Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Rishi Tea
Product Description:
The Assam region of Northeast India is famous for its black tea production. The sub-tropical valleys of Assam in which tea is cultivated yield gutsy, bold infusions with full body and flavor. Our single estate Golden Assam is from orthodox manufacture and has an abundance of even grade leaves and golden buds. Its rich liquor is sweet, robust and malty with notes of fruity raisin and date sugar.
Taster’s Review:
Fabulous!
This is the kind of tea that you want to wake up to in the morning. It has GUSTO! It is a robust Assam with a deep, rich flavor that suggests notes of sweetness and fruit as well as a very profound malty tone.
This delicious, full-bodied tea has a lovely baked quality to it, very biscuit-y in nature. It has a very pleasing sweetness, and I must agree with the above description, it is a “date sugar” kind of sweetness. It is a very enjoyable tea without coming across as too sweet.
I steeped my serving of this tea just under three minutes, and I am finding it to be free of bitterness. I wouldn’t recommend steeping it much longer, though, as Assam teas can be somewhat temperamental and become bitter if steeped too long. There is a fair amount of astringency in this cup; it is a clean, slightly dry astringency, but I did not find it to disturb my enjoyment of the tea at all.
This tea takes well to the addition of milk and honey, if you like your tea that way. I prefer mine without the milk, but a drizzle of honey is quite nice and accentuates the fruit tones of this tea well. This is a wonderful tea that is perfect for that all-important first cup of the day and would be equally as nice as an early afternoon tea.
Tippy South Cloud from The Tao of Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Tao of Tea
Product Description:
Made at a 100% organic tea garden with a mix of black and gold tipped leaves. The golden color emerges during processing and after accurate withering, moisture drying of the leaves. Few areas in Yunnan contain these type of plants. Other areas known to have golden tipped varietals Hunan and Fujian in China and Assam in India.
Taster’s Review:
This is an incredible Yunnan!
The aroma is delightful. This is one of those teas that you want to take a moment to inhale the fragrance of the tea before taking a sip, allowing the aroma to permeate the senses.
The flavor is rich and smooth. There is a delicious malty overtone. There is a beautiful sweetness as well as a savory note that hits just before the tail-end of the sip. The aftertaste is both sweet and savory.
This is a tea that I would recommend sipping on a Saturday morning (perhaps for brunch?) It has a strength that is good for morning (or possibly early afternoon), but it isn’t one of those “get-up-and-go” kind of teas, it’s one of those “sit-back-and-enjoy-life” kind of teas.
Another amazing tea from The Tao of Tea!
Golden Junmee Black Tea From Chinese Tea-Shop
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Chinese Tea-Shop
Product Description:
Black Tea- Golden Junmee
Other Names: Jin Jun Mei, 金骏眉
Origin: Fujian
Description: Golden Junmee is one of the rarest teas we have for sale here. This is a must try for all black tea lovers. Golden Junmee is made only with the young tea buds and is very low yield, about 5000 buds per 50g of tea. This tea was very recently created when some young tea buds were discovered in the Wuyi National Nature Reserve. These buds were taken to Tong Mu were they were processed in conjunction with ancient methods as to produce the best possible tea.
Taster’s Review:
I know I say this a lot, but this tea is amazing! What can I say, I love tea, and with so many great teas out there, it is so easy for me to find a tea over which to get excited! And this tea is definitely exciting.
This rare tea is so incredibly flavorful. The sweetness is the most pronounced of the flavors here, and it is a sweetness that is quite like caramel. I can almost taste the burnt-sugar in this cup! There is also a very pleasant, savory bitterness that hits the palate just after the start of the sip and stays until about mid-sip, which is when the sweetness washes over it. Just before the end of the sip, an interesting sour note arrives. It’s such a lovely play of contrasts right upon the palate.
In addition, I can taste notes of flowers and fruit, which, if I close my eyes, transports me to my childhood: my gramma’s backyard in early summer, just as the plums and apricots from her tree, as well as the berries on the vines are ripening from that warm California sunshine. The honeysuckles and flowers from the white ginger plants are emitting their lovely fragrance. It’s such a delicious memory that is brought to life simply by sipping on this tea.
This is a tea that I would recommend to any tea connoisseur. It’s a MUST try! And while this tea may seem a bit pricey, it produces multiple infusions that are every bit as flavorful as the first cup. I love the way each subsequent infusion reveals different aspects of this tea’s “personality.” A truly exquisite experience.
Golden Bi Luo from Chicago Tea Garden
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Chicago Tea Garden
Product Description:
Other Names: Hong Bi Luo, Yunnan Bi Luo
Origin: China, Yunnan Province
Harvest: Spring 2010
Taste: Creamy with sweet, malty notes of vanilla.
Behind the Leaf: David Lee Hoffman has been traveling to China for over 20 years. His work has led to vast improvements in the quality of tea available to the West. David is especially proud of this tea. Golden Bi Luo is a high-grade black tea made in Yunnan Province in the style of Jiangsu Province’s Green Bi Luo Chun. The name means “snail spring” — “spring” because this tea is harvested in the spring and “snail” because the two leaves and down-covered tips are carefully rolled into tight spirals that slowly unfurl to release more flavor during steeping. The spirals are formed in a heated wok, using three different hand movements. This tea is a master at producing multiple infusions: you can easily get eight infusions from one serving of this tea. Golden Bi Luo is a great reintroduction to loose black tea. Whether you are looking for an alternative to coffee or are just getting started with loose leaf and are ready to ditch your tea bags, Golden Bi Luo is a wonderful choice for an everyday tea.
Taster’s Review:
Are you looking for a truly DIFFERENT black tea? You need look no further than this amazing Golden Bi Luo from Chicago Tea Garden. This tea has such an intriguing flavor – it keeps me sipping!
This tea has a very nice malty quality to it. There is a baked biscuit-y flavor to it which gives it real substance. This is a hefty tea!
About mid-sip, I taste a hint of vanilla (as the above description suggests) – it is a very heavy, heady kind of vanilla taste that when brought together with the malty note it creates a wonderful experience for the palate. Sweet, almost creamy, and thick! Yes … thick! There is also a background note of bitter that provides an excellent contrast to the sweetness of this cup. The cleansing astringency in the finish prepares the palate for another sip.
These “snails” or spirals of tea also submit several delicious infusions. With each infusion the flavor seems to develop into a smoother, richer experience. I managed three very flavorful infusions from one measurement of leaves!
This is a fantastic black tea that I would recommend to all tea enthusiasts. A MUST try tea!
Yunnan Royal Golden from Butiki Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Product Description:
The golden tips of this black tea produce a complex peppery mellow yet malty flavor. This full-bodied tea originates from China.
Taster’s Review:
The dry leaves are really beautiful. The picture provided doesn’t do them justice, they really are GOLDEN. But that’s nothing – just wait until you taste the tea that these golden leaves produce!
As I mentioned on Steepster, the aroma of this tea evokes images of freshly baked bread. It doesn’t smell like baked bread, exactly, but the aroma has a way of bringing to mind the cozy comfort of a freshly baked loaf of bread.
The flavor is sublime! It has a rich biscuit-y kind of quality to it. Chewy with a pleasing malty character. The flavor is hefty! This is the kind of black tea you want first thing in the morning! It has GUSTO! In the background, notes of fruit can be detected, with a forefront of delicate spice notes that hint of pepper. The finish is somewhat astringent (although it isn’t overwhelming), leaving the palate feeling refreshed.
While this IS delicious as an iced tea, it is one that I recommend serving hot, because I think that the flavor of this tea is best experienced when hot. It has a mild sweetness to it, so do taste it before you sweeten. I found it to be quite delightful without sweetener but a tiny drizzle of honey won’t hurt it either.
Truly a remarkable Yunnan!