Golden Spring

Been drinking this one over the last few days as an attempt to clean some of these samples out of my stash.

I had a thought. This might be a good starter black for those who have only had store bought tea bags and are turned off by their bitterness and/or astringency. It really is smooth and seems pretty forgiving of longer steep times and full boiling water. Smooth enough with a hint of sweetness to not need any additives, but strong enough that it could hold up to them in moderation.

The amount of cute in my lap right now is unreal. Espeon jumped in as soon as I sat in my chair and immediately rolled over onto her back, she then proceeded to bat at my hair with her paws. I am trying to type around her doing this which is exciting, though with the increase in purring level I think she is about to just drift off to kitty lala land. Ben’s new work schedule seems to have shaken her a bit, so she has been extra clingy, I am pretty sure she adjusts to change worse than I do and I was unaware that was possible. Tao on the other hand, she could care less, as always.

Today I am taking a look at Adagio Teas’ Golden Spring, their name for their Bailin Gongfu, a delicate Fujian Hong Cha that has long been a favorite of mine, though this is my first time tasting Adagio’s. The leaves on the website are super fuzzy and golden, and my sample, while not quite as fuzzy and golden, is still quite pretty with an even speckling of golden trichomes and delicate leaves. The aroma is sweet and rich, notes of malt and molasses with yams, brown sugar, roasted peanuts, and a finish of ripe currants and a touch of apple butter. I want to keep my nose in these leaves for a while, but I learned many years ago, tiny Fujian curls will easily fly up one’s nose and that is not fun.

Into my beloved little Petr Novak pot the leaves go for their steeping, the aroma of the steeped leaves is a bit brisk with a slightly woody cocoa note, alongside that are notes of sweet cherries and juicy ripe currants with a starchy yam finish. The liquid is sweet and malty, with notes of cherry, cocoa, apple butter, and a bit of starchy yams. It is not too strong, but it is quite distinct, though I am sad the currant notes did not carry over in the aroma of the first steep.

The first steep is pleasantly light, specifically in the mouthfeel which seems almost fluffy and airy in its texture. It starts with a blend of cherries and currant at the beginning (yay, currants!) and moves pretty quickly to apple butter and starchy yams. The finish is a gentle cocoa and slight woody briskness, with a cocoa note that lingers into the aftertaste.

For this steep the aroma is sweet and surprisingly fruity, notes of apple butter and cherry, currants and yams, and a gentle finish of brown sugar dance up to my nose through the steam. Where the first steep was light and airy, this one is smooth and a bit thick in the mouth. Wow, this steep is sweet! Strong notes of brown sugar, apple butter, currants, and cherries blend with a delicate and starchy yam quality at the finish. It manages to have heavy and sweet notes while not being too intense, a quality I find very enjoyable in this style of tea.

This steep has a sweet and almost tart aroma of cherries, cranberries, and currants with a touch of woody cocoa and peanuts, no yam this steep! It starts sweet and light and pretty much stays that way for the rest of the session, which is only one more steep. While tasty, it does not have a ton of longevity, which makes me a little sad, a tea as tasty as this should stick around longer. It does have the distinct pleasure of being one of the fruitiest Bailin Gongfu teas I have had, so congrats there!

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2016/08/adagio-teas-golden-spring-tea-review.html

Dry leaf has that stewed-plum aroma I’ve noticed in a lot of the black teas I like. I had a sniff of the wet leaf after pouring off the liquid, and was met with an ashy smell so strong that I recoiled a bit. The liquor itself didn’t taste of ash, thankfully, but there was a mysterious musky taste that I wasn’t all that fond of. I didn’t strongly dislike it, but there are so many other teas I like better.

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Not as intense as I am used to drinking…perhaps I understeeped? The scent is amazing and the leaves are gorgeous.

A really great black tea. It tastes like someone spritzed a honey mist into the air and passed the tea leaves through it. Just enough to let you know it is there, but not enough to make it sweet.

I’m still working on the sample tin. I want to order more, but I need to replace my tea strainer first. When I have the means to do loose leaf tea again, this will be my all-purpose tea. It’s great for breakfast, and I suspect it will make an excellent iced tea (after all, it’s still pretty tasty even after it gets cold in the cup).

Did I do something wrong? I did the standard teaspoon, boiling, 5 minutes. The result was much lighter than I expected, and the tea seemed a bit watery. I caught only hints of the meaty taste that I was expecting. Maybe I’ve just been drinking too many strong blacks.

They’re not kidding about the umami with this one; it’s super-aromatic with a thick mouthfeel, and the best I can describe it is as bracing. Definitely not for those who prefer more delicate flavors, but I could see this being a lifesaver on a cold winter morning.