Golden Needle Black Tea Premium

This sample is from Dexter. I’ve had a couple of golden needle tea before, and I must say this one looks completely different visually than the others. When I heard golden needle, I expect to see pure buds that are slightly puffy with pointed ends with an allover golden color. This tea is definitely not that. The leaves are medium size and quite thin and wiry. They twist and curl around quite a bit, and they’re half golden and half dark grey/brown. Dry scent is slightly sweet and bready with malty notes.

Mm, the steeped tea certainly smells very Yunnan. It has that slightly savory bread and sweet potato combination with perhaps a touch of smoked meat. Wow, this has quite a powerful flavor after 3 minutes. It’s not bitter, but it’s approaching those lines. Definitely a savory tea, with the substantial sweet potato notes that I generally find in a pure bud Yunnan. There’s a bready thickness along with a touch of smokiness. I can taste a touch of raw oats in the aftertaste.

Backlog:
Since I already mentioned nausea in my post, I figured I might as well just post this one. xD
I have been SUPER excited about trying this tea, so a few days ago I gave it a shot…
And apparently my timing was super wrong because I started getting sick in the middle of drinking it, and by the end of the first cup I felt too bad to re-steep.
I have been pretty sad about not being able to fully enjoy this tea. But from the few minutes I wasn’t sick, I gathered that this tea tasted a lot like honey and malt.
That’s pretty much all I had a chance to notice, sadly :(
But I really did love this tea for those few minutes!
If they ever have a super good sale again I have to order this one! It was absolutely divine! Just wish I could have enjoyed it more! D:

Edit: Forgot to say! TONS of thanks for the generous QueenofTarts for a sample of this tea! ^^

This tea smells so good! I’m picking up on a syrupy sort of sweetness, some dark berries and sweet potato. I love it when teas have a really delicious scent, it makes it that much more exciting to drink!

Sipping… mmm, this is just as I thought it would taste. Sweet potato, black pepper and honey. It almost reminds me of water crackers with pepper. It is on the verge of being perhaps a little bit too peppery for me, but it’s not enough to scare me away. There are times when I pick up on a more creamy note, but it fades quickly and leaves behind that sharp, spicy taste. I still think this is very enjoyable and would drink this again. Thank you Tao Tea Leaf!

I am on a quest to try as many Chinese black teas as possible. This smells really, I like the honey scent. There is a sweet, malty flavour. (It went well with my doriyaki.)

Glad I finally got to try a Golden Needle tea. Thanks, Tao Tea Leaf.