Golden monkey is probably my favorite kind of tea and I just got a new one in so I thought I'd start a discussion for my fellow tea lovers.
I ran out of my last bit of Teavana brand golden monkey some time ago and I was a little frustrated trying to get it replaced. Teavana is not what it used to be to say the least. A simple search on amazon turned up a number of good options. I opted for FullChea brand Imperial Golden Monkey Yunnan black loose leaf. This is about twice the price of others but still $15 for 4 oz is not bad for what it is.
It came in a nice heavy sealed/resealable bag:
Inside are beautiful full length leaves of goodness (this is what tea should look like, not that stuff in satchels):
Steeping and anticipating:
The smell inside the bag is amazing! It has a definite aroma that reminds me of the smell of raking/bagging leaves in the fall plus a malty/bready smell and a dried fruit that I can't quite pin down but would probably call peach.
The flavor follows the aroma and does not disappoint! Woody, nutty, malty, fruity. Still not sure of which fruit though. Nice noticeable tannins but not overly so, much like a great wine. There's no bitterness to speak of. I'm enjoying it with a spoon of pure cane sugar so I couldn't tell you how sweet it is by itself but I'm loving it with the sugar!
This tea is rich and satisfying with a good body to it, so much that it overcame my afternoon coffee craving.
Once I get through this this bag I think I'll give their Fujian version a try.
I ran out of my last bit of Teavana brand golden monkey some time ago and I was a little frustrated trying to get it replaced. Teavana is not what it used to be to say the least. A simple search on amazon turned up a number of good options. I opted for FullChea brand Imperial Golden Monkey Yunnan black loose leaf. This is about twice the price of others but still $15 for 4 oz is not bad for what it is.
It came in a nice heavy sealed/resealable bag:
Inside are beautiful full length leaves of goodness (this is what tea should look like, not that stuff in satchels):
Steeping and anticipating:
The smell inside the bag is amazing! It has a definite aroma that reminds me of the smell of raking/bagging leaves in the fall plus a malty/bready smell and a dried fruit that I can't quite pin down but would probably call peach.
The flavor follows the aroma and does not disappoint! Woody, nutty, malty, fruity. Still not sure of which fruit though. Nice noticeable tannins but not overly so, much like a great wine. There's no bitterness to speak of. I'm enjoying it with a spoon of pure cane sugar so I couldn't tell you how sweet it is by itself but I'm loving it with the sugar!
This tea is rich and satisfying with a good body to it, so much that it overcame my afternoon coffee craving.
Once I get through this this bag I think I'll give their Fujian version a try.
