Tippy Yunnan

Thank you JacquelineM for a kind and generous sample. This week has stunk and my great reward comes now late into the first half of my weekend, I can write some tasting notes! Admittedly, I did gain some enjoyment by skunking the family at Scrabble, though(a poor winner to be sure… hope this doesn’t come off as braggy).

Really don’t have much to say about Yunnans, this may even be my first. This tea surprised me with how dark it is. I thought for sure that I oversteeped it and poured just a nip out of my press at about three minutes…it was kinda weak. With that discovery I then proceeded to let it go to the end of the five minutes I intended to infuse, next sip was better.

The dry leaf had an earthy smell that was still present once steeped. The first drink struck me as both malty and kinda strong. There’s smokey notes coupled with a dry astringency that even becomes bitter at the back of the sip, though not altogether displeasurable (this from AWM=see previous comment from Ashmanra/Banana’s Foster).

I am so surprised that this tea incorporates three things I generally dislike (bordering dispise) and yet I’m still drinking it. There’s a certain balance in them that I can’t explain. I’m not saying that this tea has changed my opinion of astingency, I’m just saying it’s palatable. There’s even a lingering sweet note that is somewhat elusive as well.

All these things come together to make for a decent, bold cuppa. Sorry if I made no grand discoveries, I just didn’t find any. For another experienced drinker you may be head over heals for this tea and find it complex and all you’re looking for. It may even unlock the mysteries surrounding the meaning of life…

tunes-THE Bob Dylan(whose titles are often so looong)=Ballad Of Hollis Brown/Corrina Corrina/Jack-A-Roe/Wicked Messenger/Girl From The North Country/The Boxer/House Of The Rising Sun/In My Time Of Dyin’/& for some comic relief…Talkin John Birch Paranoid Blues.
I think I will have to do a list entirely of Dylan tunes made popular through covers after seeing several here.

I’ve been meaning to review this for weeks, but I kept getting side-tracked. Meanwhile, my sample dwindles.

As far as yunnans go, this one is on the darker, earthier side. It has that sweet, malty scent to it, with a hearty taste of smoke and hay. After three minutes, it comes out smooth and caramelly, but if you go longer, it gets a sort of heavy bitterness to it like a keemun. It really depends on whether or not you like astringency. If it was early in the morning and I needed a wake-up call, I’d let this steep for a while to really bring out the strength… but tonight, I was looking for more complexity.

I highly recommend trying it both ways. There is no right or wrong preparation, it seems.

Thank you to Nicole for this sample.

This tastes a little sweet with honey notes. I get a little bit of smokiness. It is slightly astringent as well. And it gets even more astringent as it cools. So drink it quick!

Catching up on some Dexter, watching some tea…

It’s a pretty awesome way to start a Sunday morning.

So, I’ve been looking forward to this H&S sample since I ordered it. I’ve only had one other Yunnan (Adagio’s Yunnan Jig), and this one is supposed to be “tippy” which in the tea world signifies “better than average.” Or at least, that’s what it sounds like.

Anyway, when I opened the packet, I was a little surprised at how broken the leaves were. Yunnan Jig’s leaves are long and wiry. These were a bit more chopped up. The smell coming from them was earthy-strong, with a bit of white pepper mixed in. Other than that, the dominant aroma was black tea. Hrm.

So I steeped this sucker up, and I was pretty surprised at how dark the tea is. It’s really dark. Darker than mahogany, but not the purple-black that pu-erh has. The infusion actually has a fairly pu-erh scent to it as well. Rich earth of pu-erh, mixed with a bit of smokiness. Maybe some pipe tobacco? It’s easy to see how the teas of Yunnan are linked to pu-erh (common origin and all that).

At peak hotness, this tea is pretty malty and strong. The dominant flavors are definitely smoke and peppery, mixed with a earthiness that’s pretty interesting. Very brisk, slightly astringent, but not that complex and interesting.

As the tea cools, a sweet element begins to build that’s somewhat like dried maple, but not nearly as strong and assertive as I would have liked. It’s a tantalizing whiff, but it never builds into anything substantial.

This tea is a tease. It should be so much better, but it’s really not. It’s just fairly average. Rishi’s Golden Yunnan (of the sample I’ve tried) is loads better, with caramelized, sweet potato notes, and it’s around the same price. I like Adagio’s Yunnan Jig a lot better as well.

So yeah, a fairly serviceable tea, but it’s not going to have sparks shooting out of your eyes or anything like that.

I could have swore I already tried this once since Nicole was so kind to share (thank you!) but if I did, this second cup was definitely different than the first time I tried it! I steeped for four minutes and it was nice and smokey, so I’d have to disagree with the description for this tea. I have no idea how the description could call it not smokey… that is its main characteristic. It definitely is smokey (but not as smokey as some teas I’ve tried), but also very sweet. I almost chose a russian caravan tea this morning, so I was pleased that this one was smokey anyway. I think the first cup I had was astringent, but this time it wasn’t, which leads me to believe that I oversteeped the last time and maybe the smokiness disappears if it is oversteeped. It was just a tiny bit astringent when the last bit of the cup got cold. (Where does astringency come from anyway?) I definitely would have remembered the smokiness before. So this one is sweet yet smokey. I love it.

I got this tea a while ago in a swap with Tea Sipper, but am just getting around to trying it. Thanks for sending it along!

Steeped, the tea smells kind of like that typical “black tea” smell that I think of whenever I smell a flavored tea that I know the black tea is going to be overwhelming in. Also, definitely smoky. Uh oh, smoke in tea and I are not friends. Yeaaah no. I should have noticed that it had smoky notes before I requested a sample of it. Sorry! These types of teas are just not for me. It is definitely one of those cases where I could tell that I would like the flavor without the smoke, but like Harney’s Keemun Mao Feng, even a little bit of smoke is too much smoke for me. For some reason it just turns my stomach. Oh well!

Thank you ashmanra for another delicious tea!!!

I am home today to study for a test tonight – thought a gutsy, resteepable Yunnan would help with that task :) I made a big 16 oz pot to keep refilling all day!

My first infusion was strong and invigorating! That tangy chewy sweet Yunnan flavor I love. I didn’t taste a lot of pepper. As it cools, it got very slightly bitter. My home setup is just an olde kettle, so I can’t wait to take this into work and try it at a slightly lower water temp to see if it helps that initial little bit of bitterness.

My second infusion is just as richly colored as my first (wow!). It’s a little smoother and I can taste the earthy qualities a little stronger. It does still have some bitterness.

I’ll save the third for after lunch- will report back!

I liked it enough that I included a bag in the Harney & Sons order I just placed (I know I am not down to 40 teas. Shush! But I simply can’t live without Queen Catherine). It’s reasonably priced, and I am confident that a slightly lower temp will take this little bitter edge off.

EDIT: Making a 16 oz pot was too much! After two infusions at 16 oz of water each I’m so caffeinated it’s not even funny!! Note for the future: this is one strong tea, reminiscent of the Tiger! Proceed with caution (and a mere teaspoon of leaves!).

Post-morning jaunt to local farmer’s market, I thought maybe I’d get a pot of this going while I snapped green beans.

Dry, the leaves smell very earthy and slightly smoky. I’m not sure I’m a fan of yunnans – but I was getting my last Harney order up to the free shipping level and this was something new to me.

Liquor is a dark reddish brown, I think you could easily oversteep this and end up with something really, really dark and forbidding.

I taste… earthy notes, dusty hay, a hint of smoke but that may still be in the smell more than the actual taste…The flavor is actually pretty light for my expectations of a black tea. The bulk of the flavor vanishes on the back of the tongue and after the swallow you are left with a bit of earthy notes and a slight tad of astringency.

Not bad, and it will be used up eventually, but this wouldn’t be one I’d turn to over other blacks I have in my stash. I’ll share it at work and see what the other tea person thinks. My mom will probably like it – she’s a fan of slightly smoky teas.

Off to mess with the fresh corn purchase from this morning to get it ready for dinners next week!

It’s peppy. Sweet-ish with a little flavor that dances on your tongue, but is stout enough to be a great morning tea. JacquelineM, thinking about you and smiling as I sip…thanks. Happy Sunday.

Inherent qualities of peppery spice, rounded honey-like sweetness, not bad for $20 a pound.

This tea has a greenish-brown color and a lightly smoky aroma. The flavor is remarkably smooth with a very slight sweetness. There is almost no dryness and no change in the aftertaste from the taste of the tea itself. The smokiness was not evident for me until after I had consumed about a third of the cup, and even then it was very light. It has an earthy flavor, not as bright and round as an Assam and not as crisp and dark as a Keemun. It takes cream and sugar well and is a rather nice and satisfying cup. I would probably tend to have this tea with a meal or in the afternoon at the desk. It is not as bold a tea as one might want for that first morning cup. Though not incredibly complex, the flavor is quite nice and approachable. I imagine this being a good “accessory” tea, a tea whose flavor is not necessarily meant to be the primary focus of the moment but which would still make a nice, tasty and satisfying treat during a get-together or after a meal. This is a tea I would serve to a group of guests at a book club meeting or evening poker game, for example, but probably not my first pick for a tasting event or more formal afternoon tea time. All in all this is a very nice tea, worth consideration as a staple for frequent tea drinkers.

I ordered the sample of this one since I am not a huge fan of Yunnan teas, although I enjoy a few pu-erhs. It is rpetty nice, but I would say that the astringency is leaning toward 2 for me, though Harney and Sons rates it as a one. The teas with NO astringency usually get a one. This one was a little drying on the tongue the more I sipped. The flavor is pleasant, I detected the very lightest whiff of smoke, and there was just a hint of pepper. I agree with another post that it tends to a white pepper scent rather than black pepper. Still, I stand by my personal feelings about yunnans and this one doesn’t sway me, though if you are a yunnan fan, you just may love this one.

Hmmm, quite an interesting and pleasant tea. This is my first venture into Yunnan teas, with that said, this has the light aroma of a Lapsang Souchong, the palatable clarity of a Ceylon and the aftertaste of a finer bitter chocolate…not overpowering. This Tippy Yunnan is quite tasty; and yet it reminds me of a lighter Formosa Oolong…a little floral but less sweet…not malty at all. For my tastes, this is better as an afternoon tea. I would recommend this tea to try and for the experience. Look for the samples, that way it’s easy to try without spending a fortune.

Smoky, period.

Pours dark carmel in color, and smells of earth and spice (pepper). Tastes like one would expect, malty earth with a small pepper kick. No smoke and a weak (almost non existent) chocolate finish. Underwelming.

really nice yunnan, smooth , with a bit of pepper, just enough to give it some spark.

Slightly smoky, but much less than other Yunnan teas I have tried.