Wow. Just....wow

One night in Bangkok makes a hard man crumble!

I had the sudden urge to pick up a new kind of tea when I was out shopping. I was in a pretty hokey grocery store up in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire, so it wasn't going to be anything gourmet. In any case, there were some tins full of Harney & Son's "tea sachets" with some interesting flavors. The one that caught my eye was a mixture of green tea, coconut, vanilla, lemongrass, and ginger. Or as the tin put it "Green tea with Thai flavors". Sure, that's real specific. I turned the tin over and over looking for the usual food label but couldn't find it. Not even an ingredients list.

I say, anyone for tennis?

I bought it anyway, thinking that I could at least polish of the tin in due time and use the empty container to hold some of my other tea bags in style. When I got home, I read some more off the sides and got the feeling that this stuff was pretty quality (as if the price tag didn't indicate that). It gave suggestions for "optimal brewing" and said that the sachets provided the "sophistication of full-leaf teas with teabag convenience". Well, excuse me! Maybe some of the chums will enjoy it when they pop 'round for tennis! Despite my gripes with the airy wording, the tea was actually delicious.

So as with any new food product I try, I hopped on the company website to see just how safe it is for my boyfriend. This was hard, because the company carries not only regular tea but also "blended" varieties like the one I purchased and also bottled juices and fruit teas. Some of the bottled and fruit beverages do mention "natural flavors", which I am wary of, but I couldn't find anything to indicate that with my new tea. So I wrote to the company asking if their blended teas contained gluten, casein, soy, or corn products and if the product as a whole was safe for people with intolerances. This was the response:

"None of our products contain gluten, soy, or casein. Two of our blends, Yellow & Blue and Chinese Flower, contain corn flowers though I'm not sure if that is relevant or not."


Erm, two completely different plants there. I appreciate the sentiment and the concern with the two plants having similar names. Heck, I even double-checked just to be sure. However, I thought that it was rather funny after the wording on the container. I think that as long as I purchase their regular or blended flavors of tea, my boyfriend and I should be fine. The impression I get from the company is that they are devoted to the full tea experience, hence the fancy "tea sachets" and lofty talk about the "transporting" effects of the flavors. For more of the novelty flavors, such as mango fruit and peach and whatnot, I can see why they would add some natural flavors in there to make it taste fruitier. I mean, when you drink a mango tea you aren't exactly drinking it for the quality of the tea leaves. You want to drink a mango.

My boyfriend still might be a little wary, however I personally think that this product might be a little less shoddy than Celestial Seasonings. Oh well. With the rate at which I'm drinking the tea, he might not even get to try it! 


(images from here, and here)