Favorite Places: Harney and Sons

Disclaimer: Tea is one of my most favorite things in the world.  Even if that’s not true for you, you should still read this post.

It’s somewhat unlikely that you’d ever find yourself randomly in Millerton, NY.  However, if you ever find yourself anywhere near Millerton, NY (like, in any state between New Jersey and Maine), you must stop by Harney and Sons Fine Tea on Route 22.The store/tea tasting bar/tasting room was a wonderful experience which I’d been looking forward to since receiving Harney and Sons teas as a gift last year.

My Man, his parents and I started with a delicious lunch in the Tasting Room.  There have been moments when I’ve felt frustrated by my decision to not eat meat for lunch–the mushroom strudel with gruyere cheese I ordered was not one of them.  It was incredible.  And, of course, we drank tea, Lapsang Souchong my Man picked out, which was smoky and definitely worth trying .  But even if you for some bizarre reason weren’t going to have any tea, the food is still worth it.

After lunch we moved on to the tea tasting bar.

It’s probably a bad idea to take me to a place which provides me with the opportunity to sample any one of 200 varieties of tea, the vast majority of which I’ve never heard (or dreamed) of.  I have a hard time deciding what color socks to wear on any given day. However, the staff at the tea bar are incredibly knowledgeable (I’d just about die for their job if I had any hope of ever retaining all the information the man behind the counter did.)  Chances are while you’re there, sipping and smelling tea and trying to consider what to purchase, John Harney will wander through and say hello, because it is a family business, after all.

Harney and Sons makes excellent tea.  The Plaza Hotel thinks so (they serve H&S “Palm Court” black tea), and so does Barnes and Noble.  The experience of the tasting room and tea bar only enhance the experience (and make me want to buy more tea).  Highly recommended.

Unable to visit?  Fear not, you can order all their tea online, at http://www.harney.com.