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This is a well balanced blend of Assam and Darjeeling with a bright, crisp taste. It is full, round and extroverted like Assam but polished, polite and refined like Darjeeling. It is an earthy, hard-working Assam freshly showered and dressed in a Darjeeling tuxedo. It has a slightly sweet finish. This tea is delicious on its own without cream or sugar but takes both well.

This is a lovely tea for the holiday season. It is indeed heavy on spice, but blending it with another black tea will reduce it for those who prefer less spice. It goes very well with cream and sugar. It’s not something I would probably drink on a regular basis, even during the holidays, but it is a good tea for those who enjoy spiced teas.

This tea has a mild, sweet aroma. The flavor is very brisk and dry. It has a slightly bitter aftertaste, the bitterness increasing with each sip. It remains too dry for my taste even after reducing steep time from five minutes to four. I find the sour aftertaste quite unpleasant, but perhaps this is just a matter of individual taste. Unfortunately adding cream and sugar didn’t seem to help much. Oh well, can’t love ‘em all I suppose.

This tea has a pleasant, subtle aroma and rich, dark color. The taste is very smooth, not bitter, with an only slightly dry finish. There is a very, very slight sweetness to it, but hardly noticeable. This is not a terribly intriguing blend but it is not bad at all. It is a straight-forward, uncomplicated, medium-bodied cup of tea. It takes cream and sugar well. There are more interesting blends available, in my opinion, but this is not bad.

This is a very dark brew with an odd aroma I can’t quite place. The flavor is straight-forward and quite good. I can taste the Assam and the Keemun. This is a full-bodied blend and goes well with cream and sugar. For folks who just want a decent cup of tea, this one is perfect.

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.

This tea has a nice, soft and sweet aroma. The taste is a little toasty with a sweet finish and brisk aftertaste. I doubt you would need any milk or sugar to appreciate this tea. It is not as bold in body as I usually like but it does have a complex enough character to occupy your taste buds for awhile with each sip. This is not a tea for the budget-conscious, but it is worth a taste.

This tea has a dark color and a rather neutral aroma. The taste is pretty neutral as well with just a hint of honey in the finish. The overall flavor is a little too subtle for me. Cream and sugar helped a little. It’s not bad at all, but not quite interesting enough for my taste.

This tea has a light, vegetal aroma that reminds me of cooked green beans. The taste is very smooth and bright, with a sweet aftertaste that seems to linger for awhile between sips. It is not very dry at all and I only taste a hint of smokiness. It has a very nice, smooth liquor and goes well with a little cream and sugar, though they are not necessary to appreciate this tea’s flavor.