back in October 2017 and I couldn’t resist getting it after one of the salespeople working in the store told me that it was one of  Harney & Sons’ best selling teas. So of course I had to give it a try. Paris came to me in a metal tin, the tea itself is loose in a tin (not like Bancha where the tea was in a foil package inside of the tin). The aroma of the dry leaf is primarily fruity with a hint of vanilla.

Paris consists of: black tea, oolong tea, black currant flavour, vanilla flavour, bergamot oil, and caramel flavour. If you asked me to pick out the oolong tea in this blend, I’d probably laugh at you. There are some leaves that appear more twisted and long than others, but the aroma of this tea is beautiful. I love the fruity aroma – I’ve actually never eaten black currant before (but I have had black currant candy so I can pick out the flavour), but it smells so good.

Preparation

Harney & Sons recommends steeping Paris in 212°F (100°C) water for 5 minutes, and then to “Remove the tea leaves. Relax and enjoy.” Well, don’t mind if I do! I steeped Paris for 5 minutes.

First Taste

Paris steeps to a beautiful golden orange, the aroma from this tea is nothing short of enticing. There’s the aromas of vanilla, citrus, and black currants. I can’t make out the fragrances of black or oolong tea in the steeped tea. On first sip, I note some sweetness to this tea. The vanilla notes make the tea have more of a cream flavouring to it, as it reminds me of baked goods. The citrus and black currants have great flavour, and there’s a robustness to this tea. It honestly reminds me a lot of an Earl Grey because of the bergamot, with an added lightness with the vanilla and fruitiness from the black currant.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Paris twice. I found that the flavours weren’t as strong as the first steep, but still palatable. I found that there’s still a sweetness to this tea, and the vanilla and bergamot was mostly still present However, the black currant is missing. The second resteep was very watery and not nearly as tasty. I would say that Paris is good for just one more steep.

My Overall Impression

I loved Harney & Sons’ Paris. It’s a lovely black tea blend, and has a lovely fruity aroma and flavouring to it. I really enjoy the addition of vanilla, and the bergamot really reminds me of the classic Earl Grey – which is one of my favourites. The creaminess that the vanilla adds to this tea is a welcome change from a classic, and I can see why Paris is one of Harney & Sons’ best selling teas. I think this tea would make an excellent afternoon tea selection with the sweetness and vanilla to compliment the macarons and other desserts.

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Harney & Sons’ Bancha

Bancha by Harney & Sons
Green Tea / Straight
$6.75USD for 4oz

First Impressions

I purchased a selection of tins of teas from Harney & Sons’ SoHo location when I was in New York City back in October, 2017. This is the first of three tea reviews of my tea purchases from the store. Harney & Sons describes Bancha as a Japanese “summertime green tea” on their website. This tea came to me in a small metal tin, the tea itself comes inside in a silver foil package – no resealable, but the lid on the tin is pretty snug so I’m pretty okay with keeping it in the tin with the foil package open.

The aroma of Bancha is grassy, and reminds me of the smell of grass after a rain. The tea leaves are dark green, they’re short and flattened. This is a straight Japanese green tea and smells delightful. The Wikipedia page for this tea suggests that it’s a low grade Japanese green tea, but otherwise it smells good.

Preparation

Harney & Sons recommends steeping green tea, which includes Bancha, in 175°F (79°C) water for 1 to 3 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep of 1 minute.

First Taste

Bancha steeps to a nice buttercup yellow. The aroma from this tea is a bit grassy, it stills reminds me of that ‘fresh rain’ smell that happens when you go for a walk after a good downpour. There’s a slight grassy flavour to this tea, I find it quite tasty. I noticed that Bancha makes for a nice smooth cup of tea, no bitterness or astringency noted.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Bancha three times (four times total with the same leaves), adding an extra 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. I noticed that the colour deepened for the first resteep, and got lighter for the following two steeps. The flavour stayed the same, not really watering down until the last resteep.

My Overall Impression

I loved Harney & Sons’ Bancha. This green tea did remarkably well with resteeping, and I really enjoyed the grassy notes. The flavour of this tea is pleasant, smooth, and a makes for a nice cup. I think the 60 seconds for the initial steep was a good starting point, green teas can often be a little delicate with the steeping process – too hot or too long of a steep and the tea becomes bitter.

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