Queen Catherine

A while ago, I asked for recommendations on everyone’s favorite black tea blends, and this one was mentioned quite a few times. I’m quite happy to be finally trying it now!

The dry tea is a blend of different types of black tea leaves, some looking distinctively golden. There’s a rich malt aroma even with the dry leaf, which I don’t often find in Chinese black teas—outside of, say, Lapsang or very cocoa-note-heavy teas, even the best-tasting black teas often have very little dry aroma to me. The tea brews to an amber golden color, and is surprisingly light in body. The taste is malty, but not too rich, without the “buttery” or heavy mouthfeel found in some similar teas. There’s a touch of roasty, or smoky flavor to it, almost like a Shuixian, and just a hint of sweetness. It’s a very well-balanced tea that is a great—and not too strong—start to the day.

This is a lovely smokey, fruity tea where the elements of the blend really shine through. I probably used a little more leaf than my preference but the resulting brew is not bitter. I mostly taste the smokiness of the Keemun and possibly the panyong, a slightly woody fruitiness from the Keemun which has hints of dried stone fruit and sweet red wine, which may be enhanced by fruity elements of the panyong and a sweet cocoa note which is mostly Yunnan but may again be enhanced buy the panyong. There is a very faint floral note from the Keemun and a touch of frankness enhanced by a honey note and a bit of malt. The aftertaste is reminiscent of wine mixed with a touch of honey and a bit of smoke. Overall a nice, robust and bold blend. Thanks so much Nicole for giving me a chance to try it!

Thanks to whatshesaid for generously sending me a sample of this tea! I had no real idea what to expect, except that reading that it’s a blend of 3 Chinese teas makes me guess that I’ll like it. Which, as it turns out, is correct. It’s a little chocolatey, a little hay-y, a lot malty, and wonderfully smooth. The finish turns a slight bit fruity, but otherwise I’m not really picking up any fruity flavours. Overall, I’m pretty impressed. The smooth yet strong character of this tea would make this a great breakfast blend for me (if I wasn’t in the mood for something overly chocolatey, roasty, or fruity), because it definitely requires no additions to make it palatable to a hungry, astringency-averse morning tummy. Yum.

ETA: I swear I did not read the “flavours” list before listing off the flavours I picked up here. Score for my tastebuds! :P

I like this even better than the last time I brewed a mug of it, and I liked the bejeebers out of it then, too. I’m getting honey, cocoa, and just a tinge of smokiness. I’m drinking it from my gigantic (20 oz.) Batman mug, so by the time I finish, I may be in such bliss that I forget about all the excessive amount of snow outside. I also mean to try the brambleberry black Downton Abbey tea sample I got this past week today, but I bet it will pale in comparison to the Queen. Next time I buy this one, I’m whizzing past the 8 oz. tin and going straight to the one pound bag.

T&C TTB 22/23

When I had this TTB I was about to make a H&S order and felt it was the perfect time to try this before buying it. It was good, so I bought some. I kept waiting for the Queen to speak to me before writing a note but she has not and it is almost gone. All I can say is I’ve enjoyed it in the mornings when I’m looking for caffeine and taste good with and without milk. I may order it again sometime, not sure.

Sad sipdown on this one. Knowing I was nearing the end I almost picked up another tin during Harney’s sale this weekend, but I was a good girl and held myself back. I do really love this tea and it was a pretty quick sipdown considering it’s a 4oz tin. I have every intention of picking up more of this one when I get my cupboard under control.

Sipdown 3/75

I brewed this up again this morning but am still not nearly as in love with it as everyone else seems to be. I get no cocoa notes, I just find it really smoky and spicy and not at all sweet like I prefer my black teas to be. I’m not really getting any malty notes either.

I’m definitely going to give most of this away to someone who appreciates it. I will just keep enough to try a cup every now and again to see if my opinion has changed.

I suppose if you like these sorts of tastes, this would be a spectacular tea!
It’s just too much for me.

The ONLY tea I have for ‘Q’. A solid option! Leaning to the smoky side today for some reason…

Saw a few different reviews for this tea on H&S Appreciation Day. So I had to try it, of course. :P And I’m sooooooo glad I ordered this one!
It definitely has an earthy bent to it, kinda one of those teas where the after taste reminds me of hay. xD That doesn’t sound nice, does it?
But it has a mild malty taste with hints of cocoa when you drink it. It’s just they hay-ish aftertaste that throws me off a bit. It’s a good tea though! I’ll probably get more. (:
Now I can understand why everyone seemed to write about this tea on H&S Appreciation Day!

From the Unflavored TTB

Dry leaves smell good. Rich, smoky aroma in the cup. The flavor is fairly strong, very smooth, and slightly smoky, with hints of cocoa. Very big, very long finish may be the best part of this tea. Astringent and slightly tannic without being bitter. This is one of those teas where the flavors change as you go through the sniff, sip, swallow, finish process. Very interesting, but on the subtle side. I get the sense that this is a tea one could enjoy experimenting with steep times, temperature, etc. I may need to buy more. Just checked the price: I REALLY have to buy this one. Great everyday tea for someone who likes a bit of smoke in their tea (like me: addicted to Keemun).