Harney & Sons Paris Tea

Harney & Sons is a family-run tea company from Connecticut that has been blending and selling tea since 1983. Paris blend specifically is a black tea with bergamot, vanilla, and caramel that smells like a pastry shop and tastes like a dessert without any added sugar. Packaging is a tall cylinder tin with a hinged lid and a floral design that looks more like a gift than a grocery item and communicates taste unlike a paper box of Lipton could. I bought a tin because a friend served it and I asked what it was, which is exactly how a product like this is supposed to spread. Sachets rather than loose leaf is a compromise between convenience and quality that works well for daily drinking because you get better tea than a standard tea bag without needing a strainer or a pot. Silky nylon pyramid sachets give the leaves room to expand, and the flavor difference versus a flat paper bag is noticeable because the leaves are larger and the infusion is more complete. A tin of 20 sachets costs about $12, working out to $0.60 per cup, more than bulk tea but less than any coffee shop. I drink it in the afternoon when I want something warm and slightly sweet without the caffeine crash that a second coffee would bring. Boiling water, steeping for 4 minutes, and sitting with the cup has become a study break that actually helps me refocus. The blend is forgiving too, because over-steeping by a minute doesn't turn it bitter the way single-origin black teas can.