Golden Monkey

Ahh, Golden Monkey. Peppery Yunnan goodness. Cute little leaves. Earthy yet sweet. The total package tea. You’re just what I needed. Time to place an order.

I’m getting an interestingly delicious peppery taste with this today. The milky/creamy taste is still there so it ends up a bit like peppered milk – which doesn’t sound good but, if this tea is any indication, certainly tastes awesome.

This is so tasty. Bold, smooth, thick, sort of malty but not, sort of hay-y but not. It makes me think of a having a nice cup of coffee to wake up with but without the acidity or bitterness. I really didn’t take many notes at all on this tea because I was too busy drinking it. My 12 oz went fast!

I really didn’t plan on being impressed by Teas Etc but I have several ‘must haves’ that I’ll be ordering soon – and this is one of them.

ETA: The second steep (5 minutes) taste like I’ve put milk in it! That deserves a little ratings bump.

Oooooh don’t mind me. I’m just sitting here drinking my Golden Monkey. Again!

So naturally sweet and caramelicious! The first steep was a darker, chewy caramel, and this second one is sweeter and yes, milky – in that coating in your mouth sort of way. I used 200 degree water and a 4 minute first steep time – thinking about maybe trying boiling and 5 minutes next time to see if I get more or less caramel. I didn’t get any pepper and am wondering if it’s my slightly cooler than boiling temp and shortish steep time, too. I think I was a little too conservative!! My third steep is a little weak, but still enjoyable.

I’m glad to add another amazing-with-nary-an-additive black tea to my at-work arsenal, and look forward to playing with the steep time and water temp a bit!

Guys, I have a monkey on my back! A GOLDEN monkey!!

I can’t go for more than a few days without having some of this tea! There are teas that I like more, but they are not the kind of teas that inspire frequent drinking, if you know what I mean?! This one is just plain GOOD. You don’t have to be in any sort of mood, the stars don’t have to be aligned a certain way, the weather doesn’t have to be just so…you don’t have to have milk, and you don’t have to have a certain sweetener. You just add under boiling water and it’s good…and I crave it! Sweet, caramel-tinged, raisin-edged good.

I am drinking my good friend the Golden Monkey once again this morning! Smooth and invigorating. Milky and delicious, especially on steeps 2 and 3. So easy to sip. Much love to the monkey!!!

For a person who says that this tea is good but not wonderment and cartwheels – I sure have been drinking it often enough!!! It’s so perfect for mornings at work. It’s gentle with me, but gives me that extra little nudge to get going, and it tastes great (at 200 – I’m getting more caramel and chewy. Then milky. Mmmmm).

LauraR helped me realize that Golden Monkey is from the Yunnan region, but is not a Yunnan tea per se. It is a smooth light(er) tea, whereas a classic Yunnan is the one with the pepper and more assertive character. I was expecting the Monkey to be a Horse!!

Now that I am enjoying the monkey as the Golden Monkey that he is, I am very satisfied. The monkey is getting a little nudge upwards in rating :)

My tea word of the week must be penultimate – now I am drinking the next to the last serving of this (very, very beloved!) tea. I am going to miss this milky, chewy, gentle but flavorful, always right no matter what kind of mood you are in tea. I was kind of silly and soaked the leaves for 10 minutes for a 5th steep, I love it so much :) It was weak, but I still enjoyed its essence.

Trying to ease into a post-sick and post-vacation work week. Oh, it’s hard. The Golden Monkey is helping. I was so busy earlier that I oversteeped my first steep by three minutes, and I still had a good cup – the subtleties were lost, but it was still a nice cup to drink. My second steep was milky golden heaven. I am hoping for a third steep this afternoon. Can this tea do any wrong? Sheesh!

Three delicious steeps :) I used a little extra leaf today! The extra leaf + a temp of 200 made for a very satisfying monkey. Now it’s perfect.

This whole round of fussing speaks volumes to me about how a small sample will let you know if you basically like a tea or not, but to refine things, you really need an ounce or so for playing. I started my tea journey thinking in black and white (black tea! one teaspoon leaves! boiling water! Thee End!), and now i am starting to see all the shades of gray :)

Spent the entire day drinking steep after steep of my last! teaspoon! of! Golden! Monkey! Leaves!!!!!! Stellar, as usual. I think I would have been a major grump today if I didn’t have the monkey by my side.

I’m STILL on lockdown, but this tea is on my list of favorites. I would buy it again in a heartbeat.

Today I decided to enjoy my Golden Monkey that Tastes like a Golden Monkey :) I am on the second steep, and I love that creamy mouthfeel that becomes evident on steeps two and three. Such an enjoyable tea to sip and sip throughout the day. Mellow and, yes, golden. If a color has a flavor, this is it.

Okay…YUP! I can taste the difference! Others have mentioned the Milky taste on the 2nd infusion…I can taste it! Nice! :) It’s not peppery the 2nd time around but it’s still chewy. YUM!

Well, folks…I just got a BUNCH of new tea…stay tuned!!!!

I had forgotten I tried this one! WOWZA! I think that is the FIRST time that has ever happened. I was reading my previous review and found I really, really liked this!!!! So…here goes another cup!

Oh yes! I remember this chewy smell. Not sure why but Golden Monkey’s remind me of Granola bars sometimes!

This is pretty thick this morning. Which is good. A tad peppery…a tad is not bad! :)

I’m reading other people talking about multiple infusions on this and the taste changing. I just might try that today…no…scratch that…I WILL TRY THAT TODAY!!!! Stay tuned…