Queen Catherine

Now, this is a well-reviewed, beloved by many tea. Given a recent stretch of personally disappointing teas from Harney I approached this one with trepidation but my misgivings proved to be totally unfounded. This is a nice, solid tea blend.

It does not look to much as dry leaf but has a nice powerful smell of fallen leaves , autumnal forest decay and a slight hint of Yunnan sweetness. The taste closely follows the aroma: baked bread, dry leaves and floral medow sweetness accompanied by a distinct kick from Keemuns. This rather uncomplicated flavor combination remains very steady: while consistently satisfying, this is not the tea for gaiwans. Not much of an aftertaste too.

I don’t usually drink this tea on its own since it does not have enough nuances to occupy my attention but it is excellent for drinking with food: it powerful enough to cut through all kind of food tastes and provides a nice compliment to meals.

This was one of the best entry-level-priced Harney and Sons’ teas for me with a clearly defined purpose. I avoid buying Harney’s more expensive teas since they do not disclose the harvest date or location and there are enough reputable vendors that do. It’s quite possible that Harney has good reasons for that and this way of business suited them well over the decades but it lost them me as a customer for anything but their lowest-priced teas, many of which are indisputably a good bargain.

After reading so many wonderful reviews of this tea by other Steepster users like Rosehips and ashmanra, I finally decided to include an order for Queen Catherine in my latest H&S shipment. I am so glad I did—this is a wonderful tea!

I steeped nine grams of the dried tea leaves in 20 ounces of near-boiling water for four minutes. The brewed liquor came out very dark—like coffee.

The tea did not have any revealing aromas that I could pick up. Drinking it, though, I was immediately presented with a hint of cocoa flavor behind the tea. There is absolutely no astringency to this tea at all—very smooth and creamy. It has a full mouthfeel to it as well, enhancing the experience with this tea.

I am very happy to have finally tried this tea after hearing so much about it. I was not at all disappointed in the quality and the flavors. A tea this smooth would make an excellent choice for regular/daily drinking and I will be glad to add it into my regular rotation while my tin lasts.

I feel like Veterans Day is too early, but since my wife has started to drench our home entertainment in cheesy Christmas movies, I decided I’d get in the spirit. Or at least play along a little. First I tried making my own “holiday blend” of Gunpowder Green Tea, Hibiscus and Peppermint leaves. Nice, but not enough kick.

So I tried blending a single cup of some Yunnan Black from Silk Road Teas with peppermint. (About 4:1) Very nice indeed. Not wanting to devote the last of one of my favorites, I decided to involve the most plentiful black tea blend in the house – Queen Catherine. Already a blend of Keemun, Panyang and Yunnan, I had little to lose when I added the peppermint leaves to make a full pot. (3:1 Ratio).

Bring out the holly! This is as refreshing and delicious as anything I could hope for! Another cup or two of this, and I’ll be almost ready to help get out the Christmas decorations. Almost.

One of my favourites, strong and flavourful.

“Queen Catherine” is a basic black tea with a hint of floral scent, but thankfully none of that came out taste-wise. I added some honey (which I never do) and it elevated it to a whole other level. HOLLA. I really must rethink this whole honey business. An enjoyable cup.

This is another old sample of unknown origin. It’s a really solid blend, but I think my interest in smoky teas has wanted since I requested this sample. Fortunately the smoke isn’t too overpowering; there’s a lot of earth and malt and cocoa and maybe even a hint of sweetness. It reminds me a bit of a smokier Keemun. I’m enjoying this cup, but at this point it’s not a blend I’m likely to restock. Maybe someday my tastes will swing back to the (mildly) smoky, though, and if they do I may give it another go.

I must say that this is a good tea. I’ve been needing a good tea to take to work. The kids are getting excited about the weekend, so they’ve been celebrating too hard, I think. And I figured, there MUST be a cure for this madness (my madness). And there is: Queen Catherine by Harney & Sons.

It’s very earthy, the way I like a black tea. But it’s smooth going down. At first, I thought, “This is average.” And then I took several sips before realizing that it was purely great. It gave me a jolt of energy, but it wasn’t the shaky kind of jolt that you get with a cup of coffee. I’m definitely going to buy more the next time, rather than the sample. It’ll help on the days when I need an extra kick to get through the day.

(Side Note: You don’t need to add anything to the tea. It’s a solid tea by itself.)

When you think of a bold breakfast tea or morning tea, this would suit. An afternoon pick-up when your energy is lagging? This would suit. An evening calmer with a pleasant, bold tea? That would suit. Good for anytime of the day, although it gets its strength during sunny hours for that caffeine kick and strong black tea taste. I steep at 4 minutes by taste, but 5 is fine if you want a stronger cup. Malty and honey filled, smooth and calming.

I just bought a new tin after a few years of being out of it. Rediscovering teas – new and old favorites – all over again.

Harney was the second tea purveyor that I explored during the beginnings of my journey with the cup of brown joy. I thought I’d managed to taste my way through most that I was interested in, but after reading a few reviews recently, I realized that I’d never flirted with the Queen. Thanks to a swap with TeaTiff, this is now in my cup and I’m quite pleased it is!

My go-to cup from Harney is Malachi McCormick. I love the way the earthy deep blend conjures up visions of Dublin in late winter for me. Queen Catherine is quite different. There is still a light earthy keemun flavor here that creates the base note for the tea, but it is lighter than my beloved Malachi. The flavor profile is more mid-palate…a bit dusty hay, a touch of raisin and a lighter malt than you find in assam. Lurking at the finish is a slight touch of gentle smoke. The description of this tea states that it’s all Chinese tea, but it certainly has the lighter profile of a ceylon, without the drying astringency that comes with most ceylons for me. If Malachi reminds me of Dublin in late winter, Queen Catherine reminds me of London in late spring. The light smooth profile is an invitation to a cup of tea that would even be welcome on a warm day. She is not cloying, this Queen. She is gentle and graceful….and lovely.

This one also came from cookies’s lovely holiday package. I’ve heard good things about this blend, so I’m happy I finally get to try it. For some reason, I never seen to be too tempted by straight tea blends, and I always end up ordering single origin teas instead. Not sure why that is! Anyway, the leaves here are very thin and somewhat small, and they’re more than a little broken. Dry scent is sweet and hay, and it’s comforting in a way. It makes me feel like I’m snuggling into a floofy pile of dry, sweet-smelling hay.

This is quite nice! It’s a good combination of earthy with a touch of smoky and some malty/raisiny Assam goodness. I don’t know what teas are in this, but I’m assuming the earthiness is probably coming from some kind of Chinese black, whereas the malt and raisin-ish notes come from an Assam. Overall, it’s good, and it would be tasty with sugar and milk or even maple syrup. No astringency at all!