A quick fun post today. I’ve had a chance to sample some Harney & Sons teas I got for Christmas and I wanted to share my thoughts. I’m also sharing my favorite tea accessories at the end.
For the record, I’m not affiliated with or sponsored by this company. If you buy any of these teas, it will not affect me in any way. I received these teas as a Christmas present from my parents who purchased them like any other customer.
Also for the record, I drank all these teas hot and black – no cream or sugar. I can’t say how they would taste any other way.
Let’s start with the incredibly cool Agatha Christie tea collection, or, as I like to call them, Chris-teas. I love the Art Deco design of the tins. Each one is named after a book, and the art matches the theme of the book.
Murder on the Orient Express

It’s not uncommon for tea, especially flavored tea, to have a noticeable aroma. It’s part of the experience! The jasmine in this tea gives it a very floral aroma. I’m not overly fond of floral smells, so I was worried when I first brewed it, but I got used to the aroma as I sipped my tea and the flavor was nice. It isn’t nearly as floral as I’d expected and it has Earl Grey-ish notes from the bergamot. Overall, it’s a pretty mild black tea and would be a great choice if you like to keep your tea simple or for occasions when you want a black tea that’s just a step above plain.
At the time of this writing, I don’t know that the Murder on the Orient Express tea will be one I buy again, but I don’t think I’ll have a hard time finishing the tin.
Ingredients: Black tea, oolong tea, jasmine tea, bergamot oil
Halloween Party

Again, the smell of this tea is very striking, and it’s my favorite so far. The scent is very autumnal, spicy, and a bit mapley. The flavor is very similar to the smell. I don’t notice a specific spice standing out, but it definitely has an autumn spiciness along with caramel and maple.
What I love about this tea is that those flavors aren’t too sweet. I don’t usually drink hot teas that have a lot of sweetness. This is part of the reason why I don’t care for herbal or floral teas. They have a natural sweetness that can be a bit cloying. This tea, however, delivers the warm flavor of caramel and maple without being overly sweet.
This is one I might buy again, especially for the fall. As the name suggests, it is a great seasonal tea.
Ingredients: Black tea, pumpkin flavor, cinnamon, ginger pieces, maple flavor, caramel flavor, vanilla flavor, cinnamon flavor
Death on the Nile

This is the only tea on today’s list that is entirely herbal. I’m not a tea snob in a lot of ways, but I am when it comes to what is called tea. Tea is actually a specific type of plant, the same way coffee is. Steeping organic material in hot water isn’t all it takes to be a “tea.” So, I want herbal tea to be clearly marked as such.
This tea is definitely herbal. It has a leafy flavor (yes, tea is a leaf, but herbal teas can taste more like you pulled a leaf from your yard and ate it) and the contents of the bag looks like grass clippings.
That being said, it’s not the worst herbal tea I’ve ever had. It isn’t overly sweet like I’ve found some to be. And it has peppermint, which is one of the few herbal teas I actually like, so that improves it. I also like spices, so the cinnamon and cloves help a bit too. I think it must be chamomile that I don’t love. The herbal teas I like the least are the “sleepy time” ones, and I’m pretty sure they include chamomile.
If you’re an herbal tea drinker or chamomile fan, you’d probably love this tea. For me, it’s definitely not going to be one I buy again and it may take me a while to finish this tin, but I’ll keep it around in case I need a decaf option for a hot late-night drink.
Ingredients: Chamomile flowers, ginger root, peppermint, coriander seeds, cinnamon chips, fennel seeds, whole cloves, ground cloves
Now, on to two more teas not from the Christie collection.
Holiday

This tea is striking before you even brew it, and not only for it’s wintry aroma. The bits of safflower are an orangey red color that looks unique and festive in the bag.
The flavor of the tea is mild. Like the Orient Express one, this tea would be a great choice for days when you want a slightly elevated but still simple black tea. The flavor is not as seasonal as the scent, so I think this tea could be enjoyed any time of year
Ingredients: Black tea, orange peel, safflowers, vanilla flavor, cloves, almond flavor, cinnamon flavor, orange flavor. (Despite all the orange, I didn’t find it to have a strong citrus flavor.)
Victorian London Fog

A London Fog is a kind of hot tea beverage, essentially an Earl Grey latte. This tea just takes inspiration from that drink. Personally, I’m perfectly ok with that as I’m not a London Fog lover. I only like milk in certain flavors of tea, and Earl Grey isn’t one of them.
This tea includes the bergamot (a type of citrus) that Earl Grey requires, but it adds lavender and vanilla to hint at the creaminess of the London Fog drink. This makes the tea taste different from typical Earl Grey. The bergamot flavor is not as strong, so Victorian London Fog might be worth a try if you don’t love classic Earl Grey or would like a milder take on it.
I might try milk in this at some point. Vanilla tea is one I like milk in, and since this flavor includes vanilla and the citrus flavor is milder, I might like it better with milk than a traditional Earl Grey.
Ingredients: Black tea, oolong tea, bergamot oil, lavender, vanilla flavor
Tea Essentials
As I said, I’m not much of a tea snob, so my tea essentials aren’t anything fancy. Since I figured my audience probably doesn’t contain a lot of tea snobs either, I thought I’d share.
- Mug. Ok, this may seem a bit obvious. You have to have something to put tea in – it’s a liquid. The reason I’m stating this is to point out that having a dainty little tea cup is not necessary for the tea experience. You can brew your tea in the same kind of mug you use for your morning coffee. It holds more tea, and that’s the point, right?
- Tea bag holder: I have some cute little teapot shaped dishes designed for this purpose, but you can use any kind of dish. The point of a teabag holder is that you can take your tea out of your kitchen while it’s still steeping and have somewhere to put the bag when it’s finished. I keep a tea bag holder on my desk and by my reading chair in my bedroom.
- Electric kettle. This is not really an essential. I didn’t have one until a week or two ago and it didn’t stop me from enjoying tea. But, it is a big time saver. It heats water much quicker than the stove or microwave, and even rivals a Keurig machine, which can take quite some time to heat up if it’s been off for a while. It’s even more of a time save if more than one person wants tea, and mine has a keep warm feature so you can have a second cup later.