Harney & Sons

Came to Harney & Son’s on Valentine’s Day looking for some tea and a bite to eat. However the kitchen closes early on Sunday’s and we just missed the food. The tea selection is extravagant. Any and everything you could want (that is if you like loose tea). The loose tea room was overwhelming and I do not feel as if the staff in that room made us feel comfortable to try the teas or anything like that.
The gift shop where they sell «sachets» or tea bags (lol) was quaint and had a great selection. They also had beautiful tea sets and wonderful pots. I went with a sampler and a box of green tea with coconut. The cashier gave us a small sampling of their Valentine’s tea to take home, which I thought was a very nice touch.
I don’t think I would go back to Harney & Son’s but I will order from them online.

I came here for the first time with some friends recently. And while the tea was good, we were not impressed at all by the quality of service. No one seemed to be very into their jobs or know anything about the tea they were serving. The food was very good in the café but again, terrible service. They set us up in a cute room next door but forgot we were in there and I had to go find a server. Overall I was a little disappointed by our experience. But I do enjoy Harney and sons tea!

A destination of choice mentioned by my gf before a trip up to Mass and the Berkshires. Took in all the choices in the store and after a few purchases we found ourselves intrigued by the tasting bar. The knowledgeable staff start pulling selections off the wall and the next thing you know you are learning about tea, new tastes and the amazing smells behind different blends. The tasting led to one more stop in the store for a black tea my gf knew («Paris») but now I like and we could not leave without. Looks like there is a tea room for more of a sit-​down experience but we did not partake. I learned a bit about this storied brand and found Millerton to be quite the charmer as well. Hook the town and the tea into a little gallivanting in the area and enjoy the journey and the destination.

This review is for 3 different parts of Harney & Sons, which I’ll try to explain below. Some friends took us here from their vacation home. It was about a 35 – 40 min drive and well worth it.
#1, the little tea room. We started here with breakfast on a Sunday, on a holiday weekend, about 10:30. It was surprisingly not crowded. The waitress (Jackie) knew her tea and was great. 4 of us got 4 different things and we all really liked our food. Not cheap, but not crazy expensive either, for the quality of food (and tea) we got. 5 Stars, I would definitely go back. The place was a bit small, but very nice.
#2, the store (or middle part of the 3 part space). Amazing selections of tea, gifts and tea paraphernalia. I couldn’t resist a really nice tea pot and bought it on a whim. It was actually slightly more on Amazon, so I was glad I did. Nice tins of tea (sachets and loose). Prices were decent. Great selection. Well displayed, but a smallish shop, so I was bumping in to a few people. So much to see. 5 Stars, would definitely go back and would definitely recommend.
#3, the tasting room. I totally would have missed this as it’s on the furthest end (or closest if you come in from the street, we came in from the parking lot). I would say start here or at #1 (see above) It’s a longer narrow room off to the side with two walls of tins of tea to smell and taste. They sell loose teas, from 4 oz. up to a pound (in tins or bags). The staff was very polite and knowledgeable. Again, 5 Stars. I would definitely go back and would definitely recommend.
If you like or love tea and are within hours of this place, you must go!

The Tea Bar at Harney & Sons is pricey, tasty and cosy. This is a wonderful spot for a date or brunch with friends. Service can be slow but the food is always good.

We have enjoyed lunch and tea + scones here many times. Their food is sort of «fancy» … Premium small sandwiches, gourmet soups and a few foo-​foo hot dishes. They’re all pretentious and yummy. Desserts include tea and scones, which are delightful.
Today, we found new menus. Same selections. But somewhat higher prices. And the formerly white-​flour scones are now mixed with some whole wheat (Same great taste).
Heretofore, you might say this is an excellent review. I would have liked to give 4 stars, but the one-​time demotion was due to today’s somewhat inattentive service. We sat outside at a time when the crowd was thinning. First, we waited too long for the server to take our order. Then, about half-​way through our meal, we had to walk inside to ask for refills on the water. When coupled with the price increase since our last visit, I had to demote the number of stars from 4 to 3.
Harney has been a lunch and tea– shopping stop along route 22 for more than 20 years. I hope today was a blip in what otherwise is a wonderful, special place for our family.

Used to rave about them years ago, but had a number of bad experiences/​observations over time that increased in frequency so I can not recommend them anymore.

A nice place to buy teas and have a light lunch. Not our favorite but if in the hood.

Dine or Ditch?
Dine…pinkies up!
When coming here we recommend going for a tea tasting first. You’re warmly greeted with the tea of the moment as well as 2 other teas being steeped and then given the choice of one more tea (per person) to be personally steeped for you. We enjoyed a nice oolong tea and Love Life. Both were delicious.
After the tasting we went for brunch. This quaint tea shop offers an elegant twist and brunch classics. We had the Collier; smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers, lettuce, and vegetables within artisan bread. It was plated with large homemade crisps. We also enjoyed the King Arthur. A twist on eggs benedict plated with a side salad and home fries. It was all perfectly prepared, plated, flavored, and enjoyed. We also ordered a large pot of White Christmas tea, a white tea that complemented the meal perfectly.
If you find yourself near this beautiful, small town getaway we highly recommend stopping by for a spot of tea.

I was so excited to get in to the tasting room today. I had a friend visiting from Wyoming who loves Harney teas. We were put on a wait list for 30 minutes which was totally okay with us. After we were seated, a young server took our drink and food order together. A few minutes later drinks were brought over separately. One of my dishes was brought out as an app, and was not what I expected it to look like. The «cheese plate» was 4 very soggy crostini with cheese oozing off of it. It was very greasy and soggy, nothing like the menu described. I also ordered the house salad which was lacking in flavor. The dressing seemed to be costing the greens but it didn’t taste like anything at all. The hummus was also a huge disappointment. It was runny, had no seasoning at all. I had it pushed to the end of the table to be sent back because in my option it was inedible. Our server literally came over to the table to take the order, bring drinks, drop food, and drop the bill without asking us if we wanted dessert (which we did until our bill was dropped). He asked if I wanted the basically untouched plate wrapped I told him how it didn’t taste like it was seasoned and it was so bland, he asked if I was talking about the hummus… What else would I be talking about??? Obviously I’m not talking about a cucumber. The whole experience was just such a let down. I think the only reason people eat here is all of the hype, not because the food is good. Maybe they used to be good and stopped trying because they get so much business based on their tea reputation. Never returning to the tasting room, only to buy tea.

This review is for the tea room and not harney because I love all their teas and I come to the store whenever I am in the area to stock up again! The tea room was so disappointing I had the chai infused French toast with honey whipped cream; the French toast didn’t taste like chai at all and the whipped cream was not honey flavored it actually had no sweetener or flavoring at all. The hummus on the hummus plate was very bland and tasted only of olive oil, so we sent it back. We had the house salad which was underdressed and bland. The server was inattentive and never came back to our table until we were completely done. I will not be dining in the tea room again but I will continue shopping in the store.

First of all. They don’t have tea lattes. This is a big problem. Also, they have an extremely racist caricature poster of a stereotypical Chinese man. This is off putting indeed. The food is good but they need to get rid of this poster.

Great Products and customer service!

We drive 90 minutes each way to come here. Have lunch. And order the sliders. You’ll thank me.
Visit the tea room, try a few. Our favs are peppermint, ginger peach, jasmine pearl, and cherry blossom.
Totally worth the drive.

Always a wonderful experience going here! Mail order is great too esp on free shipping days! So cool to find free samples in the box too!

I want to like the tea room, but I’ve been a few times and it is really disappointing.
I ordered the tea & scones. The tea was made immediately, and the scones turned up about 30 minutes later — and I had pretty much finished the tea. This is ridiculous. Tea and scones go together, you don’t need the tea first. It’s not like they were out back making the scones, either.
The tea room has no atmosphere, they use really loud and annoying timers for making sure the tea is steeped for the correct length of time, so they are always going off. There is no music to cover this irritating noise.
Unimpressive service — the people behind the counter act like they are doing me a big favor by taking my order and brining place settings. I don’t need special attention or to be waited on hand and foot, I just need average attention in a timely fashion.
The tea is good.

Great selection of tea, with samples available for each. There gourmet teas are more on the pricey side, but organic and very worth it. The gift shop offers artisan tableware and everything needed to brew. The restaurant attached can get very packed, and there are not many tables. The menu is small but everything on it is tasty with well rounded options, and you can order any tea from the menu with dinner.

Had lunch here based on a recommendation from a local merchant. The tea and shop were very nice, but the food was overpriced and mediocre. We had beef sliders (4 for $ 20) which arrived after a 30+ minute wait and were basically small, tasteless meatballs on tiny buns. Seriously, the blandest burger I’ve ever had. Also had the tea-​cheese sampler, which amounted to 4 very small (2 quarters side-​by-​side) pieces of toast, with cheese spread on them ($ 6). We left wishing we had our time (45 minutes) and money ($ 40+) back.

This place is a gem! My parents have always been fans of Harney & Son’s teas and it’s taken me this long to make a few trips out here myself. Harney & Sons makes for a nice drive through Connecticut and New York and it’s well worth it when you arrive. Set right at the start of a wee shopping village, you walk in and are immediately greeted with the smell of all things tea. Just beyond the entry way, there are two walls (very high ceiling to floor walls) with large tins of loose leaf tea for you to smell, sample and purchase at your leisure. The lady behind the counter is very knowledgeable and very helpful– even to the newbs like me, who was in there shopping for my boyfriend who absolutely loves his tea.
There is also an area where you can buy prepacked tins of loose leave and sachets of tea. So many to choose from! Black, Green, White, Chai, rare, random, you name it, they probably have it. I went for the loose leave Chai and the spicy cinnamon, both of which were hits once tried.
Not only can you purchase teas, gifts, mugs, soaps and treats to go along with teas, there is also a café! I’ve not been to the café, but it is always packed, so it must be great.
I really enjoy my adventures out to Harney & Sons, and if you’re up for a nice drive, or live in the area, make it a point to head out here for some tea!

Delicious. Everything delicious. That’s all. It’s just delicious. Go.