I had to lower the rating dramatically because it turns out (like I suspected) when hot brewed it is really very smoky in the nose. I abhor the smell of smoke in any form (fireplaces, campfires, cigarettes, all of it) and so I just. can’t. do. it.
The sad part is the smokiness isn’t really in the taste at all – I get a nice black tea with honey undertones that isn’t bad…but then I breathe it in and it’s all ruined. :(
Not the tea for me.
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Try it at a lower temperature. I’ve noticed that yunnan tends to only get smoky if the water is too hot. It might work better around 185 degrees.
Thanks for the recommendation, I will certainly do that. In your experience, do all Yunnans tend to have that smoky note in them?
Not all of them, but some. Seems like the more tips there are, the less smoky they turn out to be.
I may be a bad measuring stick, because I love lapsang souchong tea (which is extremely smoky), but in my experience, Yunnan golds are not smoky at all. Very round, very soft, molasses and old leather rather than smoke, so don’t let this turn you away from Yunnan’s.
Or Upton, for that matter, if this is your first Upton tea. They have a shockingly huge selection of teas and are very price competitive.
From Upton I’d recommend this one:
http://steepster.com/teas/upton-tea-imports/15305-yunnan-golden-tips-imperial-zy85
but I actually liked this other golden much better, although it is from Panyang, not Yunnan.
http://steepster.com/teas/upton-tea-imports/11729-panyang-tippy-golden-needles-imperial-zp77
Hi Jim – I think the main problem with the Yunnan was the temperature I steeped it at, as Tabby suggested. Boiling water does not seem to be a recommendation with Yunnans from other tea companies, so I’m not sure why Upton’s suggested temp was so high. If it’s a more fragile tea then I’ve no doubt the reason it was smoky was because I burned the heck out of it. Smoke is just not my thing, unfortunately – I find the smell and taste of all things smoky to be very unpalatable, hence why I dropped the rating so low.
I love Upton as a company – they’ve become my go-to for trying new teas since they’re so budget friendly, and usually I’ll branch out from there. I checked into both of the teas you recommended too, but sadly I think the Yunnan Imperial is discontinued – maybe it’s just been rebranded, but I’ll have to do some digging and find out. If you have any inkling or another similar suggestion I would be very interested – this tea was so promising except for the carcinogenic smell!
Try it at a lower temperature. I’ve noticed that yunnan tends to only get smoky if the water is too hot. It might work better around 185 degrees.
Thanks for the recommendation, I will certainly do that. In your experience, do all Yunnans tend to have that smoky note in them?
Not all of them, but some. Seems like the more tips there are, the less smoky they turn out to be.
I may be a bad measuring stick, because I love lapsang souchong tea (which is extremely smoky), but in my experience, Yunnan golds are not smoky at all. Very round, very soft, molasses and old leather rather than smoke, so don’t let this turn you away from Yunnan’s.
Or Upton, for that matter, if this is your first Upton tea. They have a shockingly huge selection of teas and are very price competitive.
From Upton I’d recommend this one:
http://steepster.com/teas/upton-tea-imports/15305-yunnan-golden-tips-imperial-zy85
but I actually liked this other golden much better, although it is from Panyang, not Yunnan.
http://steepster.com/teas/upton-tea-imports/11729-panyang-tippy-golden-needles-imperial-zp77
Hi Jim – I think the main problem with the Yunnan was the temperature I steeped it at, as Tabby suggested. Boiling water does not seem to be a recommendation with Yunnans from other tea companies, so I’m not sure why Upton’s suggested temp was so high. If it’s a more fragile tea then I’ve no doubt the reason it was smoky was because I burned the heck out of it. Smoke is just not my thing, unfortunately – I find the smell and taste of all things smoky to be very unpalatable, hence why I dropped the rating so low.
I love Upton as a company – they’ve become my go-to for trying new teas since they’re so budget friendly, and usually I’ll branch out from there. I checked into both of the teas you recommended too, but sadly I think the Yunnan Imperial is discontinued – maybe it’s just been rebranded, but I’ll have to do some digging and find out. If you have any inkling or another similar suggestion I would be very interested – this tea was so promising except for the carcinogenic smell!