Grand Yunnan Impérial

I had a cup (or two) earlier today and forgot to log. I’m sorry for flooding the dashboard with my backlogs! LOL :)

This was good and it’s almost gone…

Had this tea at a very impressive restaurant. Husband surprised me with a last minute reservation to Dirt Candy for my birthday yesterday. I’ve been wanting to eat there since foreeever! It was everything I dreamed and more. Their dessert menu featured a couple of teas from Le Palaise des Thes, proving that a stunning meal out doesn’t have to be followed by Lipton or stale coffee.

The tea came in a small insulated press pot. Elegant and convenient. I peeked into the pot and saw that this was loose leaf. Amazing. I felt that the ratio of leaf to water was a bit off, but overall, quite tasty! Sweet honey notes. Roasty. More like a dark oolong than black tea. Malty. Perfect end to a perfect meal.

Then we went next door to play with the kitties at the no kill shelter. Husband would normally stop me from doing this as I’m allergic to the cute little things, but it was my birthday! So I’m allowed to get all itchy from cat fur if I want to. :D at some point, I got a bit too wheezy so I dropped a donation and left. Made me happy. :)

I’m sick (fighting off a sinus infection… again) so this will be short(er than normal).

Bagged version of this tea, another new offering from my grocery store. First off, I don’t really like Le Palais De Thes’ teabags. They have a really thick string which wicks tea like crazy. If I leave the little tag at the end of the string on the side of the cup, by the time my tea is done steeping, there is a puddle of tea underneath the cup where it has wicked out of the cup, soaked into the tag and run down the side of the cup. Very annoying.

That being said, what’s in the teabag is pretty tasty. This reminds me a lot of A&D’s Tiger – smooth but with enough stoutness that it would not be defeated by a dash of milk, sweet and a bit honeyed. It’s a little more… floral? than Tiger was. Definitely a big thumbs up for a bagged tea.

Backlog:

The description suggests this tea to be subtle and mild, but, I disagree with that, and would say that instead, this tea is smooth and rich. Very much what I would expect from a high quality Yunnan.

A medium to full-bodied tea, it is a “well-mannered” robust tea that offers a smooth invigoration.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/10/10/grand-yunnan-imperial-black-tea-from-le-palais-de-thes/

Mmmmm very rich with aromas. Nice smell of quality black tea…
Not sure how to describe it. Can taste like honey and there’s a bit of that earthy plus hay like taste that puehrs have. Quite mild and very very tasty…
Even the colour is more dark brown than red. Excellent black leaning onto puehr…

Yumm

When brewed properly, this tea has rich earthy notes along with a hint of burnt caramel. Very nice.

Literally like tipping your tongue in the honey pot. The spicy smell of the dry leaves becomes very flowery once steeped, really inviting. Its bronze colour gives a very warm start to your mornings.

I wish I had a hot French girlfriend that I could drink this tea with and make love to while we plan our vacation to Paris to visit Jim Morrison at Pere LaChaise Cemetary.

I bought a box (20 count) of this Frenchy tea.
Not my favorite, but will eventually sipdown the entire package.
The cotton muslin teabag and string are unique.
The French / English translation and color coding makes a fun 5 min French lesson.
Didn’t have a black “pick me up” that I wished it had.

After a horrible attempt (45s first steep, 10s other steeps with strong bitterness), I tried the following Gong Fu style:
First Infusion:
Steep for about 10 seconds. That’s to quickly extract the flavor without letting the tea become bitter.
Second Infusion (15s) : Very relaxing, as bitter as expected for a black tea, but otherwise a very standard yunnan black tea, nothing seemingly outstanding out of this one.
Third Infusion (10s) : This is where the tea really showed its potential, the biterness is gone, it’s almost light. This is great.
Fourth Infusion (25s): Except for the obvious added biterness, no difference was noted between the 3rd and 4rd infusion.

Overall, it’s a non-exceptional yet pleasant black tea with a bit less bitterness than the norm. Would recommend for a casual consumption.

Day 21 of the Advent Calendar (did this one on time, haha)

Described on the bag as a “mellow and honeyed black tea” – thought, perfect!

This is actually not really mild. Would be a great brisk breakfast tea. I Steeped at five and can see that it could be over-steeped if you didn’t watch it. Not getting much honey or nuances other than a relatively strong black tea. Have allowed to cool and the taste does not alter. A good basic tea that would work well sweetened or even with a touch of milk if you like your black breakfast type tea this way.