Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Fashionista Tea
Tea Description:
Bright, brisk, high grown estate whole leaf Nilgeri tea hand blended with smooth rich Yunnan golden buds. This organic classic blend can be enjoyed at any time of the day; excellent as an iced tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Nice!
My first sip of this Basic Black Tea from Fashionista Tea … my impression was very much like the first sentence in the above description … before I even read the description. This is indeed bright and brisk! It has a really smooth character, and a pleasant richness without a heavy mouthfeel.
The flavor is really smooth. No bitterness to this, it has a clean, invigorating taste that is slightly earthy with notes of fruit in the background. It has a nice sweetness to it, slightly honey-esque … reminiscent of a thinned honey: sweet but not cloying.
There is some astringency to this, I’d categorize it as a medium amount of astringency … it’s a clean-feeling astringency. My mouth feels clean and refreshed after I sip this tea.
It’s a very enjoyable cuppa. It has an agreeable strength to it, I’d call it robust but not in-your-face bold. Because of its smooth character, I’d probably grab this one on those mornings when I wasn’t looking for something to give me that jumpstart … but something to help ease me into my morning. It’s one of those teas that would work well as an afternoon pick-me-up or a mid-morning energy boost … but it has a mellow enough quality to it that it would make a nice tea to just sit and enjoy while reading a good book too.
Another lovely tea experience from Fashionista Tea … I’m really liking this company!
Yunnan Gold Rush from BigTeaHouse
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: BigTeaHouse
Tea Description:
This beautiful gold-tipped organic black loose leaf tea from the Yunnan Province of China is full-bodied with hints of spice and a delicious flowery undertone.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea is indeed beautiful – lots of golden tips!
The flavor is also beautiful! It tastes rich and has a full, satisfying flavor that is warm and inviting. The kind of tea you want in your teacup in the morning. Something that will embrace you and invigorate you at the same time.
The flavor is complex, with sweetness that starts out as a heavy caramel undertone, and then lightens as the sip progresses to a honey-esque tone. The spice note is a gentle peppery taste, and it contrasts with the floral tones of this tea quite nicely – sort of sweet and exotic melding with warm peppery heat. There is an earthy/leathery kind of taste, as well as a malty tone that emphasizes a freshly baked bread note in the distance. The astringency is what I’d categorize as medium, and it leaves the palate feeling energized and ready for more! Yeah, as I said … complex. So much flavor!
A very lovely cup, indeed; a thoughtful cup, one that you’ll with which you’ll enjoy spending the morning.
Yun Nan Dian Hong Black Tea – Golden Tip from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
Dian Hong black tea, also known as Yunnan black tea, is one of China’s most famous black teas. This is the highest grade Dian Hong generally available in China – called Golden Tip Dian Hong. It has lots of orange pekoe in the dried tea, and brews into an absolutely great tasting, golden coloured tea, with very rich taste and aroma.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I know that for some of you who might read me regularly, it may be kind of boring to read just how excited I get over tea … cup after cup after cup! But, really, I love tea so much, and when I find a good cup (and I do find them quite often!) I want to share that joy! And yes, I really do get this excited over tea!
And it’s easy to get excited over tea when it tastes as good as this tea does.
The dry leaf is absolutely beautiful. The colors of the leaves ranges from bright, golden yellow to a rich brown, and the leaves are curled and twisted. But even more magnificent than their color is the flavor of the tea that they produce!
It is sweet with caramel-y undertones, and there is a hint of smoke to this tea as well. The smoke melds with the caramel in such a way to give it a distinct flavor that is both savory and sweet. I love the contrast! The mouthfeel is very smooth and even has a certain thickness to it (almost velvety!) that enhances the caramel experience even further.
If I were to categorize this tea into a season of the year, the season for this tea would be Autumn. The flavors remind me of autumn, not just the warm, smoky caramel, but, I also notice a warm spice to this tea. Almost like a mild nutmeg with a dash of pepper, just enough to tantalize the taste buds.
And then there is the sweet-potato/yam-like flavor, another flavor of fall! All of these flavors accent each other quite nicely – a delicious autumnal medley of tastes in one teacup. Truly a memorable cup of tea!
Yunnan Golden Bud from Life in Teacup
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Life in Teacup
Product Description:
Production Year – 2010
Production Season – Spring
Production Region – Yunnan
Taster’s Review:
What a beautiful tea. The dry leaf is gorgeous! It does not possess a strong aroma, but the color is lovely. Once brewed, the liquor has a lightly spiced fragrance with hints of cocoa and leather.
This is deliciously full-flavored. It has a sweet note to it that is somewhere between honey and burnt sugar. It is malty with chocolate-y notes in the background. There is a pleasant set of spice notes to this that meld beautifully with the dark cocoa flavor. It isn’t as spicy as some Yunnan teas that I’ve encountered – this has a stronger sweet presence with hints of the spice.
It is a very smooth tea with a light astringency. There is no bitterness to the cup. It’s just perfectly delicious. An absolutely fabulous cup of tea!
I love it!
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!