One of two teas I purchased at the Aroma Tea Shop last week. I think the golden monkey is quickly becoming one of my favorite tea types.
Yesterday I had brewed this Western style but this morning I’m using my gaiwan. It seems like 60 seconds is about all I really need in steeping this one. The dry leaves are slender and curved and the aroma is exactly that of chocolate. The tea is a dark reddish orange and is BOLDER than some other golden monkeys I’ve tried.
At 60 seconds, the first steep is very chocolate-y with a slight bitterness in the finish but nothing that puts me off of the flavor too much. I thought maybe I had steeped this one slightly too long.
At 45 seconds, the 2nd steep has mellowed out considerably and still has cocoa notes but with a smoother finish and now I am getting more of the honey sweet aftertaste that the description has. This is an easy tea to sip on plain but is also nice with a bit of soymilk added because then it becomes more of a creamy cocoa.
At 30 seconds, the 3rd steep is definitely lighter and I think I might have preferred the 45 second steep, but it’s always good to play around with your parameters a bit. Here I’m getting a bit more of the sweeter notes I’d associate with a golden monkey.
I will easily be able to get 4 or 5 steeps out of this tea so while it isn’t the cheapest tea I’ve ever bought, it is definitely a good value.
Flavors: Cocoa
Preparation
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A good Golden Monkey is one of my favorites as well, though I’m a committed mono-steeper.
Normally I am too but it depends on the price of the tea!
I bought this last year and it is a good all around tea. I started out going western then gaiwan and have settled on a 110 cc yixing pot. The yixing gives quick steeps with concentrated cocoa and honey. I use 5 grams @ 212F first steep is in and out then ,10, 15, 20, 30, 40 50, 60 after that the tea starts to pale.
thanks for the info Big Daddy. I don’t have a yixing for black teas, maybe I need one :)
A good Golden Monkey is one of my favorites as well, though I’m a committed mono-steeper.
Normally I am too but it depends on the price of the tea!
I bought this last year and it is a good all around tea. I started out going western then gaiwan and have settled on a 110 cc yixing pot. The yixing gives quick steeps with concentrated cocoa and honey. I use 5 grams @ 212F first steep is in and out then ,10, 15, 20, 30, 40 50, 60 after that the tea starts to pale.
thanks for the info Big Daddy. I don’t have a yixing for black teas, maybe I need one :)