Queen Mary Tea

Thanks so much again to Skysamurai for that lovely package of teas! Here we have a lemon and cream rooibos/ honeybush blend. I had a sneaking suspicion that this was very similar to the old Della Terra Lemon Chiffon and it does seem very similar. However, this one doesn’t seem to be as fantasticly lemon as the DT blend was. However, if you look at the photos for both teas, they don’t seem the same. The DT seems to have MORE in the blend, even more eyeblinding yellow, rather than Queen Mary’s blend that has one or two cornflowers in many many teaspoons and no noticeable yellow at all. So maybe it’s not the same blend. (I also know the ingredients list for the DT is not including everything that should be there.) Overall it’s a lovely creamy lemon flavor, both steeps. Might not live up to the magic of the DT blend… but if you need a replacement for that beloved favorite…
Steep #1 // 10 minutes after boiling // 2 1/2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3 minute steep
2019 sipdowns: 35

I tried this, briefly, at Queen Mary Tea Room while I was there on Saturday with my Mom. It was my first choice for my afternoon tea spread. I thought it would be like the Queen’s Earl Grey since it was the same ingredients, just adding mint. I love the Queen’s flavours and thought mint would be a nice subtle addition. Instead it was MINT. MINT MINT MINT. Hardly anything else got through. I got through one cup of it and asked for something else. Nicely, they didn’t charge me for what I drank, just got me a new tea, the Almond Cream, which I now I like. A good time out with my Mom. And I didn’t gain too much weight either! It seems like you’re eating so much food but you’re drinking a ton of tea and taking 2 hours to eat lunch so it’s really not that much altogether. Still my favourite tea house.

Purchased some of this and made my first cup! It is definitely not a 3 minute tea though, probably closer to 5 minutes for my desired strength of flavour. This cup was a 3 minute cup and not quite as strong as I remember it being, but still tasty. I will enjoy the canister I got of it, I think.

I went to tea at Queen Mary Tea Room with my Mom this weekend and had this (and also a disastrous first tea, but the good tea note first). I’ve had this before from this place, although I don’t like it enough to buy some. Yet. Very smooth, very sweet, very nice mouthfeel. I usually shy away from almond teas since almond oil can be so very awful but this is very very nice.

Saved the last tiny portion of this from the tea box. When I smelled and first tasted it, it reminded me of a weaker hot cinnamon sunset from Harney. As it cooled, my opinion has changed. It definitely has that familiar cinnamon flavor, but it also has greater complexity from its other ingredients. I’m pretty tired of hot cinnamon sunset since I find it one-dimensional, but I could drink this empress chai again and again. Too bad there was only one cup’s worth in the box! I mostly avoid chai these days since I usually find them boring and unremarkable, but I’m happy to say that this tea is quite a good one.

Definitely a different chai here! It has thyme and pink peppercorns which isn’t usually included in every chai, but what the strongest fragrance and flavor is the cinnamon. I don’t think there are actual cinnamon pieces (cinnamon isn’t even listed on the bag) but it’s the type of cinnamon that most reminds me of Harney’s Hot Cinnamon Sunset tea. I’m sure the pink peppercorns really lend to that sort of flavor too, as to me they mostly have a sweet quality. But wow, the mug just keeps getting more and more like that cinnamon as it cools. The black tea is medium bodied. When I drink a chai I really love a completely black cup, but that is generally impossible.
Steep #1 // 1 1/4 teaspoon // 10 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // 12 minutes after boiling //2 minute steep

This tea was in the TTB and I thought I’d try it as a nice morning tea with vanilla soy milk.

This tastes like a cinnamon black tea. The dry leaf smells strongly of cinnamon and the brewed tea tastes of cinnamon. I can’t taste any clove or peppercorn. It is interesting that they put thyme in this tea, but unfortunately I don’t taste it at all. The base is malty, but unremarkable.

I was actually surprised to find this tea on Steepster already considering Queen Mary is a local teahouse but here it is! I made a giant pot of this today with way less than it said to (2-4 teaspoons per 8oz? jeez) and less time than it said (5 minutes as opposed to 7-10) and it came out delicious.

The dry smell is definitely orange creamsicle, very strongly. Since I like my creamsicles sweet, I added milk and sugar and it came out very creamy and a very delicious dessert tea. I’m glad I like it, rooibos can be hit or miss with me. I need more non-caffeinated teas though, since I’m newly caffeine sensitive and resenting it.

The one currently in my cup is from Tea Queens but its the same tea… so I didn’t want to make a new page. Anyway, Without looking at the tea leaves or smelling the dry leaf I immediately assumed this was an unflavored black. Boy were my taste buds and nose surprised when I discovered flavors of bergamot and vanilla. Very similar to Creamy Earl Grey but the vanilla is more pronounced and there are a bit more citrus notes with the orange peel. And of course bringing it all together are the wonderful woodsy under tones. This is quite a delightful cuppa!

additional notes: ah, this still holds up as a favorite. Rich, dark chocolate and dark in general, but with this bright quality that swims throughout. It’s a perfect balance! So so good. I’m raising the rating from 96. (I think I raise the rating every time I have it.)

Additional notes: Was craving this today and it’s still a SOLID SOLID tea. There is just something about black teas from a few years ago that just seem like stronger, sturdier but also more nuanced harvests. Newer blacker teas seem weaker to me, for some reason. This is aging well. raising the rating from 92. It’s still available for sale but yowzas is it pricey.

This one is from Nicole – thank you! I wanted a dark malty brew today and this hits it! This isn’t the most golden of the Golden Monkeys – just occasional hints of gold on a couple leaves. Therefore this one might be stronger flavored than if it was golden. But the flavor is great – dark, dusky, milk chocolate (or maybe hints of dark chocolate?) A little bit of tanginess that I would think to find in an ancient/wild leaf. I love that the description says this is like “caramel” but I’m not sure I agree. Tough to describe it but I’ll love the remaining few teaspoons I have left!
Steep #1 // 2 tsps // few minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 minute steep

This was pretty tasty, especially for a decaf black tea. I found the flavor blended well with the black tea, and it was pretty smooth. Sometimes decaf black teas taste funny, but this tasted just like it wasn’t decaf at all. I’m not the type that reaches for peachy teas much, but if I was, this would definitely hit the spot!

I was craving an oolong this evening but was not in the mood for a full fledged gongfu session, so I decided to try this. This is from Nicole’s super generous giveaway. The flavouring is quite nice. It’s a nice nutty slightly roasted coconut, that still tastes fresh and sweet. I can see what Nicole means when she said some might find it a little artificial as suspect that the buttery feeling of this pouching has less to do with the actual tea and more to do with the flavouring as it lacks much of the accompanying tingle I usually get from oolongs and the tea tastes thinner than the other pouchong I have at the moment. Despite all that, the tea is quite nice. It has a nutty sweet flavour that blend with a slightly nutty fruity base tea with a little touch of a floral accent quite nicely. So far I am on steep two and I suspect I’ll get one or two others out of this tea.

Thanks Nicole! I’ll enjoy the rest of this packet.

Another sample from DianaK. Thanks! This tea tasted like flavored instant coffee to me. Weird. I got some chocolate…more the darker kind, but it wasn’t very powerful. The ingredients sound good, but I don’t think I would really reach for a tea that tastes like instant coffee. Fun to try though!

I got to try a cup of this tea today. Thanks, DianaK! Just as she said, it’s like marzipan in a cup. The aroma is dead-on marzipan. I liked how the taste of the tea still came through also. Overall, it seemed to be a good quality almond flavored tea, and I wouldn’t refuse another cup if offered. :)

(This was generously sent by Nicole quite awhile ago)

Blah blah broken record, took oolongs to work… drink through them really fast. Yup, another sipdown due to drinking tea at work that works for work.

Anyway, I’m really tired. I worked a full day and then sat in traffic for almost 2 hours and then went to the symphony. It was great, but I almost fell asleep during the adagio bits.

Anyway, this is a great coconut tea, and I love that it’s a greener oolong. Glad I had the chance to try it! Would certainly have again if given the opportunity!

(This was generously sent by Nicole quite awhile ago)

I’m trying to get through some of my older samples as I have quite a few thanks to swaps and traveling tea boxes. Also, I was working from home today which allowed me to use my variable kettle.

This is so tasty and manages to last for several steepings (I got 3 today). It’s almost syrupy, but in a good way. I didn’t manage a sipdown today and will probably get a few more cups out of the sample I received but definitely a good one if you like coconut and oolong!

Thanks to Nicole for this generous sample!

I really like this one. It’s different from The Persimmon Tree Coconut Creme in that it tastes a little like toasted coconut (it kind of reminds me of toasted coconut marshmallows). The oolong makes it creamy. I added sweetener which makes it super sweet and dessert-like.

Delicious!

(Got 3 steeps easily out of 2 tsp of leaves in my 16oz steeping mug – probably could have gone for a 4th too).

So after a first and second brew of this tea today, I’m not really loving it. Sure smells wonderful! But, nothing about the taste is really grabbing me. In fact, it’s coming across rather bitter and I’m not really getting much chocolate at all. I’ll be happy to use the rest of the small portion I purchased but won’t be ordering more.

This tea has an amazingly wonderful aroma, like marzipan in a cup! I love almonds so I purchased a small amount and I have not been disappointed. The flavor is very nice, not too strong, but just right. I have read that this shop buys some tea blends from another company and does blend some of their own so I’m not sure which category this one falls into. All I can say is that it’s tasty, and I’m enjoying it so far.

I purchased this tea (and a few others!) while visiting my son in Seattle. The Queen Mary Tea Room is just a few steps away from their little shop full of teas and other tea items including bone china cups. This tea smells like summer…..peach and apricot come through for sure. When brewed, the flavor is very nice and the fruit flavors do not overpower the black tea. A second brew was ok but definitely not as flavorful as the first. I’m always searching for a nice apricot tea and have been enjoying Della Terra Apricot Carousel (which they will no longer be blending). As with all teas I try, I will need to have a couple more servings before deciding whether to buy more.

A sample from Nicole (Thank you!)

Since I don’t have full use of my fancy timed teamaker anymore, I often forget to set a timer for my teas, as was the case with this cup! So, it could have been over, under, or perfectly steeped and I’ll never know.

When I first took a sip it was entirely too hot for me to even taste anything other than ow, but once it cooled down a bit, it was delightful! Very sweet and flowery with a hint of coconut in the background. I might not have noticed the coconut if it wasn’t in the name (behold, the power of suggestion!) but with it on my mind, I pulled it out. A hint of vegetal flavor in the background, but it’s reducing the more and more the tea cools.

I’d describe it as delightful, but not necessarily delicious. BUT since I’m a dessert tea whore, that could contribute to me being not as in love with teas that do not make me feel like I am gaining weight just drinking them ;)