I have a sample of Harney & Son’s Winter White Earl Grey. It is packaged in a little round tin that contains 5 tea “sachets.”

The tea is really good. It is a Chinese Mutan White tea, flavored with oil of bergamot — the same thing that flavors your standard Earl Grey. The white tea is of decent quality, as far as my limited experience with white teas can attest. The bergamot flavor is light and does not swamp the tea — although the tea has none of the pear undernotes or aftertaste that are usually associated with white teas. I like this tea. In fact, I like it much more than I like standard Earl Grey tea. It’s a lovely tea to sip in the afternoon, when I don’t really want to be kicked by something stronger, but I still want a cup of tea.

The sample I have is of Harney & Sons sachets, rather than their loose tea. The sachets are little pyramid-shaped packets made from a fabric that feels like organza (I can’t find any info on their site about what it really is, but it is definately not paper). The packets allow the tea to move around more than a standard teabag, and the tea inside is the same tea Harney’s sells loose. I would prefer a loose tea, but these sachets are nice when I’m in a hurry. I imagine they would also be nice for travel.