Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Product Description:
Queen Mary is a perfect breakfast tea. Good body but not overpowering. Coppery bright and excellent flavor. A traditional favorite.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! Now this is black tea!
This is a very powerful tea. It’s got the gusto to get you up-and-at-’em, but at the same time, I don’t find it too powerful. It has an astringent edge to it, but again, it isn’t too astringent.
The brewing parameters on the package of this tea suggest a 3 – 5 minute steep time, but, I would recommend something closer to the three minute range as it can get a tad bitter if you steep it much longer. While it does have a tannic taste to it (with an ever so slight hint of bitter right towards the middle of the sip), it isn’t off-putting at a short steep time. However, if you’re one who likes a good, stiff cup of tea – brew it longer!
Needless to say, the flavor is bold, but I wouldn’t call it brash or harsh. It is very invigorating – making it a perfect breakfast tea (and it takes the additions of milk and honey quite well!) or an early afternoon pick-me-up if you’re starting to feel sluggish.
I wouldn’t say that this is an incredibly complex tea, it is pretty straight-forward. However, sometimes you just want a good, strong black tea, and this one will fill that need. I’ve been sipping on this for a while now, I’m beginning to pick up on a sweet undertone (I didn’t sweeten this cup for the review) that is almost caramel-like in nature. It has a hint of black currant/wine-like flavor towards the end of the sip. The sip finishes dry with very little aftertaste.
A very pleasant cuppa indeed!
