Several months have passed since I did a post asking about favorite teas. It’s time for tea review. I am not an affiliate of any of the companies mentioned, so I received no compensation for my tea reviews.
I have very specific taste when it comes to tea. I drink it straight, without sugar or sweetener, and one of my criteria is being able to enjoy it on an empty stomach first thing in the morning. As always, your mileage may vary.
Best everyday black tea
Chocolate by Harney and Sons
Briskness: 2 Body: 2 Aroma: 4 Buy: here.
I absolutely love this tea. I am a sucker for chocolate flavors and this tea has just enough of the right aroma and taste. This is my go-to morning tea. It’s robust enough to help me wake up but gentle on my stomach without creamer or milk.
Alternative: He Family Laoshan Black from Verdant Tea. Both teas have the China black base. The sample batch of the HFLB had strong chocolate aroma, but when I ordered in bulk, the taste and scent wasn’t nearly as pronounced, so I now prefer Harney & Sons.
Paris by Harney and Sons
Briskness: 2 Body: 2 Aroma: 4 Buy: here.
This is an exquisite tea, with hints of vanilla, caramel, and just a little Bergamot. As the Chocolate, it is gentle on the stomach but still packs the flavor and caffeine punch.
It might be just me, but I find that when I drink Paris several days in a row, I end up tasting Bergamot less. It might be just me, but I enjoy varying it with Chocolate or other tea flavors.
Best Green Tea
Dragon Pearl Jasmine by Harney and Sons
Briskness: 1 Body: 2 Aroma: 5 Buy: here.
This is a remarkable tea. In fact, I’m drinking my second cup as I’m writing this. It’s a complicated taste, delicate and subtle rather than rich, but never bitter as long as it’s brewed at the right temperature, which is for the green tea happens to be 175º. It’s pricier than some other options, but having brewed it many times now, I have yet to screw it up. The jasmine is less pronounced, but I have a fix for that coming up.
Best White Tea
Yunnan White Jasmine
Flavors: floral, fruity, slightly spicy. Buy: here.
If you want jasmine tea, this is the one. It has a definite jasmine aroma; you can’t miss it. It’s a very flavorful tea, surprisingly so for white tea, and I’ve been ordering it for month and had very consistent flavor throughout. It tastes almost creamy, as much as tea can taste creamy on its own. Highly recommended.
And there you have it. There are other categories that I wanted to cover, like herbal and iced, but I have to go work. Happy tea drinking and let me know your favorites in the comments.
As I read this I wandered if this post would have been something that Catalina would have posted on her extremely exciting Instagram. ???? thanks for the thoughts!
I just googled and found Harney & Sons in Australia. I’m going to be taking all of the recommendations and doing some online shopping.
Thank you for the post. I have new tea options!
I was just going to look at the Australian site! Honestly! But Apple Cinnamon? And then I had to try the chocolate. And the chocolate mint was actually on special so it would have been a shame to leave it out…and postage in Victoria is cheaper too.
five days later it has arrived!
I love nmteaco.com, as I used to shop at their store in Albuquerque when I lived there. My favorite black teas are their Cream Earl Grey (Sri Lankan black tea, cornflower petals, and natural flavors) and their Persian Black (black tea with cardamom and bergamot oil). To relax, I like their Midnight Blue mix (lavender, cornflowers, mallow blossom, rose petals, lemongrass, and lemon and mango flavors).
The Smith Tea company in Portland Or. has some amazing teas
I do love Harney Teas. Their chocolate tea is a favorite of mine. If your also looking for a great caffeine free herbal tea from them (I drink tea all day, but need to switch to no caffeine after 6 PM), I would try Honeybush. I picked it up as a treat to myself a few months ago on a whim, I feel in love. So good!
I don’t know if the brand TWG out of Singapore is sold in the US. But if it is and you come across their looseleaf teas, they are excellent and worth trying. They appear to have several that include chocolate 🙂
TWG’s Silver Moon Tea is so good and it’s my favourite TWG tea of all time. Strong notes of floral with a little bit of sweet.
I buy my chinese teas from Singapore here: https://teachapter.com/ and no tea has disappointed me yet.
I drink my teas straight (either hot or cold brewed) without sugar or milk.
I am from Singapore and we are blessed to have the best of the eastern and western worlds for tea – the traditional chinese tea shops, good local artisan / modern frou frou local tea blenders that do ship world wide (aside from TWG. TWG just happens to be the biggest of our local tea brands) too.
Double Spice Chai from Vadham has tons of flavor. Mighty Leaf Tea Co (now Peets) has an amazing Chamomile Citron for nighttime.
Hi Ilona! Thanks for sharing. I love tea, and I especially enjoy drinking it while writing! I highly recommend Palais de Thes’ Du Hammam Green tea and their Louvre tea. The floral and fruit notes are exceptional.
I am a coffee drinker but am in Alabama right now not Tampa and having trouble with allergies and read that hot green tea would help. Tried it and it did help. I have to have coffee first thing in the morning but in the afternoon drink Twining Cold Brewed Green tea with mint.
My favorite is a good English breakfast tea. I like Taylors of Harrogate’s Yorkshire and Yorkshire Gold blends – which I can get in the U.S. (at least in Maryland) at Wegman’s or Harris Teeters. Besides being a good strong hot tea, it also brews up beautifully as an iced tea.
Love Yorkshire Gold!
My favorite hot tea I was introduced to by an English friend is PG Tips, an English black tea. I usually drink it plain but it stands up well to adding a little milk or cream. For iced tea I love Luzianne. I drink it plain or with a little lemon. Although I was born/raised on the MS coast, now living in FL, I weaned myself off sweet tea when I was a teenager.
I have never met a Fortnum & Mason Tea that I don’t like. Royal Blend and Jubilee Blend are my favorites so far. I also love Yorkshire Gold ????
Love just about any Harney tea, with a little honey added. My favorite is Palm Court, and I also love the Organic Assam, and Queen Catherine. If I’m going with white tea, it’s Harney’s White Fairy.
I am such a loose leaf tea snob, can not wait to try your recommendations, thank you!!!
My favorites are: snickerdoodle Rooibos, cinnamon spice black tea , Mango sorbet fruit tea ( chunks of dried fruit) and organic Masala Chai ( black tea). I don’t use any types of sweetners, by choice. I find that I don’t need any with these loose teas. I put them in my travel mug made for loose teas, keeps hot for most of my day. I’m lucky enough to have a tea shop here in town Uptown tea shop of Waxhaw, NC. I’m in the process of trying each one, lol.
Paris is my very favorite tea, been drinking it for years, with a splash of cream. Love the Jasmine Green too. I’ll have to try the chocolate. Sounds lovely. Thank you.
It’s caffeine free, but the Republic of Tea‘s Banana Chocolate Tea is really good. They also have a Ginger Peach Chocolate Truffle black tea that I enjoy. I admit that I add a bit of honey and a dash of creamer when I’m feeling rebellious, but hey- you only live once! I do agree on Harney and Sons- they definitely make a great cup of tea! Enjoy;)
Uptons gunpowder green is wonderful, and someone already mentioned “Cinnamon Sunset,” which I just reupped. I usually drink whatever green tea I’m favoring and some fresh mint to it.
I habitually don’t like ginger, or bergamot, but I’ve found both sooth the stomach if I don’t mind dressing them up a little.
Harney and sons hot cinnamon spice is the bomb! Sweet and cinnamon-y with no sugar. Great on a child winter’s evening.
I’m a tea drinker too. My family calls me a tea snob because I am pretty particular about what I like. The “Blue Moon” from Boulder Tea Company is my all time favorite. It has blueberries and vanilla flavor. Great plain or with a touch of honey. Here is the link: https://boulderteaco.com/collections/black-teas/products/blue-moon-black-tea
Have you tried the Haney & Sons Florence tea? It’s a chocolate, vanilla, almond and hazlenut tea and it’s delicious. It’s my favorite. 🙂
Paris from harney and sons is a huge family favorite; also love earl grey supreme from them.
anyone know of a good ginger herbal tea? I’ve found lately that I am wanting more spices in my tea but I cant find a good ginger one…
Tazo. They have an organic spicy ginger. Their Passion tea is my go to when I’m sick.
Harney and Sons has a great Ginger tea that is nicely strong. I like to mix it with their Mint tea which is also fantastic.
My utmost favorite tea is the Honeybush Chocolate from Adagio. It is caffeine-free which makes it my preferred nighttime beverage.
oooh, it’s been years since I’ve had jasmine tea of any kind. I’ll have to get some. Thanks for the review! H&S makes excellent tea. I love their Tower of London (similar but different to Paris) and Earl Grey
I used to have Harney & Sons as my favorite, but we started getting English Breakfast and Darjeeling Earl Grey from TeaPigs and it is sooooo much better. A little more expensive but worth it. The English Breakfast especially is a nutty and delicious blend. I actually alternate between earl grey and english breakfast for the same reason as you – multiple days in a row means the earl grey bergamot fades and it may as well be a regular black tea.
I too am a tea drinker and have found, quite by accident, a most amazing company with many good offerings. Here is a link to Ahmad Tea where you can see for yourself. https://www.ahmadtea.com. My all time favourite at the moment is Cardamom Tea loose, sweetened with honey. I have tried the blackcurrant tea which is strongly flavoured and delicious also. The chamomile is also delicious. If any of you are adventuresome and find this tea, I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
I also love Harney & Sons and I am obsessed with the hot cinnamon sunset. So comforting and warming in the afternoon and just enough of a caffine kick.
Upton teas have already been mentioned, but if you’re not familiar with them, Upton is a great tea company with high quality products, a HUGE catalog, and an informative newsletter.
https://www.uptontea.com/
Many thanks to IA for making me aware of Verdant. What a wonderful small tea company with very high quality products! They’re now on my short list.
Back in my college years, Earl Grey was a favorite, but I think that from the late 70s, tea purveyors kept increasing the proportion of bergamot until it went from a subtle flavor note to a cloying dominant flavoring that masks the flavor of the tea it’s in. I won’t even start on the “double bergamot” teas, which are horrendous. Earl Grey is dead to me.
Not a fan of Harney teas, which, in my opinion, aren’t bad teas, but which don’t seem to be high end. Harney seems to be more of a mass market company.
One of my biggest disapointments in the past several years is when I read that Sir Patrick Stewart favored Yorkshire Gold tea. I ordered a bag of that, expecting the world, and what I experienced was fine tea fannings that brewed instantly and made a muddy black cup. Yorkshire Gold went in the compost heap within a week 🙁
Personal favorite of my husband’s is the Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice. No need for sugar or cream.
I love Harney’s Scottish Morn. I have it with milk in the mornings and there’s nothing fancy about it, but it’s just the perfect morning starter. But I LOVE their Rose Scented. I brew it strong and then have the remainder of the cup as iced tea. Then had their Sally’s Secret, which is Early Grey with rose. That’s another lovely one. I just wish that more of their rose teas came in bags instead of loose.
I heard you were moving to Maryland and starting a tea farm. ????
Thank you for the update — I also do not drink tea with any milk or cream, so like to get ideas for new teas. Since I have switched to mostly white teas, I must try the Yunan white jasmine. I have found a decent white Chai!
Had to replace my Bodum french-press style pot (broke the plastic lid!), and my replacement is twice the size (who knew how much 1 liter was – American, bad at metric conversions). So I use it for teas where I will drink 4 cups, instead of 2.
… Phoenix Pearl (jasmine). I thought I loved the Dragon Pearl, but the Phoenix Pearl blew it out of the water.
Oops – that is Dragon Phoenix Pearl. I ordered from MarketSpice teas in Seattle’s Pike Place market, but I see it available elsewhere.
I can’t wait to check out all the favorites listed in this post!
Harneys royal palace, Victorian fogg, Eight at the fort, East Friedan,Scottish morn
My favorite tea morning, noon or night is HT Hot Cinnamon Sunset black tea
Harney and Sons got my business simply for the fact that they have a screen reader option, along with a lot of other accessibility options. That’s surprisingly rare. I can’t wait to try the chocolate tea!
I drink almost only Kusmi tea, from Kusminoff, a Russian immigrant in Paris in the beginning of 20th century, who started the business. (https://www.kusmitea.com/int/home/).
My favorites are the green tea ones rom Detox series – https://www.kusmitea.com/int/search/?q=detox&search-button=&lang=en. I find the tea of good quality (one bag is enough for around 1L, although I reuse a bag for a couple of mugs. Nice and gentle flavors which do not overpower the taste buds and it can be drunk in the morning on empty stomach. In addition, I also like their tea infusions with goji berry – https://www.kusmitea.com/int/aquafrutti-organic-herbal-tea-21683A1070.html.
As I live in Belgium it is easy to find a shop that sells it, but I also know that in US there are some places where you can find it and order.
I am a HUGE fan and tea drinker! If you like sweeter teas with notes of vanilla, I strongly recommend trying a Thai Tea. From Thailand is the best, but if not Steepologie has a great one too.
The other company I have to share is called Great Tea Road co. , it’s a company in MN and sells at our local farmers market. They have a lot of crazy flavors such as Lime and Rum, but I am really enjoying their seasonal teas.
My favourite tea is Stash’s Breakfast in Paris (earl grey, vanilla and bergamot), with milk and either xylitol (natural sugar substitute with other health benefits, but keep it away from dogs!) or honey (preferably Manuka, for the health benefits and the taste!). I haven’t tried any Harney’s, but their Paris tea sounds about the same.
Here in BC, Canada, we have Murchies, and I am a big fan of their black fruity teas and their earl grey cream (bergamot and vanilla). Their chai teas suck, though.
Back when we could still cross borders, a friend brought me some chai from Trader Joe’s, which I thought was fantastic.
I used to drink a lot of herbal and green teas, but now they give me a headache. ???? Anyone else have this experience?
I was fond of Earl Grey, hot, long before Jean-Luc Picard came on the scene. I also like green tea, and Jasmine white. No sugar, no milk, no lemon, no particular brand.
I have been gifted with quite a few different black teas over the years by Chinese post-docs I have dealt with; and one Japanese post-doc gave me some very expensive green tea about twenty years ago.
For usual, I drink coffee; but tea makes a nice change every week or two.
Thanks Ilona. I like my tea just as sweet as me, and sometimes with almond milk. I have a question about Amazon Audible. I noticed that while most of your books are on the Audible site, you don’t have any books on the Audible borrow program. I have found several authors that way (new to me that I now like and would buy), and it made me wonder if it would help you get even better known if you threw an old book on the borrow portion of audible. I can get a great deal done around the house, and get my exercise in, and can knit while listening to a book. (I rarely listen to TV). Though I have read all of your books over the years, it would be fun to see if I enjoy them as much in audio.
I love Harney and Sons Paris tea too! I drink it nearly every morning. The aroma is mostly vanilla and caramel to me and I don’t even notice the bergamot. It is delicious!
I love Harney and sons tea!
I won’t lie, I mostly hit the teabags, I’m very British and drink a gazillion cups a day so there’s no time to be brewing and steeping a pot for every cuppa. But I do make a pot now and then and if I’m going to the bother it better be worth it so I’m picky about leaf tea.
I’m aware how horribly posh it sounds – but Fortnum and Mason’s tea is invariably good. My cousin had an admirer for several years that would take him Christmas food shopping there every year and he’d pick me up earl grey, rose pouchong and rose and lavender biscuits. Delicious. It was how I first discovered rose pouchong tea, but Fortnums is quite pricey and I think half of it is the packaging. Partridges which are also sort of posh in a pretentious Sloane way have a rose pouchong for a third of the price and equal tastiness – I love rose flavour so I brave the King’s Road for it!
On a teabag note Teapigs are great and have recently joined my favourite Twinings. As have rooibos tea – redbush is yummy!
I have a one cup sit in the mug infuser which gives tea pot quality without the hassle and then I knock the tea leaves out into our tea leaves and coffee grounds bin for the large council service compost bin. Really not much hassle and give a better brew imho. This is the one I have which goes through the dishwasher but plenty of choice out there https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B085DHFZFC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Twinings used to do a Rose Pouchong, but discontinued it. I will have to brave Fortnums or Partridges and see…though I stopped going to Partridges 30 odd years ago, after I had the most horrendous dose of food poisoning from their take away coronation chicken and they were rude to me, when I complained.
I was introduced to Paris by a friend who did not care for it. It has become my all time favorite. I have to be careful when ordering from Harney &Sons. I love that we share one we both enjoy. I’ll try the others.
I love the The Republic of Tea Mate Latte, it is just lively. Kind of chocolaty, nutty – it is a nice blend of all that as wonderful.
Ingredients: Rooibos, roasted yerba mate, natural almond, vanilla, chocolate flavors, sunflower petals and almond bits.
The Republic of Tea Mate Latte Herbal Tea, 36 Tea Bag Tin https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0024SEX8G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_dZ2HFbHV1608Z
Harley & Sons Ginger Tea
My suppliers will be a different as I am UK based and some of them have been chosen not just for their superb tea but for their ethical and environmental values. I always test out a new tea either with a loose leaf sample or as small a pack of tea bags as possible but break the tea bags open and use my mug infuser (a gift from the The Divine – get one that sits in the top of your mug and has a lid rather than a tea egg) or a small tea pot. If I like the tea I buy a larger pack of loose tea (sometimes the caddy if it is a proper double lidded one which The Tea People caddies are otherwise caddies are bought elsewhere, Japanese caddies designed for Sencha are always a good option as they are double lidded)
Russian Caravan by The Tea People
A lovely smokey black tea blended to recreate the taste of the black teas transported by overland caravan from China to Russia. I drink it black without sugar. Originally bought a tester pack because I had wonderful memories of the actual Russian tea that my late Grandmother bought back from trips to the Eastern block (she was an inveterate traveller). Initially she brought it as a souvenir but when I fell in love with it she sought it out and it became a thing when I visited her in my late teens and early twenties. Even with the internet and a father who now speaks Russian we couldn’t find an actual Russian blend but this hits the spot perfectly and The Tea People are a social enterprise with good environmental practices particularly for packaging.
Luxury English Breakfast Tea by The Tea People
A top flight take on a traditional English blend which I drink at strong with a little milk and weaker black or with lemon, never with sugar. This is an anytime of the day tea and provides a different comfort factor than the Russian Caravan being a highly superior taste of home and growing up. Ironically rarely drink it at breakfast as I am more of a Cafe Latte woman done Italian homestyle with a Moka Espress and a milk pan to heat the milk like my Italian school mates families did as I have no money for what I would call a real espresso machine but that last is the ex barista speaking (I can be as picky about coffee as tea).
Prince Vladimir by Kusmi Tea
A wonderful black tea with citrus, vanilla, and spices from an old Russian tea blender who moved to Paris with the Revolution. My sister introduced me to Kusmi and I got one of their black tea taster of little tins of loose leaf tea (not double lidded but very superior seal on these). This is the only one that has really caught their fancy and some I find to cloying. An every now and then tea when I want something out of the ordinary.
https://www.kusmitea.com/int/prince-vladimir-PRINMASTER.html?v=PRIN125
Jasmine Pearls by Tea Pigs
A lovely edition of a type of Jasmine green tea which is hand rolled into small pearls. Beautiful fragrant tea with a lower brewing temperature and quick brew time on the first round (if you brew the same leaves several times you get a wonderful change in flavours each time). Both a tea to just to quickly refresh and one to rebrew several times and appreciate the flavour spectrum. I only have China and a silver tea pot but this is a tea which could offer a lovely aesthetic in a glass topt.Tea Pigs have good ethics and are a funky funtype of outfit but do good tea though some is not my style. They are another the band of small tea blenders who do environmentally sound packaging and plastic free so compostable tea bags if tea bags are your thing. All this being said I will also get a Tea People sample to see how they compare when the current batch is running low.
https://www.teapigs.co.uk/collections/green-tea/products/jasmine-pearls-tea
China Silver Needle by Tea Pigs
A lovely delicate white tea and very affordable (good white teas can get a little pricey once you get into them and I am far from a connoisseur). You must watch the brewing temperature because the flavours are so delicate and definitely a tea to take time out for and focus on imho.
https://www.teapeople.co.uk/shop/china-silver-needle-white-tea.html
Darjeeling Earl Grey by Tea Pigs
A lively fragrant blend based on Darjeeling rather than the more traditonal Assam and Ceylon. I drink this weak and black. Downside to this tea is it only comes in tea bag form and the tea bags actually contain more tea than is need for a single cup if you are brewing loose leaf in a sit in the cup infuser as imho the tea doesn’t have the room to move and expand even in the pyramid style bags. If I start to drink this more regularly I might have to go explore other tea blenders
https://www.teapigs.co.uk/collections/black-tea/products/darjeeling-earl-grey-tea
Morrocan Mint Tea
Organic Green Gunpowder from a tea dealer on Amazon (might explore other options when it starts running low) and dried Organic Morrocan Mint (Nana, from a seller on Amazon UK though I will probably get a large plant or next spring and add it to my tub herb garden as will cost less in the long run). I make this the very Traditional way which involves simmering it because that gets me the flavour I remember from events run by the Maghrebi Jews at the synagogue in Luxembourg in my early twenties and from Maghrebi run restaurants in Southern France when on holiday (have tried the quick method and it doesn’t quite hit the spot). I do use a lot less sugar – played about to get the best compromise possible. Here is the most informative online guude I found and site has a quick method too https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-to-make-moroccan-mint-tea-2394995 I am currently using a saucepan but a proper Maillechort Morrocan teapot is on my too buy list.
NB you can make this up in the traditional way and then chill it over night for an “iced” tea (I don’t add actual ice), sweetness can be adjusted best with a simple syrup. I tried overnight cold brewing and it didn’t cut the mustard and not somewhere I can make decent sun tea.
Sencha
I am currently exploring Sencha (samples from various UK tea houses)which appears to be as complicated as coffees but have no recommendations yet. Plenty of sites out there with great info though. I am easing into it as it could get very pricey given that best comes from Japan and where it is their everyday tea. If I find I am drinking a huge amount then I will explore in serious depth and go up a process bracket.
I am not a huge drinker of straight up herbal teas but do like Vervein and Fennel (bought loose from http://www.algeriancoffeestores.com where I buy most of my coffee) and Lemon and Ginger which is currently a large supermarket own brand but intend to explore alternative sources on ethical grounds.