I haven’t reviewed any Harney & Sons teas in a while, and it’s not for lack of interest. Harney offers some really exceptional tea experiences and can be acquired almost anywhere in North America cheaply (though not necessarily both at the same time).
On the long ride home through many back country roads this afternoon ferrying the remainder of my personal effects from my grandmother’s house to my parent’s house, i had the opportunity to get into a brief conversation with my mother about English Tea Time. I’ve managed to ever so slightly snag her interest in tea (or at least she’s gotten use to my always talking about it as if I was suffering from Asperger’s, etc) and she was curious as to what constitutes this ritual. Honestly, I haven’t actually attended an English Tea Time, though I have been to a Japanese Tea Ceremony when I was studying at Taisho Daigaku, a full Chinese tea presentation at Cafe Japon and something resembling a Russian tea. Making it to an English Tea Time will be my next challenge for myself. Maybe that’s what was going on in the back of my mind that led me to crave a British-inspired tea today…. Though probably it was the 20+ episodes of Orphan Black I just watched. xD
In any case, today I’m drinking Tower of London Blend. In aroma, it reminds me of Lady Earl Grey or a lychee Black–quite enticing. Flavor-wise though Tower of London isn’t that similar to Earl Grey. Like most Harney & Sons Blacks, Tower of London is given a generous amount of bergamot. The lychee-like smell i noticed is actually dried stone fruit, which tastes a good deal more sour. It also has quite a bit less grit than Earl Grey. In the end though, what makes Tower of London unique really derives from its origins: China. Harney & Sons chose not to share exactly where in China this black comes from, but from the flavor, texture profile and appearance of the spent leaves, the closest thing in my mind is a Golden Monkey. If it is, it’s probably the cheaper Fujian version of Golden Monkey (doesn’t feel like it really has much of any tip to speak of), which doesn’t need to be grown above 1200 metres. All-in-all, a terrific afternoon tea.
- Aroma – 85
- Taste – 88
- Texture – 79
- Spunk – 89
- Price – 92
- Availability – 94
- Appearance – 83
Mean score – 87%
選別 parting.gifts 