Harney & Sons Teas

Prepare to amaze your palette with some of the finest teas from the family-run Harney & Sons, a gourmet tea shop and tea salon. What started out as a small operation, distributing eight teas, now carries over 300 types, sourced from small tea farms all over the world. Customers can find an eclectic range of loose leaf green, white and black teas, as well as organic options. Stretching the length of the spacious retail shop is the long tea bar, where customers are offered a complimentary tasting of the tea their choice, from the tea tins lining the lofty walls -- a fastidious timed steep, executing the perfect cup.

Harney & Sons began in Salisbury, Connecticut in 1983, when Grandfather John Harney at the age of 53 started the company after apprenticing under Stanley Mason of Sarum Teas. While managing the White Hart hotel, Harney was approached by Mason for tea wholesale and soon began to train under the knowledgeable tea expert. He managed Sarum Teas after Mason's retirement and eventually plunged into his own business, embracing Mason's traditions while employing a new standard of tea buying, characteristic of all Harney & Son's teas today, exclusively purchasing only full leaf teas, rather than inferior shake leaves typically used in fast-brewing commercial tea bags.

It soon became a family run business with his two sons, Paul and Mike, leading to their own factory opening, supplying casinos, luxury resorts, and many renowned hotels, such as the Waldorf, Ritz, and Plaza hotels. Each Harney family member has brought new to ideas to the brand through their service experiences, from business knowledge in retail background to developing a fine pallet through the wine industry. With their current factory located in Millerton, NY, and the opening of their spacious SoHo shop in 2010, Harney & Sons continues to be a third-generation family-run American company offering their fragrant high-quality teas respectfully sourced from small growers.

One rare aspect of this hardworking company is throughout the years they continue to maintain fine relationships with tea farmers, personally traveling to visit select farms and plantations around the globe. All of Harney & Sons teas are kosher and equally split into three categories of single estate, blends, and flavored teas. Single estates are full leaf teas that are largely unflavored for a bolder taste, their biggest seller being a green tea from the Shizuoka Region in Japan. For a lighter palette there are plenty of blends and flavors to try, like the wildly successful cinnamon spice made with three different types of cinnamon. The shop continues to embrace the traditional sale of full-leaf loose teas, while offering 60 different tea varieties packaged in individual silk-nylon sachets--an option that provides convenience while preserving the bold and smooth quality of a loose tea.

Harney & Sons gained attention after winning the award for "Best Afternoon Tea" at the prestigious Dorchester in London, England. They were proudly commissioned by the Historical Palace Foundation to produce the Royal Wedding tea, in honor of 2011 wedding of Kate and William, creating a delicious blend of Chinese mutan white tea buds, almond, coconut, vanilla, with a touch of pink rosebuds and petals.

Customers may also enjoy gluten free and vegan sweets in Harney & Sons tea salon at the rear of the shop. The well-edited menu offers specialty tea floats made with Harney & Sons signature tea-infused ice cream, also available by the scoop, as well as delicious goodies from local East Coast purveyors such as David's Biscotti's, Macaroon Café and Tulu's gluten-free Bakery. Dedicated to making the finest cup of tea, Harney & Sons always provides charcoal-filtered water throughout shop to ensure the smooth sweet flavor of every cup, serving tea in ceramic pots, along with freshly premise-made scones like their savory Cheddar & chive, or ham and Gruyère served with honey Dijon beurre composé.

In addition to all the wonderful gourmet teas, the shop carries a nice selection of tea pots made from clay, ceramic and cast iron as well as tea brewing accessories; an edited collection of tea-inspired books, that include "How to Cook Tea" written by Grandfather Harney. And to enjoy at home, they even have an assortment of local jam and cookies and their signature line of fragrant tea scented candles hand-made upstate New York.

The ancient tea leaf has been rediscovered by today's scientists, proof that it promotes good health and longevity. Exploring the rituals of tea drinking and brewing the perfect cup, Emeric, a third generation Harney son, once a month teaches "the introduction to tea" class in the SoHo shop, where small groups of students learn first-hand preparation techniques, and hear stories of his tea estate adventures. Likewise, students learn how to prepare delicate green Matcha tea--a tricky process to keep it from oxidizing, while preserving the grassy flavor.

Harney & Sons strives to deliver the best quality and experience for all customers, making tea an affordable everyday luxury. Whether you're a tea fanatic or occasional sipper, you're sure to enjoy all the wonders this great American company has to offer.