When my grandfather, John Harney, started our family business back in 1983, we had a whopping six teas on our roster: English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Darjeeling, Gunpowder Green, Formosa Oolong, and Irish Breakfast.
By 1997, that number had grown to more than 100. And today? Well, last time any of us counted, we were somewhere north of 300 teas and still adding more. As my Uncle Paul once observed, “We can’t seem to kill a tea.”
Take an afternoon to browse our website, and you’ll find our offerings include quite a few collections. And though past blog entries have covered such collections as our Historic Royal Palaces collection, our Metropolitan Museum of Art collection, and our Colonial Williamsburg collection, we’ve never yet featured our small-but-mighty Icon Collection.
Well, that all changes today!
Filled with teas inspired by nostalgic flavors and wrapped in whimsical, beautifully illustrated tins, our Icon Collection feels tailor-made for summer. So if you’re looking to make this season just a little more iconic, you’ve come to the right place.
Summer Is a Time for Indulgence
For most of us, our feelings about summer are shaped in childhood. Long afternoons with nowhere to be. Exploratory bike rides. Trips to the pool. Family vacations. And of course, the unforgettable flavors of the season, from freshly picked fruits to favorite frozen treats.
Our Icon Collection captures those memories in tea form, with blends inspired by a few of summer’s most beloved tastes.
Sip the Season
Our Strawberry Milkshake tea adds natural strawberry and a hint of vanilla to our much-loved Milky Oolong tea to create a smooth, creamy, caffeinated treat that smells like strawberry milk. Indulgent yet light, it’s like drinking your dessert (minus the calories).
Inspired by cookies and cream ice cream, Cookies & Cream starts with a rich black tea base, then adds sweet vanilla and luxurious chocolate to create a cup that’s caffeinated yet comforting.
Growing up in Salisbury, Connecticut, meant the Harney family spent many happy summer afternoons picking blueberries on the slopes of Mount Riga. We’ve captured a bit of that joy with our Blueberry Green tea, which artfully blends Chinese green tea with lemongrass, blueberry, and vanilla to create a brew that’s delicious hot or iced.
Smooth and sweet, this decaffeinated tea features natural vanilla flavor and real vanilla bean flakes that steep right alongside the leaves. The result is a richer, creamier cup that adds a touch of luxury to your day and a gentle sweetness to your summer evenings.
Nutcracker Blend
Nutcracker Blend debuted all the way back in Winter 2023, making it the O.G. of our Icon Collection. Atop a black tea base, you’ll find apricot pieces, marigold petals, and the festive flavors of chocolate, vanilla, almond, and hazelnut (but no actual nuts, despite what your tastebuds may be telling you).
Summer: Get It While It’s Hot
The only problem with summer is that it never seems to last quite as long as you want it to. With pumpkin spice season lurking around the corner, I hope you’ll try a few of our Icon teas soon, while these lazy, crazy, hazy days are still in full swing.
