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“Mmmmm! So I figured that since it’s the weekend, I should make a tea that I can’t possibly make on the weekdays with my new schedule. What tea better to make than a chai. Not only a chai, but a...” Read full tasting note
“This is a weird smell…almost like something turning funky in the frig…but the more it cools you can smell a hint of cinnamon. The coloring is neat…a reddish brown on the verge of black. It’s bold...” Read full tasting note
“Not gonna lie…I’m scared of pu-erh. It may be that I should’ve waited to try this until after whatever uplifting, familiarizing, reassuring experience might follow the arrival of my Samovar order...” Read full tasting note
“Golden Moon sample No. 9 of 31. I’d picked this out after the Orchid Temple but had to wait until today, when I have stove access during caffeine-safe hours, to put it through its paces. I used...” Read full tasting note
Dark leaves, aged to perfection, produce a deep, russet-brown liquor. An exotic blend of rich, earthy notes enlivened by aromatic cinnamon bark and elegant green cardamom pods, highlighted with a smooth citrus bouquet. Sweet and full bodied. A mysterious adventure in every cup. Excellent for health.
Golden Moon is dedicated to offering outstanding, whole-leaf teas of the greatest quality and finesse. All Golden Moon Teas are hand-plucked and meticulously crafted to enhance leaf character, aroma, color, clarity, body, complexity, and above all, flavor.
I haven’t had pu-erh loose yet, just from Numi. This tea needs to grow on you, it seems. I am with Cofftea were I was nervous to try it. I kept all the Golden Moon samples I wasn’t sure of for last. I brewed it in 1/2 milk and 1/2 water for 4 minutes. I could drink this again, but I wouldn’t buy it.
I’ve been very busy lately at the hospital and haven’t had time to write about teas or even have much more then a tea bag on the go. Anyway. I’m post call today and got off pretty early in the am so I had a chance to have some tea. I’m coming to the end of my samples and here is this one.
I was wary of this tea. I like chai but my prior taste of a pu-erh was not so pleasant. This looks just like the pu-erh but smells like a combo of the fishy pu-erh and chai. Overall, the chai taste is dominante. There may be a slight earthy taste under it. As it cools, the pu-erh seems to come out more. Overall, it is a pleasant tea. I doubt I’d have it often but every now and then it would be nice.
I have a confession to make; I am terrified of pu-erh. After trying this tea, I’m pretty sure it knows. I don’t get any spice out of this, just overwhelming bitterness and earthiness. It tastes like wet, moldy leaves smell in the fall when no amount of raking or collecting seems to get rid of them (and for the record, I am allergic to the mold on those leaves). There’s maybe a hint of orange peel that lingers after the sip, but since I’m not a fan of orange peel either I don’t consider that a plus. I’m going to refrain from rating this since pu-erh seems to really not be my thing. At least I know that for sure now.
Smells of earth and cinnamon. By scent I can’t yet tell if that is a good thing.
As hinted by it’s name, it’s not a traditional chai, so I taste the pu-erh predominantly, and the cinnamon is less a flavor than a sensation. A warmth in the throat, following the earth. It does not have the complex spicing of most chai’s, using pu-erh, cinnamon chips, cardamom and “spice oil”. It says it has a smooth citrus bouquet – which I can detect in the unbrewed leaf, but not in the infusion itself. It’s… Ok… If I think if it from a chai perspective it’s not very complex. If I think of it from a pu-erh with cinnamon, it’s fairly decent.
Drunk plain.
Second cup – with a pinch of sugar. It brings out the cinnamon more, yet subdues the pu-erh.
Interesting, but don’t know if I’d buy this. I’ve had better pu-erh’s and better chai’s, and don’t feel the two combined necessarily make up for the other’s weaknesses.
Sample. Short end of the stick? Interesting. My first Pu-erh. Before brewing the leaves definitely smelled very cinnamon-y and orange-y. Was totally taken aback by the color of the tea. So dark, and unlike any tea I’ve seen before. Had the first few sips plain and it was weird. Not terrible but I definitely didn’t like it. The smell had something off putting behind the spices that I can’t put my finger on. The taste was a little odd too. But added a touch of half&half and honey, and it became much better. The weird smell/taste diminished. The dominant spice seems to be cinnamon. I kind of like it. Totally unsure if I’d order more. But of the 10-15 Golden Moon samples I’ve had so far, this is in the top two.
