Queen Catherine

Swap from Keychange that I’ve finally decided to try. (along with the other 2 she sent me) Wasn’t sure anout the brewing parameters so I went with my basic measures that I tend to fall back on.
Didn’t really have much of a dry scent, but that could just be the baggie it was in.
Brewed it’s kinda malty, fruity, smoke/spicy? Not sure on that last note though. XD
Taste wise it’s kinda fruityish, with that almost smokey/woody/spicy note to it. It’s also more astringent than I’d prefer, but still a nice cup.
Sitting here next to me on my warmer it’s gotten a touch on the bitter side, even with a bit of Truvia added and the astringency is like I swallowed cotton. Bleh.
But it was still a nice cup before it sat, though I can’t see myself ordering it myself.

Such high hopes I had for this tea. All y’all love it so much. I like it fine. I just don’t love it. It is slightly too bright to be a tea I love and the smokiness to me went a little too far in the creosote direction at the back of the sip. It’s not off-putting, but I like a smoky flavor a bit rounder, more mellow and a bit less sharp.

More about it (and its song) here:

http://mizzprissy.wordpress.com/

I’m going wait to rate it because it could grow on me.

Following on mj1851 ’s great suggestion of having a Harney & Sons tribute day, I’ve decided to drink Queen Catherine this morning…

I have placed my first H&S order only this year. I had been looking at their teas with envy for quite a while before that.

Buying H&S teas feels like buying fancy French teas. They are the only North American store that makes me feel this way.

They just ooze elegance and sophistication. Mr. Harney left quite a legacy to his sons…

Queen Catherine is the quintessence of what morning tea should be.

it’s bold enough, strong enough, full bodied enough, tasty enough.

But it also feels fancy and luxuriously rich. It’s royal and majestic!

She is The Queen , after all.

What a great idea mj1851 ,

Happy H&S tea day everyone!

Somehow I managed to delete my earlier note when I was trying to correct a typo. Anyway, I got this in a trade today from DeliriumsFrogs, thanks! I liked it so much I finished it all in one sitting. While it was a hearty dark tea, I don’t know that it was that different than others I have had.

In other news, I ordered my first gaiwan and cup set, in anticipation of the Butiki educational boxes. So exciting!

I didn’t log anything I drank yesterday (or over the weekend, for that matter, but I always fall behind on the weekend…), feeling off-ish and not as attentive to what was in my tea cup as I’d like. So, it’s nice to ‘think’ more about that today….it’s calming and meditative. :)

It was sunny and 80°F for most of yesterday, and now it’s 37°F and rainy, so I figured a cup of The Queen would do me some good.
I love this tea. I love opening the tin, with the soft smoky aroma and bright edges of the blend.
Your Majesty, I am honoured to be in your presence, Ma’am.
You know what I love so much about The Queen? She’s sophisticated, but so comfortable…..so welcoming. She’s equally right at home in my finest tea cup, or doubled in my biggest mug (with my feet up, cuddled under a blanket, with Netflix all queued up and ready to go….). She’s layered without being overly complicated.
Yeah, she needs a permanent place in my tea drawer. :)

The Queen and I have been having morning dates this week. It has been a gloomy week and she has been the perfect cup to get my morning going. I have been enjoying the roasty taste and mellow cup she provides.

I was visiting my parents yesterday and my mom had recently ordered some teas from H&S, including this one. Although I’ve had it before, I wanted to try it again gong fu style, since it’s a mix of Chinese teas. Also, before, I noticed a smoky note, which I now enjoy, most likely from the keemun in the blend.

I brewed it up this morning. There are some notes of cocoa, smoke, and maybe a bit of fruit, but they are really subtle. I think this one is better suited to western to really bring out the flavor. Oh well, it was fun to try!

I am not a lover of straight blacks but keychange speaks so highly of this that I just had to see what all the fuss was about. Tbh though, I have been putting off having it because I did not want to take a sip, think it was just okay, and then disappoint keychange. However, I decided to delay it no longer. I am happy to report that it is actually quite good. Smooth and with a hint of malty chocolate. A very pleasant brew and I can certainly see why keychange regards it so highly. For my tastes, this won’t be the tea I reach for every morning but it is also not a tea I would ever say no to if offered a cup. Thank you so much keychange for sending me a sample of your beloved tea. I am happy I got a chance to try it.

I’m sort of new to teas. At least anything beyond Lipton and Celestial Seasonings. I ordered a sample of this one based on the great reviews. After finishing my sample, I hate to say that I don’t think I’d re-purchase this. It took me a few cups to pinpoint what I don’t like about it— it’s the smoky notes. I don’t think I like that flavor in teas. I like strong English Breakfast teas and Irish Breakfast teas, and I was crazy about Harney’s East Frisian blend. But sadly, I’ll have to pass on the Queen.

Today is quite the daunting tasting note day – first I take on Tribute, and now this?

In this case, however, we can just go ahead and blame my complete lack of interest in plain blacks. There is exactly one such previous review by me on all of Steepster, namely this one: http://steepster.com/annchen/posts/185089

So I suppose I could have just left this in the box, but the same thing always happens – time passes, and I forget my resolve to just avoid unflavoured blacks altogether, and there I am again, with a cup of something that seemed intriguing.

The Queen is special, though – she’s all over my dash and I really had to see what all the fuss was about. Unlike the Nine Dragon Golden Needle tea previously reviewed, I didn’t enjoy the scent of the dry tea at all. The base tea simply isn’t for me. One day I need to talk to Dinosara or Sil or whoever else it is who’s so unfathomably knowledgeable about which leaf is which and why and how, because I’m completely lost beyond, ‘Oh, I tend to enjoy Mariage Frères black base tea, and, uh, also Lupicia’s green base tea, which people keep telling me is something commonly referred to as a ‘sencha’, whatever that means.’

Seriously – that is all the game I’ve got.

No, the dry tea doesn’t do it for me, and neither does the brewed liquid, neither nose-, nor taste-wise. This is one of those that make me feel like I’m licking a seat belt in our old Mercedes – I know I’ve gone there before, with the hot plastic and the scorching summer sun and the scent of all that heat and how the belt half-burned my exposed skin as my mother buckled me in.

I don’t want to drink our old Mercedes.

Also I’m quite the convinced anti-monarchist, so this Queen business will really have to be conducted elsewhere. (Unless we’re talking about some delicious dudes in drag, because if so, bring them on.)

More for the rest of you.

[Sample from the second round of the EU Travelling Box, spring 2014.]