Some of us were talking about Black Dragon Pearls on here the other day. I was passing the mall, so I stopped in again to see if they have any. They didn’t, & he isn’t even sure if they’ll be getting them ever again!
He recommended the Golden Monkey, saying that it is essentially the same tea, so I bought some. It has basically been my tea of the day, not because it’s better than everything else, but because I’m busy, it’s easy to brew another cup, & I’m trying to decide if it really tastes the same as the pearls. And I don’t think it does. I know that’s probably absurd. Anyway, it is malty! It’s tasty in it’s own right, but I’m not getting the chocolatey essence. Still it’s not bad. Maybe I’ll add more tea next time, as I always use considerably more pearls than recommended.
Time to move on to something else…Next!
15 Tasting Notes
thanks so much Amanda! I wanted a Yunnan at the moment, and I thought of this one I haven’t tried yet. It’s pretty decent. It’s Yunnan like anyway. ha. Though I wish there were deeper flavors after a five minute steep. A bit malty and chocolatey and peppery.. I’d say it has a medium body. I’d really love to find a yunnan that looks like a cup of coffee! I’m not sure they exist though… This might be the favorite I’ve tried from Teavana, but that is probably because this is a plain black tea and they can’t really mess it up by adding splenda or something.
let me just start by saying Teavana is a rip off and a high pressure sales environment that i detest and believe to be completely at odds with the vibe of tea. having said that, they do offer a small selection of some great teas one of which is their Golden Monkey Black Tea. this is one of my favorite black teas of all time. the flavor is intensely fruity with notes of pear, apricot, litchi, and green pear that is initially delivered with a wet mouth feel that ends with a surprisingly dry finish. if you are fortunate enough to find this tea offered somewhere else for a reasonable price in a comfortable customer is right situation then i highly recommend it. it is intensely delicious!
This is the first black loose leaf tea I tried and it remains one of my favorites. It doesn’t really seem anymore expensive to me than many of the other teas out there. I also have gotten several flavorful steepings out of it so I appreciate that.
Nicole
2 tasting notes
Last year, this was the first tea I ever purchase and tried from Teavana. I instantly became a fan! The cost is a little steep (haha, no pun intended), but its kinda worth it!
Its been about 6 months since I’ve purchased based on the cost alone. I bit the bullet a few days ago and got 4 oz.
My best description of this tea is warm smooth black silkiness.. yum! Think I’ll go make some now!
Yesterday, while we were out Christmas shopping at the local mall, I was again magnetically drawn to the Teavana store. My tried and true Teavana routine is to let the staff recommend what I should buy next. This time it was the Golden Monkey black tea.
After steeping this tea for three minutes at 195 degrees, a dark golden brew emerged. This tea is said to contain cocoa. I didn’t recognize chocolate in the flavor but this tea does have a nice sweet and malty taste. This is not one of the strongest black teas that I have tried, but there is sufficient flavor to satisfy my preference for the bold and beautiful.
While I enjoyed the milder but sweet and pleasing experience of this blend, I found myself longing for a scone or some tea biscuits to accompany it. This might have just been due to the throbbing of my sweet tooth. Or, maybe it was due to Christmas, the time of the year when sweetness fills our senses and our hearts.
This is my favorite tea so far, let me show you it.
To me, Golden Monkey is the tea equivalent of a Riesens candy — caramel coated in dark chocolate. I can drown in the flavor, it seems to go on and on. Sometimes a tea will have a sour aftertaste to me, but Golden Monkey never does. It stays caramelly-chocolatey-malty. This to me is the definition of a fine black tea.
(This is not to say it will always be so, as I am just starting out on this tea thing. But right now, this is it. I am curious to see how Upton’s Golden Monkey will compare, or other Golden Monkeys from other suppliers.)
At this point in my learning about both life and tea, I would consider myself to be first and foremost pleasured most by oolong teas. But, this tea is a close second. I was disappoint that my previous favorite black tea at Teavana had been discontinued (Himalayan Majestic) and that I had wasted money on their English breakfast black tea. The salesperson did warn me that the Majestic was the champagne of black teas, and once I’ve tried something as smooth, rich, and lacking any type of bitterness, I can’t go back. In fact, I won’t and I never will.
I have tried many types of black tea but I’ve normally been ambivalent towards them. But, I had to try and replicate my majestic experience. Once I smelled the leaves for Golden Monkey at the store, I immediately picked up on this wonderful chocolate and soon thereafter I was a goner. I had to have this tea!
After spending the morning lingering over my monkey picked oolong, I went to this. What a juxtaposition! Once I brewed this tea I smelled its richness, saw the deep brown clear color and I was pulled back to black tea land. It is nice and smooth, and full-bodied. I love the malty taste too. I tend to enjoy teas that are malty and nutty and not too strong. I think that this black tea is not as strong as others, so if you’re palate is more partial to medium-strength, this black tea might be a good choice. Although I like the vegetal smoothness and contemplation that comes with a cup of monkey picked oolong, I appreciate the zing I get from a cup of golden monkey. I love my black tea with some sugar, and rock sugar worked its magic on this tea – brings out the subtleties and complements the complexity. Well done. A top 10 tea for me!
This is how black teas should taste. Although I am drinking it with Earl Grey White Tea by Teavana which makes a good mix since the bergamot makes a transition of simple black tea into some sort of breakfast tea.
Probably the best black tea I’ve ever had. Tastes smooth and flavorful. Full. The past two times, it has been amazing in my yixing tumbler, but it was a little bitter/nothing too special all the other times. Maybe I’ve been using too hot of water? Need to get the perfect water boiler!
This is one of the finest black teas around. Smooth and refreshing. If you are looking for a strong, bold, high tannin black tea then this one isn’t for you. This tea can be steeped multiple times, not so great after the 3rd steep though.
So this is my first review! Hurray! I’m new to drinking loose leaf tea, and figured that a black would be a great way to start. I ended up at teavana, which may not be the most loved place in the world, but the staff at my local store were not pushy and were very beginner friendly. However, i’m sure there are better teas and places. Anyway, i’m making this tea in the Breville one touch and use the Breville’s settings of 212 deg for 3 min (strong). I feel that with teavanas recommendations that the tea can be a bit weak for my taste (coming from a coffee background). However after adding 50% or more of the recommended amount, I really started enjoying this tea. It’s has hints of cocoa and goes nicely with a little milk, sugar and honey. I don’t have much to compare it to, but have an order of different black teas from DAVIDSTea coming soon. :)
Teavana was sold out of the black dragon pearls so I ended up getting Golden Monkey instead. I don’t really taste the difference between the two, maybe Golden Monkey is a little smoother but they are very similar. This is one of my go-to teas in the morning with a little bit of sugar added to it.
Although teavana irritates me to death, this is an essential black tea for any tea fan out there.
