Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
A lovely and warming golden-red brew, Golden Nepal tea is harvested in several flushes high in the moist and chilly climate of the Antu Valley, located near the Darjeeling plantations. This brew is very sweet and scented with several flowery flavors, including hints of honeysuckle and jasmine. Connoissuers insist that you should drink it straight, without adding milk, cream or lemon but then feel free to experiment with this exceptional loose leaf black tea for your own tastes!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea has a lovely complexity. It’s one of those teas with which I’d love to spend an afternoon lingering over, quietly contemplating its lovely layers of flavor.
When I opened the container of this tea, and before I had even read the above description, I could notice some similarities to a Darjeeling tea. The colors within the dry leaf looked very Darjeeling-esque to me. The aroma was earthy, but with some interesting floral notes as well as hints of fruit.
The taste is very similar to a Darjeeling too. It has that light, crisp flavor to it that one would expect from a Darjeeling, and it even has notes of muscatel within its many diverse layers. There is an astringency to this tea that also reminds me of a Darjeeling: a clean astringency that lightly dries the palate.
The above description suggests tones of honeysuckle and jasmine, and I taste those. It was really quite a surprise when I first tasted it … again taking my first few sips without having read the description, and it was after those initial sips that prompted me to read more about it. I could swear that I was tasting jasmine, and I had thought I had brewed a Nepalese Black, not, a jasmine tea.
As I continue to sip, the sharper tones of the jasmine seem to subside, melding into the other floral notes to create a sublime medley of flower that enchant the palate. Overall, I find this cup to be floral, earthy, and a little fruit-like, very much like a Darjeeling, but different enough to stand on its own.
A lovely tea. I highly recommend this to any tea lover out there!
Jasmine Golden Yunnan from thepuriTea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: thepuriTea
Tea Description:
Our Jasmine Yunnan Buds black tea combines the sweet, chocolaty flavor of our Golden Yunnan with the delicately peppery, floral notes of our Jasmine Silver Needle. It’s made from the fully oxidized buds (or “tips”) of the tea plant, and then aromatized and blended with fragrant jasmine petals. When dry, the tippy, golden buds smell of rich dark chocolate, while the tiny, pale jasmine petals are seductively aromatic and pungent. The deep umber brew has an aroma that’s chocolaty, lightly peppery and topped with fleeting jasmine notes. The sophisticated, mellow flavor of jasmine melds seamlessly with the flavors of chocolate and pepper inherent to Yunnan black tea, making this a fantastic alternative for jasmine lovers and a great choice for fans of flavored black teas. Jasmine Yunnan Golden Bud’s aftertaste is lightly astringent, and later infusions retain the rich flavor of Yunnan black tea. For a special treat, pair this elegant blend with brunch foods, anything with dark chocolate, or coconut macaroons.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I do love jasmine teas, but, most jasmine teas tend to be green teas with white jasmine teas becoming increasingly more popular. But, I don’t often see a jasmine scented black tea.
So, it was quite a find when I discovered this Jasmine Golden Yunnan from thepuriTea!
This tea brings together the amazing complexity of a high quality Golden Yunnan and the exotic floral qualities of jasmine in such a pleasing way. The sweet floral notes seem to bring out the Yunnan’s natural spice tones, highlighting them in a way that I probably wouldn’t experience without the jasmine’s presence.
On Steepster, I referred to this tea as an example of synergy, because I really love the way the two elements – Golden Yunnan and Jasmine – work together to achieve this delicious, full-flavored tea with its beautifully sweet floral notes. I also mentioned on Steepster that this may be my new favorite Jasmine. I don’t know if I’m quite there – yet – but, it is definitely giving Jasmine Silver Needles a run for their money!
This is truly a fantastic tea, and it stands up nicely to a second infusion. The second infusion is smoother, and I notice the flavors of the Yunnan popping out a bit more, with the jasmine notes becoming more of a soft, background note … still very noticeable, but not quite as center-stage as it was in the first infusion.
I am definitely going to have to get more of this tea!
Phoenix Yunnan Gold from Tea Valley
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea Valley
Tea Description:
Our Phoenix Yunnan Gold is quickly becoming a favorite in our fine selection. The lasting sweetness in every cup will keep you brewing for more. If you enjoy black teas, this is certainly not one you would want to miss out on.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve been busy trying to get my tea stash organized – that’s my only excuse with being so behind on reviewing the teas from February’s Steepster Select box! Of all the months to be behind … February is not the month is not the month I would have chosen (fewer days to get caught up!)
This is the first of the three teas that I’m reviewing, and it is the only black tea of the three selections. This month’s theme is “Year of the Dragon” to commemorate the Chinese New Year. About their choice of this tea, Steepster stated:
The Yunnan Gold varietal uses the robust leaves of classic Yunnan black teas with a healthy portion of young, golden buds. In Chinese culture, the Phoenix is a complement to the dragon, forming both sides of Yin and Yang respectively, and we think the bold, fruity flavor of this brew is a fitting complement to the other teas in this month’s box. It’s a tea for coffee lovers, and it comes to us by way of The Tea Valley, a company founded by a China expatriate named Chaozhou, who returned to his birthplace to rediscover tea and its heritage.
Whatever reason they chose to put this tea in the Steepster Select box for this month, I’m good with it … because this tea is fantastic. It is a richly flavored tea with a delicious spiced overtone. I find that this tea is best served hot, but not piping hot. After it’s had a few moments to cool, the aforementioned spice notes seem to really come alive.
In the above description from the minds at Steepster, they mention that this is a tea for coffee lovers, and I understand where they’re coming from with that statement. It is a very full-flavored tea, quite bold and in that way it is quite similar to coffee. Fortunately, though, this lacks the bitterness that I have experienced with coffee – instead, I get a lovely honey-esque sweet note that I can’t ever recall tasting with coffee.
This is a remarkable Yunnan – deserving of high praise!
Golden Yunnan Tea from Chi of Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Chi of Tea
Tea Description:
New! Organic Royal Golden Yunnan! Delicately twisted leaves with a high concentration of golden tips distinguishes this tea from other black teas. A full-bodied infusion deep red with a honey-like sweetness, a subtle milkiness and light coppery finish.
Yunnan tea, also known as Dian hong steeps a reddish brown after brewing. Golden Yunnan is characterized by a bright red color, a subtle flavor and a sweet taste. Lychees, rose and longan are mixed with the tea leaves and left to ferment. This combination contributes to the final aroma of the tea brewed from the leaves. The taste is sweet and features a subtle aroma.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a superb Yunnan! One of the very best I’ve tried.
I brewed this in my gaiwan using short steeps, starting with 1 minute for the first infusion, and adding 15 seconds with each subsequent steep. I think that the first infusion could have actually gone just 45 seconds or perhaps shorter, because this is a strong infusion, but still, I do not find it too strong.
It is certainly full-flavored and aromatic. I can taste the notes of fruit and rose that were added during the fermentation process, the rose is especially noticeable at the finish and just a moment or two into the aftertaste, and it’s really quite a lovely moment when that flavor reveals itself.
There is a beautiful undertone of spice to this tea. It is not a dominant flavor but, always present. Chocolatey tones are also present as well as a delicious caramel-like sweetness. This is a wonderfully complex Yunnan that stands up to multiple infusions (I extracted four full-bodied infusions from this tea!)
After a visit to the Chi of Tea website, I find that this – as well as most of their other teas – are out of stock. I didn’t take the time to check them all, but the ones that I did check were out of stock. I hope this does not mean that this company is closing, because not only is this Yunnan one you should try, but they also happen to carry my favorite yellow tea. If anyone knows anything more about the status of this company, do please let me know!
Organic Golden Needle from Rishi Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Rishi Tea
Product Description:
Our best black tea is composed of pure buds that are hand harvested from Yunnan’s antique tea trees. Delicate processing and even fermentation present a lovely leaf style that yields a smooth, sugary flavor with nuances of baked sweet yams and raisins.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Looking back at the last few reviews that I’ve composed of teas from Rishi Tea, several of them have been “Golden” type black teas. And I must say that Rishi has a really good selection of golden tea leaves to choose from. But of all of those that I’ve tried thus far, this one has to be the most golden … that is … every leaf in this pouch appears to be gold in color. Beautiful!
And what a lovely flavor these Golden Needles produce. The body is lighter and crisper than a typical Yunnan tea, with a sweet flavor that is quite like raw sugar in flavor. I also do taste the sweet potato and raisin flavor as mentioned in the description from the Rishi Tea website (as provided above).
It also possesses flavor characteristics that I’ve come to expect from a Yunnan tea: a spiced undertone that is somewhat peppery and a hint of malt. It has a very warming quality to the flavor as well, making it a very welcome tea to enjoy on this chilly, late-autumn afternoon.
I prefer this served hot as the flavor profile seems more fit for a hot tea than an iced tea. That’s not to say it wouldn’t make a nice iced tea, but I find that some of the nuances become lost in this tea as it cools, so for best enjoyment of all this tea has to offer, I suggest sipping it whilst it is hot. It needs no sweetener of any kind, as it has a very satisfying sweetness to it without additions.
A very pleasing cup!