Yunnan Jig

Mmmm. I think that TeaEqualsBliss said that this was bold yet comforting, and she’s exactly right.

This is my first Yunnan tea. The dry leaves themselves smell a bit peppery, and they’re a really pretty gold/black color. Steeping these was really fun, because the leaves proceeded to twist and jiggle their way around until they unfurled and grew to enormous lengths. When poured, the cup is a very pretty amber color.

The best way I can describe this tea is robust. It tastes a bit earthy, but a pure earth flavor, not like dirt. More like if dirt were refined and recycled into an absolutely delicious substance. I don’t know. There is a slight edge of bitterness, but it was more on the side of malty. And there wasn’t any astringency to speak of.

I kept trying to taste that unique Yunnan peppery flavor, but I really couldn’t detect it. Maybe my tastebuds and tea knowledge aren’t up to snuff yet, or perhaps this tea isn’t the highest quality Yunnan out there. I sat in my chair with my hands cupped around the mug, sipping this quietly and reveling in the flavor. I really enjoyed this cup!

Another Jillian tea!

The leaves are pretty! They’re golden yellow, large and twisted. The smell mildly smokey. Long ago I had a Golden Yunnan that I thought was rather smokey in flavour, but since then whenever I’ve mentioned that I have been met with disbelief, until I finally began to think I was remembering it wrong since I seemed to be the only person in the world ever to have thought it was smokey. I’m also picking up a note of honey, a really flavourful kind of honey so strong that when you eat it you almost have to cough.

That note goes quite well with the honey-golden colour of the brew. The aroma after steeping is the same kind of honey, but not so much on the smoke. It’s just to throw you off, really. You almost expect to get a mouthful of liquid honey and instead you get a prickly mouthful of smoke. I still agree with myself that it’s a very smoky tea. I am getting a small note of honey, but not nearly to the extent that I would have thought from the aroma.

I’m trying to find the peppery note that people have been talking about and so far I’m failing. I get some pricklyness, but that’s from the smoke I think. I can’t find any pepper.

Back in ancient prehistoric times when I last had a plain yunnan, I remember not liking it much. I believe my tastes have changed. I think it’s a type I’ll have to stock up on again next year. It’s not one that I think is OMG fantastic! But it’s a nice one to have in the cupboard.

It kind of seems like I’m having a straight-black-tea-a-thon lately, doesn’t it?

We received our black sampler from Adagio today, from the sneakpeeq deal with the IngenuiTea… so a big thank you to whomever posted that on the forums! I’d go look it up… but… no.

This is a very smooth tea with a dark, coppery color in the pot. The smell is… well… about what you expect from a straight black. The beverage itself has a somewhat medium weight to it, it isn’t thin by any means, but it doesn’t have that mealy thickness that some teas get. Not that mealy thickness is a bad thing, by any means.

There is a malty, light grainy flavor to the tea, with a somewhat noticeable honey flavor in the aftertaste. It’s a fairly solid tea, and I could see it being kept around. I would compare this to the tarantulas from Teavana that I have made a few times before (really, my only straight Yunnan comparison). I think the tarantulas were a slightly higher quality and richer flavored Yunnan than this one. Though, this isn’t a discontinued product… so it should probably* get a couple points for that.

*it doesn’t.

I’ve had Adagio’s Yunnan Gold and enjoyed it so I was happy when I got a sample of this from the lovely teaplz.

When I poured the water over the leaves, it was like I had just opened a container of cocoa powder. Really strong. And nummy. The tea smells lovely, too. Not as cocoa-y as it was at first but sweet and faintly earthy. There’s something else, too, but I can’t figure out what it is. It’s sweet. I like it. Brown sugar maybe? Cane syrup? Something along those lines.

The taste is a little heavier and not quite as smooth as what I remember of Yunnan Gold. But it’s got a nice thickness to it and rich flavor that reinforces the cane syrup idea. There’s a little prickle on the end that I’d have to say is the peppery, but it’s not quite the white pepper I’d occasionally get from Yunnan Gold. Can’t say it is overly black pepper either but it is something. Almost an acidic aftertaste like coffee but not quite. A little roasty if I slurp. When I hold the tea in my mouth for a moment, some cocoa notes pop up which is really cool.

This tea is bolder than Yunnan Gold but I really like it. I’m having trouble giving it something below a 70 but it’s not quite a 4-star tea for me but rather a high 3. If this were at the store, I’d totally pick some up but I’m not sure if I’d go out of my way to order it.

ETA: I’m getting a pretty good caffeine rush from this one – it would be a good morning tea!

^3g/8oz

We got the Adagio sampler with that cute little tea pot thing-mah-jig in it. There is a small book too. I think I was mostly attracted to the pictures in it. Any who on to the tea.

If all yunnans are like this one then I like them. Nice smooth tea to keep around for those days when you don’t want to challenge your brain or tongue. That almost sounds like an insult. Perhaps, I should say a comforting tea. A hint of malt or grain with your honey like sweetness should go a long way after a hard day. There is a moderately thick mouth feel to it. While not super impressive, it’s a good solid tea to keep around.

Smells a little earthy and musty with a hint of Chili pepper. Wet the leaves smell like soggy noodles. There is very little astringency and it is very smooth and light in the mouth. I probably could either use more leaf or steep it longer.

This is a real classic Yunnan tea. Rich and savory flavor, with a slight cocoa powder finish. Earthy and spicy and soft, smooth, creamy mouthfeel and finish. Adagio has a variety of Yunnan teas, some that are higher rated and higher priced, but this is probably my favorite. It is beautiful to see the mixture of gold and black leaves, and the aroma of dry leaves, wet leaves and liquor are all quite nice. Just a touch of peppery flavor and it brews up well in a teapot, gaiwan or gong fu style. A really nice experience for newcomers to loose and/or Yunnan teas.

This tea was such a surprise. It was fruity, so much so that it almost tasted like a flavored tea. I also detected some notes of citrus and even apples. I think it’s also a great value.

This tea has a pleasant earthy taste that is also somewhat malty. The earthiness reminds me of the puerh I tried, except that this is much more pleasant. Not my favorite, and I probably wouldn’t buy it again, but pleasant enough.

On my never ending quest to find the best tea that hails from the yunnan region I’ve given this remarkable tea a shot. The tea leaves themselves are quite beautiful, a fair amount of gold for not being a gold tea, they are also fairly large and as such they tend to twist when dried. As has been stated this is a very neat tea to watch as it steeps, the leaves graceful unfurl and untwist and seem to dance about in the beautiful amber liquor. The fragrance of the tea made my heart palpitate and I could tell I was in for a treat.

The best way I can describe this tea is like a good strong dark beer. It just tastes right and feels comfortable like you’ve known each other your whole life, yet it is best served as a treat rather than a staple. This yunnan has a wonderfully earthy taste and the pepper is surprisingly strong, and in a region known for smooth teas this is one of the smoothest even with the pepper accent. That is due to its malty nature. Without a doubt this is the maltiest dianhong’s I’ve ever encountered, and can become a bit overbearing after a cup or two.

Like an overbearing mother, this tea is best in moderation.

While overall this is a nice tea, it is not an accurate representation of a dianhong nor is this the end of my quest.

My mother told me she is buying me some Adagio tea’s for Christmas this year so that means I need to get started on the Adagio that I already have. :)

This looks very dark brown and mystical once brewed and smells very earthy. I love my black tea’s strong and this certainly fits that description but it’s also very refreshing which makes it a wonderful drink. Sometimes strength can end up over taking everything else and you are left with a bitter cup of what looks like (and perhaps tastes like) mud but this balance is lovely.

After half the cup you start to pick up some of the caffeine buzz and each sip becomes slightly stronger yet sweeter than the last.

I have a few Yunnan tea’s that I have imported personally and I must say that this is one of the most pleasant that I have had considering the strength, balance, colour, taste etc.

Undertones are of a slightly smokey and only a touch of bitterness but you expect those with most black tea’s anyway. I would recommend this to anyone who likes black tea and is looking for a ‘special occasion’ black tea or just purely to try something different.

I think the word I’m looking for is… earthy? Definitely interesting. Vaguely smoky, but in a good way… not usually being a fan of smoky. It’s good, but I just don’t get into many Chinese blacks.

…I have now (finally) tasted every tea in my cupboard. I may be destashing/gifting to other Steepsterites soon, as soon as I figure out the best way to ship.

This is my first black tea I’ve ever tried (lipton tea bags don’t count :P) and as someone who has only drunken (drank?) whites and greens, I have to say that this is a really damn good introduction into black tea. Right when I opened the bag I knew that this was going to be a completely different tea experience for me.

The smell was earthy and it definitely smelled like I would expect a black tea to smell. The leaves were hard, thin, and wiry which was a lot different from the soft and green leaves of.. well.. green tea. Two teaspoons didn’t look like two teaspoons because of the different way it takes up space, but I just shrugged and put it in anyway.

The liquor is a deep red/brown and it smells just like its leaves. When I finally got around to drinking the tea, it was as if the tea gods slapped me across the face and said “welcome to the world of black tea.”

It’s not as strong as I thought it would be (this means nothing coming from someone with no black tea background) but it is still delicious. The best part is the fact that this heavenly and delicious tea is only $9 per 3 ounces. You can’t say no to that!

I just have to find out what this goes well with, I’m guessing cinnamon, the taste of this tea almost begs for cinammon.

This is the first and only Yunnan tea that I have tried so far, and after drinking it for the last couple of months, I have to say that I like it quite a bit.

I don’t taste the peppery-ness that most people say is in this (and all?) Yunnan teas, but I also flavour with a bit of milk and sugar. This is a very earthy flavour with some maltyness and is deliciously smooth and not bitter at all despite steeping it past what I normally would (I forgot to hit the start button on the timer). I’ll steep the next steep longer. I also get hints of cocoa, more the cooler it gets, which I greatly enjoy.

This was a good tea, but I will put it up to 5 mins next time. Perfect flavor for a cold morning.

Now have two tins of this – one I ordered as a sample months ago, and one that came with my utiliTEA kettle.

I’ve tried this before, but I didn’t really remember it. That’s odd, because I LOVE Yunnan teas. Adagio’s Yunnan Noir is one of my favorites of all time. I love the malty peppery flavor of this, but I’m reserving more judgements until later because it’s tasting a little soapy – don’t think I washed out my thermos enough, hah!

Aroma of dry tea is sweet caramel. Very enjoyable. Golden amber liquor has toasty taste, slightly smoky, amazing sweetness. Perhaps, if I’d added milk and sugar, it would have tasted like creme brulee. Next time …….

Thanks for this sample TastyBrew :)

What a strange tasting Yunnan. It’s not bad, but it’s unusual. There is something fruity, almost citrusy about it. It’s plenty drinkable, but as far as Yunnans go, I have a couple preferred ones already.

Anyone one can just taste the earth, time, and the many flavors of life with this wonderful and generous tea! I say its generous since it offers quite allot for a tea of its renown at a low price, wonderful for its mellow, medium bodied, richness and textures that come to symbolize time itself! A complex cacophony of soil, peppery notes, a bit of leather, a definite chocolaty aroma that seemingly crying out loud for attention. Its a must to those just getting into Yunnan teas and definitely something to admire Yunnan for!

Another of the teas that Lori sent. I was really looking forward to this one.

1st infusion: 6 minutes, boiling water
The liquor was a deep, dark red with a slightly gold tone to it. It smelled malty and citrus and tasted just as it smelled but with a bit of pepper, earth, and astringency.

2nd infusion: 6 minutes, boiling water
The liquor was more of a dark amber this time around. It smelled of citrus and damp loam, but the taste…Sweet, malty, smooth. A hint of citrus. It was almost like drinking a different tea.