Teas Etc

This gets better every time I drink it. I rinsed it for 15 sec and then steeped it for 4 min. Its a very earthy, very dark brown tea. It tastes like it smells, earthy. It would not be an everyday tea for me, but its great once in a while. I tried the 30 sec steeps and the tea just had no taste to it for me. It tasted like dark water. I guess thats why everyones taste is different. This way just works for me and I like it.

I brewed this in my travel mug to bring to work. I intend to drink this all day—just resteeping the same leaves.

Impressions of the first steep (after rinsing): Surprisingly mild with a thick, slatey-ness. I have an image of of grey paving stones after a spring rainshower. They’re set in a green garden with loamy, rich, dark soil.

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Wow, I’m drinking a pu’erh (the much maligned yet admired infamous pu’erh)….and I like it! I feel like I’ve been formally initiated into a becoming a proper “tea aficionado”! ;)

I chose Teas Etc. for my first pu’erh because of the ease of ordering and I’ve tried their other teas before and liked them—so I was confident that they would offer no less than the best quality product (at least in this price range).

The little nest bowls are so cute! The tissue paper wrapping makes them seem like bite-size treats.

I remembered to “rinse” the leaves first by steeping the nest in boiled water for about 15 seconds then discarding the water. I was suprised on how immediately the nest disintegrated while in the water. The leaves themselves are small and broken—they almost look powdered.

Then I poured fresh hot water in my mug and I’m drinking it now (without removing the leaves). The liquid is as dark as coffee.

Here are the notes I’m detecting as I perceive them (semi stream of conciousness style):
Tree bark, loamy soil, smoke, ash, plums (?), deep green plants and roots. There is a dryness to this that is really refreshing. I had a stomachache because of a large dinner, but this seems to be easing it a bit. It does taste “powerful” but no worse than in the way of a hearty breakfast blend. This is like a breakfast blend squared—without the bitterness….and with added peat moss.
I’m also detecting notes of slate, lichen and mushrooms. This is definitely earthy—but earthy in the way of an ancient forest at midnight—on the edge of a cliff by the sea—cool and mysterious.
And there is a lingering sweetness at the back of the throat—interesting!

Last Thoughts: This is a tea I know I will be drinking often. It’s like some mysterious and magical elixir. :)

A good example of what a Bao Zhong should be. Light, sweet, and fragrant with a touch of creaminess. Yum.

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I’m getting to the bottom of my tin, which means I will have to get some more of the fantastic tea. It is one of the best teas I have drank. I find little nuances every time I drink it. The smell is like sugar and raisins and it smells sweet. The taste is hard to describe as it depends on the steep time, temp of water, and how much tea you use. It is slightly sweet and tingly on the tip of my tongue. It almost has a caramel taste and a light mouthfeel.( to me coffee is a heavy mouthfeel). I’m getting a nutty like aftertaste (pecan?). Just a great tea.

Yay! My second Teas Etc. order arrived today! I immediately steeped this one. Some quick impressions (because I’m supposed to be working):

This tastes like sunshine! So bright and sunny. It’s immediately uplifting. I imagine running through a meadow at springtime like Laura in Little House on the Prairie.

It’s a beautiful day here (a strange but cool combination of sun with intermittent rains) and I’ve been feeling good today so this matches nicely. :)

This is a refreshing change from the black teas I’ve been drinking all week!

I used the last of my 1oz. tin (about 2.5 heaping teaspoons in my 12oz. mug). The scent is super tangy and sweet—very “pink”. The tea itself is a pinkish amber and very “downy” because of the feathery white leaves. I’m tasting mostly rose petals and a little bit of strawberry. The coconut appears only as a hint of sweetness. The aftertaste reminds me a little of Cap’n Crunch’s Crunch Berries® cereal!

I think I may order more of this, eventually—but not for awhile because there are so many other teas out there to try!

It’s not the most exciting description in the world, but this is just a GOOD black tea. It’s simple, but the flavors are distinct and enjoyable, and there’s a subtle sweetness that rounds out the experience nicely. There’s also just a hint of bitterness that grabs at the edges of your tongue, but it doesn’t linger long, and reminds you that the tea is there and doing its thing.

The leaves themselves actually don’t have a strong aroma, though the steeped tea has a simple smokey/woodsy smell that’s pleasant, though very light. As such, the taste is a bit of a surprise, since the aroma would have you believe that this is going to be a very mild tea, but it does pack a little punch.

All in all, a very enjoyable tea that should be on any black tea fan’s list.

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I just know I’m going to be heartbroken when this tea is gone.

What a HELLISH Day! Not really, bad, just BUSY! WHOA! Anyhow…this was tasty. On to the next

Was feeling a little under the weather today so decided to add a little honey to the tea. It cured my upset stomach but really destroyed the taste of the Golden Monkey. Next time I need honey I’m going to use a cheaper tea. This one is too good to waste.

This gets better and better for me. Definitely bring that water temperature down to maximize the fruit. It gets downright juicy.

I’ve discovered that I’m not much of a fan of rooibos or honeybush teas. They remind me so much of pipe tobacco! The scent and appearance is very pipe tobacco-ish. Which is not really a bad thing, I guess. It’s just not tea to me (I mean, I know it’s an herbal, but other herbals seem like tea to me—maybe it’s a “leaf” thing? Rooibos is not leafy).

This Coconut Custard Rooibos smells like vanilla-flavored pipe tobacco with coconut added. Very sweet, hay-like and faintly smoky. There is real shredded coconut in it. The tea is a deep orange-amber. And the taste is like a root-y, herbal coconut water. I like how naturally sweet this is. It’s actually quenching a dessert-craving I’ve been having tonight.

This was one of my first forays into rooibos/honeybush tea (the others being Very Vanilla and Honeybush) and it may be my last. Because, although they’re nice, I don’t like them enough to try more variations.

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I bought this tea when it was featured as the Select. The first time I tried it, it was not at all what I was wanting, and I didn’t finish the cup — not the tea’s fault, mind you, but mine for having chosen something I was really, really not in the mood for. Today finds me sitting down to write and unable to get my brain to turn over like the engine I need it to be, and what I need is an elegant kick in the backside.

This is working for me today. It brews to a very pretty reddish-orange hue and it smells like sweet potato. The flavor is pure assam — malty black tea with a touch of sweet potato sweetness that reminds me post-sip of molasses, but very faint, meaning this would be a perfect pairing with some sugar in the raw and a touch of cream, though I’ll be drinking it with neither today — it’s smooth enough to get by without additives, despite the mild astringency. It has more astringency than I usually prefer, but not so much as I seem to remember it having had that first time…just more than I get from my current black tea staple, Adagio’s Golden Spring (re: none).

I feel as though I should be waiting for the cup to cool slightly before I post this tasting note, but I’m really enjoying the almost-too-hot burn in the belly. Maybe it’ll be enough to scorch away this head full of cottonballs I seem to be cursed with today.

Drinking this complex tea makes me wonder if monkeys actually picked it. It also makes me wonder what other companies Golden Monkey tastes like and do I really want to try them wondering if I will be let down or not. Its not a brisk or robust tea, its a fantastic tea.

I drop one in a 5oz Giawan.1-2 infusion 30sec. 3-4 1min. Seems to work for me. I think this way it isn’t over powering.

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