Harney & Sons Japanese Sencha Green tea, Loose leaf 4 ounce

The Spicy Kick in the Pants You Didn’t Know You Needed
Harney & Sons Chai Tea: It’s like a warm, spiced blanket for your soul, except instead of gently tucking you in, it slaps you in the face with cinnamon and says, “Wake up, it’s chai time!” This tea doesn’t mess around—it’s here to spice up your life whether you’re ready or not.First Impressions:Right from the start, the tin alone tells you this is no ordinary tea. You look at it, and it feels like you’ve just walked into a cozy little spice market. Pop open the lid, and BAM, your nose gets hit with a symphony of spices. Seriously, it’s like a cinnamon stick, a clove, and a piece of cardamom all jumped into your sinuses for a dance party. But, you know, in a good way. This tea smells like it’s got secrets—spicy secrets.The Brew:So you brew a cup, and here’s where the magic happens. As the hot water hits the tea leaves, you start to smell it: that perfect chai aroma that makes you feel like you’ve suddenly mastered the art of tea-making. You’re not just brewing tea—you’re brewing an experience. You’re practically an herbal alchemist at this point.The first sip? Oh, it’s good. It’s real good. It’s like every cozy autumn day has been boiled down into one perfect, spiced cup of deliciousness. The black tea gives it that bold backbone, while the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and ginger take turns karate-chopping your taste buds with flavor. It’s warm, it’s spicy, and it’s everything you never knew you wanted from a tea. It’s like drinking a chai latte—but without the overpriced coffee shop guilt.The Spice Situation:Here’s the thing: this chai does not hold back on the spices. It’s like the spice cabinet exploded and Harney & Sons managed to catch all the good bits. You’ll find yourself questioning whether you’re drinking tea or downing a cup of mulled spices, but in the best way possible. It’s not overly sweet or weak like some chai blends—it’s here to remind you that chai means business.But be warned: this tea could make you feel like you’re starring in your own Bollywood movie, doing dramatic chai-sipping close-ups in slow motion. It’s that good. Just try not to break into a spontaneous dance routine after your first few sips. Or do. I won’t judge.Fancy Factor:Let’s talk loose leaf for a second. If you’re using Harney & Sons loose-leaf chai, congratulations, you’ve reached peak tea sophistication. You’re no longer messing around with basic teabags—you’re swirling tea leaves like some sort of chai sommelier. Bonus points if you’ve got a fancy teapot to match. This chai was meant to be brewed in style.And if you’re feeling extra indulgent, add a splash of milk or cream, maybe even a little honey. Boom—chai perfection. It’s like drinking a hug. A spicy hug. From a very enthusiastic friend who smells like cinnamon.

Another Harney Winner
A smooth but pleasantly brisk, rich, very flavorful tea with a good burst of the bergamot flavor I fancy. I’m a tea snob, and this product checks all the boxes. Harney teas are superlative.

Very delicate, good quality tea
This isn’t quite what I had in mind for my Earl Grey, but this is an excellently crafted tea. For those who like delicate teas, this might become your favorite. The tea is a blend including Ceylon Silver Tips, a very expensive tea that is quite light and aromatic. You can see these when you open the tin, which by the way has no foil liner–the tea is just packed right into the can.The bergamot is light and citrusy, not heavy and perfumed. The tea brews up light golden to red depending on how strong you made it; I used 2 full cups (450ml) of water and 3 small tea measures and brewed five minutes (recommended time.) It came out a medium red and a bit weaker than I like. The taste was sweet, no bitterness and a light bergamot scent.Summary: if you like mild, delicate Earl Grey, this will be just what you want. I happen to prefer a bit more robust tea myself, but there is no doubt this is a high quality, very refined tea.

Pleasant and drinkable authentic green tea
This is a very nice sencha green tea with leaves sourced from Shizuoka, Japan, and packaged in New York at the Harney factory. The tin came with two vacuum sealed foil packages. The leaves look as high quality as direct imports from Japanese companies (for example Ocha). The flavor and aroma of a brewed cup are mild and herbal, which is how I like it, and the tea feels silky and full as you drink. There is no “grassy” flavor, but you have to brew it right. 165 degree water steeping for no more than two minutes. Go too hot or too long, and you will get an unpleasant grassy taste. This will happen with all green tea. I have an electric kettle with a built in thermometer, and I brew this in a 100% clay kyusu teapot. Yes I am pretentious about my tea, life is too short not to be. 😉 Bottom line is this is a great price for a sencha tea that ultimately holds up against “fancier” direct imports.

Very soft, compared to a typical fermented brick – yet flavour is there, and it is nicely balanced with a blend of other less striking flavours. Rather overpriced for what it is, yet definitely a good, quality tea.

Nice tin too.

It has a “deep green” flavor that is like kelp or dulse and makes me think of the sea. Very tasty to my palette. Much better than all the other green teas I have tried over the years.