Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Fragrant Treats- Harney & Sons Flavored Tea



It seems like many fragrance enthusiast are also tea fanatics. It makes a lot of sense if you think of it: Good tea has a complex aroma and your enjoyment starts with inhaling deeply and appreciating nuances and notes.

While I love a good Oolong and a first flush Darjeeling, sometimes one just want a comforting treat (yes, just like even the most sophisticated chypre lover occasionally seeks a cuddly vanilla scent). And just as with perfume, my favorites in this category are vanilla and chocolate.

You might know Harney & Sons teas from Barnes & Noble stores where they offer a limited selection of their most popular fruity teas, but if you pursue their catalog or web site you'd find some of the most interesting blends.

Just like my imaginary cousins in Buckingham Palace and Balmoral, I like milk in my tea. The vanilla and chocolate flavors are especially amenable to this. But the one that really stands out (and makes me wish for a perfume with similar notes. Do you know any?) is Florence, a chocolate and hazelnut mix. It's rich and heady, and serves as a perfect low-cal, low-fat substitute to hot chocolate.

Photos: mine. Model: Thomas

12 comments:

  1. Although some medical related people say that to much use of Tea is not good. But I think Tea is the essential part of the balance diet.I take tea for medical porpuse such as for maintain the skin condition vitiligo I thing it is a source for better pigmentation. I am very pleased to see Flavoured on this post.It is great double taste offer by Harney and sons.

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  2. Aha! A call for a Nutella perfume! :)

    I am one of those perfume + tea lovers. In my case, I have loved tea for much longer, being a late-bloomer perfume fan. Sorry to say I cannot help you in your search for this particular combination in one perfume, but I'm wondering if you could take a simple chocolate scent (e.g., Rocher "Cocoon") and layer it with something that has almond (like "Cinema"?...which, btw, would add some vanilla). Can't think of a scent with hazelnut...

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  3. Amir, Green tea is probably better health-wise, because it's high in antioxidants and low in caffeine, but sometimes one needs a treat, and this is a much bettere option than most.

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  4. Scentscelf- I couldn't find a hazelnut perfume, either, so yo're right: almonds and chocolate are the next best thing. I already like to layer Louve with Un Bois Vanille, but it lacks the cocoa. Serge has some chocolate in Borneo, but that one is a whole different world. Lea Extreme is almond-vanilla with a touch of milky chocolate, so maybe I should try it with a straight up chocolate scent. Or maybe layer Musc Maori with Louve...

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  5. I've never thought of chocolate tea- I'll have to investigate this very soon!

    In the mean time I am sipping my mily Earl Grey; apt, eh?

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  6. Tom, I just had an Earl Grey this afternoon. It went well with Douce Amere.
    The chocolate tea became a necessity after returning from Paris. I quit sugar cold turkey and drastically reduced all carbs. Tea made me feel less deprived.

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  7. Fellow tea fanatic and perfume fan here. :)

    For a perfume that smells Nutella: Lea Extreme comes to mind as an imperfect but close choice. Maybe layer Serendipitous with Louve? Hmmm, then again, maybe not.

    I myself am on a quest to find a perfume that smells like straight black Assam tea.

    Have you tried Adagio teas? I prefer them to Harney's, actually. www.adagio.com

    Best wishes,
    GalileosDaughter

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  8. GalileosDaughter, I'll have to try Adagio.
    I don't have any Assam tea perfume suggestion, none of the tea scents I can think of are as full-bodied.

    As for my Nutella perfume quest, it looks like Lea Extreme is my best bet. I just need something darker/deeper for layering. It's time to dig up some samples.

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  9. L'Artisan's Mechant Loup is a very nice hazelnut scent...maybe layer it with their Tea for Two, or Dior's Hypnotic Poison for the complimentary almond/vanilla notes.

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  10. Autumn Rose, you're absolutely right! I don't know how I forgot Mechant Loup. I have a bottle (well, it's my husband's), so I'm going to lay with it. Thanks!

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  11. Octavian over at 1000Fragrances has mentioned a "pleasing Nutella effect" in the Guerlain Elixir -Gourmand Coquin- in a post yesterday called "Thoughts on New Releases." I am not familiar with that one, so have no comment, but thought of this discussion and figured it was worth tossing into the mix.

    sent from: fav.or.it

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  12. fav.or.it, thanks for the info! Looks like there's a Bergdorf visit in my very near future.

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