The more I drink this tea, the more I love it. I realized that I needed to put less than a teaspoon to make it "right" for me. I absolutely love that honey sweetness that comes through so clearly. It is a lovely blend and you really can taste the "pepper" along with a hint of smokiness. This will be my favorite afternoon tea, for it really does lift me up. Incidentally, I have re-steeped this tea blend many times over and the honey sweetness does not seem to fade. I'm thankful that Harney and Sons offer sample size teas for sale, for that is how I got introduced to this fine tea blend. I will include the Queen Catherine Blend in my next order, for sure.

Great for breakfast, I especially love the malt kick and smoothness of it. I think it holds up well to cream and is strong without being bitter. This is one of the only teas I actually run out of.

I like many of the Harney teas and I like this one as well, but it's not my favorite. I feel it's a bit bland both in body and aroma for my tastes to be one of my 'favorites'.

This tea has a nice, brisk, slightly smoky aroma. This is a blend of Chinese black teas. You can taste the thin, darker character of Keemun but the overall flavor is a little fuller in the mouth. It is not very bitter or smoky but is a bit dry. There is a surprising burst of sweetness in the aftertaste when the air hits your tongue. The more I drink the more body this tea seems to have and the rounder the taste becomes. This tea has an interesting character, full of flavor. It is also very delicious with milk and sugar.This blend reminds me of English Breakfast but tastes a little brighter, a little rounder, a little more outgoing and a little less dry and reserved, much like I imagine one could contrast the historical stereotypes of the prim and proper buttoned-up British with the warm, welcoming and partying Portuguese. It is, therefore, quite aptly named after Queen Catherine of Braganza who, though maintaining the proper royal decorum as the wife of England’s Charles II, perhaps might also have enjoyed the conviviality of Carnaval time in Portugal, her home country. I think this is a great anytime tea and one to keep on hand for guests. There’s something about it, though, that to my taste feels a bit reticent, as if there is more to the story than the leaves are willing to tell, hidden by subtle shades within the flavor that veil a brighter, more robust sweetness, but I imagine I am just projecting onto this tea my own subconscious desire for such sweetness and unwillingness to fully embrace this tea’s dry, smoky undertones. My own personal taste notwithstanding, this is indeed a very good blend and worthy of being added to your cupboard.

I love this tea! It has a lovely flowery aroma. It is well-balanced and not as delicate as flowery implies. My favorite way to start the morning.

A little spice, a little flower, a whiff of malty fruit, but nothing that overwhelms its classic black tea-ness. I've happily drunk it with milk and sugar and unadulterated over ice. On our fourth pound; it's our house tea.

This is tea perfection! There is the lightest hint of smoke, a nice natural sweetness, but no astringency and no bitterness at all. The Queen has carried me through many a rough morning. Somehow, when I am feeling frumpled and sore, she perks me up like no other tea!

My all time favorite, smooth and malty, not astringent, but with a bright, flowery something special sneaking onto the palate...wish I knew what that was! Holds up to a splash of milk and sugar.