Golden Monkey

Smooth like honey. No astringency. I have been coming back to this one and love to have a cup late at night. Im lucky caffeine does not bother me because this and the Laoshan black tea my night time blacks. I’m careful not to over brew it, I only do it for a minute and its perfect. I get about 6 good steeps out of it.

Sample package label:
“USDA Organic
*Heat water to boil
*use 1 level teaspoon of leaves per 8 oz.
*pour water over leaves, brew 4-5 mins.
Ingredients: Organic Chinese Black Tea (Golden Monkey)”

6-oz water with total dissolved solids (TDS) of 18 ppm, boiled, allowed to cool to ~200*F
(After yesterday’s experience with Nilgiri tea from Teas Etc., and given the cost of this tea ($81./lb.), I didn’t want to risk using this sample to find out that 8 oz. of water is too much.)

1 level Tevanna teaspoon, without sweeteners, milk, or cream.
This tea has a wonderful fragrance that reminds me of fine pipe tobacco.
Amber hue
3-min Infusion Initial Impression: The taste is light-bodied and creamy smooth. It’s not at all bitter or astringent. (I then let it steep for an additional minute.)
4-min: It’s a creamy smooth medium-bodied tea with a caramel-like natural sweet flavor and a finish that leaves you with a wonderful full mouth feel that lingers long on the tongue. (I’m glad I chose to use only 6 oz. of water.)

2nd Infusion: 212*F, allowed to cool briefly until steaming hot
5-min: It’s a creamy smooth medium-bodied tea with a caramel-like natural sweet flavor and a finish that leaves you with a wonderful full mouth feel that lingers long on the tongue. – Yes, the 2nd steep was as good as the first!

3rd Infusion: 212*F, allowed to cool briefly until steaming hot
5-min: Noticeably lighter but still enjoyable. (I then let it steep for an additional minute.)
6-min: Somewhat light, but still enjoyable.

Impression: This is my first Golden Monkey black tea and a wonderful first-impression and one that should not be missed! – Excellent!

Thanks to Teas Etc. for providing this free sample.
http://www.teasetc.com/details.asp?prodid=0140

2/2/14 Update:
Teas Etc. now offers “Golden Monkey Superior”, which is not USDA organic certified but is EU compliant.

I just want to start this off by saying I never win anything. If there is a raffle or a contest or even eeny meeny miney moe, I will lose. So the fact that I won this tea in the steepster select monthly prize makes me think there was divine intervention in me receiving this tea. I even began my steepster account that same month! Anyway, I’ve had a lot of golden monkey tea but I’ve never had one that has had such a lovely blend of spiciness and maltiness. Its got this great creaminess that kinda fills your whole mouth, it borders on being a dessert tea without the sweetness. Very nice.

The dry leaves of this tea are very beautiful, and have a fuzzy,soft look to them and are yellow golden color. This color changes to a reddish brown hue after being steeped. The liquor is smooth and has a medium mouth feel, right in between thin and thick. This tea’s liquor was quite spicy, reminiscent of black pepper and a tiny bit of cocoa

Want to read a more thorough review see my blog! :) http://wp.me/pQxcK-3p

Thanks to SoccerMom for this sample. This one is just OK to me. Comparing Adagio’s Golden Monkey w/this one, it seems that the Teas Etc. just does not have the bold flavor as Adagio’s version…..

An enjoyable golden tea from China’s Yunnan province. A very smooth tea – rich and bold with a honey flavor and a light chocolate undertone. Not my favorite Yunnan by any means but definitely worth having on the tea shelf.

Look, I know there’s lot’s of crazy insane reviews on this one, but, I’m just not feeling it. Maybe it’s an off night for me, but this tea is average at best on my palate. No lingering tail notes. Nothing really upfront to blow you away. It sure is beautiful, but, even the dry leaf doesn’t look as appealing as what I had hoped for given the reviews on this board.

This is Teas Etc’s newest batch of Golden Monkey, not the tea that came in second place in the World Tea Championship. To be honest, I like this new batch better. It is spicier and more intense. The floral notes seem to mesh better with spice than with the more intense cocoa notes of the last batch. Extraordinary. Yum.

Thank you Rumpus Parable for this delcious sample!!!
This tea was amazing, simply amazing. I think it is the best black tea that I’ve ever had. I love how strong the flavors are, especially the hints of carmel. Yumm!!!

As a long time fan of Adagio’s golden monkey, I thought I’d try this version. It was decent, but didn’t quite pack the punch that I was anticipating. Next time, I will try to make it a bit stronger.