Yun Nan Dian Hong Black Tea – Golden Tip

This is one tasty tea, and perfect for the mornings. I’m spoiled, because I woke up to this pre-brewed by my lovely husband, who encouraged me to partake. I’ll concede that I had my morning coffee first. This is much gentler on my stomach.
While it’s downright warm right now in Houston compared to the snow covered Northeast (I have a chuckle everytime I imagine what Houstonians would do in a freak blizzard), it’s a bit chilly by local standards. After getting down to the low 40s overnight, it takes a while to warm the house back up. So this tea is so welcome as I sit and feel a little cold.
It reminds me of – forgive me for this comparison- a really, really good version of a standard Lipton tea bag. And that’s why I like it. It’s familiar, but much much better. Yum!

This tea has a beautiful earthy, floral smell.

The tea is crisp and light. I am not sure of the right words but it is not malty, and not roasty. It has a bit of an earthy taste, its sweet and rich, almost creamy.

Very good tea. As always, impressed with the quality of Teavivre teas.

(Received this in a swap 5 months ago, but for the life of me I can’t remember who sent it! For that, I apologise, generous giver.)

I like to call this the “hippopotamus phase” of pregnancy—I’m 38.5 weeks pregnant which means that baby could arrive at any time… so they tell me, I’m not going to hold my breath though, considering my daughter was born 3 days after her due date (I was in false labour though for 2 days, fun times!)—since I’m very large and cumbersome and everything seems to annoy me, especially my 2-year-old. If I could, I would spend all my time at a swimming pool or spa, just floating my girth in weightlessness (I can see why it appeals to hippos). Instead, I’m stuck indoors with my tot, who is at the “Why, Mamma?” stage wherein everything I ask her to do requires an explanation. Also, here in Regina, SK, Canada we’ve received a record amount of snow… more than 6.5 feet. It’s supposed to be “spring” but the snow just keeps on falling and not melting, also not conducive to diminishing my grumpiness.

So, I drink tea… a) in order to appease my doctor and get more fluids in my system and b) because it’s still #$@*ing snowy outside and I crave comfort. Tea = liquid comfort.

This tea reminds me a lot of DAVIDsTEA’s Nepal Black, in almost every way: malty, easy-drinking without anything added, slight honey undertones. The only difference would be it seems to be slightly more astringent, but then again I brewed it with slightly too hot water, so that might have something to do with it! It’s delicious though. Delicious in a pure, unadulterated kind of way… plus, when I drink it without milk or sugar my daughter doesn’t feel the need to down my entire cup when I’m not looking. Because sometimes… you don’t want to share.

I can’t get over how good this tea is. It’s extremely full bodied but not bitter. Its a rich caramel brew that needs no sweetening whatsoever. It has a smell reminiscent to a freshly baked loaf of bread along with some cacao notes. A truly unreal tea.

So I made this one gongfu style because, well, actually I don’t know why, I just did. It was pretty good; kind of had this sweet/peppery thing going on and a roasty bakey goodness. I liked it.

My thanks go to Angel Chen, who let me sample a generous amount of Teavivre’s offerings! I was shocked at how much tea was in the package! Thank you!

First of all, I want to mention that the tea geek in me loves the stickers on Teavivre’s pouches. They have all kinds of info about where the tea came from, how much leaf to use, what the perfect temperature for brewing is.

I made a pot this evening and think I have found my new favorite unflavored black tea. The leaves are long and narrow, harvested young, and gently rolled. Even after shipping, they are all long and unbroken. Mine are not as yellow as in the picture. They’re more brown and champagne colored. There is no leaf dust in the pouch at all.

It’s incredibly smooth and almost fruity in some way, like a darjeeling but more creamy and caramel-like. Hard to describe. I have had yunnan in the past before, but it was never like this. Even after such a short steep, it is very flavorful, but not bitter. There is nothing harsh about the taste. I truly love this tea. It has seriously struck a chord with me.

Blessed Feast to everyone of the Western Rite this morning of All Saints Days!

Another one of my free samples from TeaVivre.

Oh how I love Yunnan golden teas.

We made homemade pizza last night, and of course I burnt my mouth eating it (how is it so impossible not to do this?) so my taste buds are a bit dull this morning and even so, all those great citrusy notes are popping through followed by warm, round, soft, sweetness. This variety is a bit more citrusy and a bit less warm, round, soft and sweet than some, but without having that kind of lingering bite that makes your throat tense up late into the cup.

Given TeaVivre’s fantastic pricing, this is probably my new go-to Yunnan golden.

It is “cold” in Houston this morning, by which I mean high 50’s, and this is the purrrrfect cuppa for a morning like this.

I brought a whole bunch of the teavivre sample packets I bought to try out at work. More black tea for the mornings! Yes!

When I first taste this tea, I pick up green bean flavor. It deepens as a I sip and there are some slight chocolate tones. Somehow though, I feel like the taste is lacking. It’s almost like eating a salad of wilted lettuce leaves- it doesn’t necessarily taste bad, but it leaves you wanting something crisper and fresher.

This is one of the yunnanist Yunnans I have ever had. Really, that is my first thought on sipping this.

To me, Yunnan blacks are the original dessert teas. Chocolate, honey, maltiness, sweetness. When my boyfriend spoils me with super-fancy handmade truffles from the farmer’s market, the kind you have to sit and savor not (just) because they’re practically two dollars apiece, but because they’re just that good, I reach for none other than a good Yunnan black tea to go with them.

I have a long history with Yunnan blacks, beginning with an Adagio signature blend “Silk Road” that I drank religiously every morning for breakfast. Soon I realized the element of the blend I loved most was Adagio’s own blend, “Mambo”, a mix of Yunnan black and WuYi oolong. It didn’t take me long from there to pinpoint that the Yunnan was what I was really after all along, and since then, I have taken a lot of joy in trying assorted Yunnan black teas from many vendors.

These days I even gongfu brew them, something I never would have imagined years back when I was gulping mugfuls of milk-and-sugar laden Silk Road every morning while watercolor painting sheets of would-be origami paper. But that distinct Yunnan-y flavor takes me back, regardless.

I’ve been saving this one until I was in just the right mood to sit back and enjoy this tea. From my first smell of the leaf I knew I was going to love it and boy was I right. This is the type of tea that I can see myself sitting and sipping at any time of the day. I drank it without milk and sugar, which is rare for me with a straight black, and didn’t miss either. Mellow and blissful without any harshness, I think I have found a straight black that hit a bullseye with me!

Steep Information:
Amount: 2 tsp
Water: boiling
Tool: kati loose tea system
Steep Time: a little over 2 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: sweet, vegetal, toasty
Steeped Tea Smell: sweet, toasty
Flavor: smooth, slightly sweet
Body: Full
Aftertaste: slight astringency
Liquor: translucent dark orange brown

I knew this would be a nice cup of tea from the smell, it was fresh, and sweet. This tea needed no additives.

Resteep: 3 minutes – Good, but not as great as the first cup. I didn’t have time for another steep at work.

I honestly recommend this as a nice solid naturally sweet and smooth black tea to anyone looking to steep tea at work and keep at it through the work day.

Rating: 3/4 leaves

Blog: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2011/11/teavivre-company-loose-leaf-black-tea.html

This tea was sent to me for review by Teavivre.

This was another large solo sample inside a large resealable bag. The dry leaves were very pretty! It was straw colored intermixed with medium brown leaves. They were fuzzy and curled and twisted as well, almost like twine. The scent is very strong, nutty, warm, toasty.

I brewed this Western style. I was in desperate need of tea as my old tea kettle failed me, and I didn’t want to use any of my cooking pots to boil water or heat water up in the microwave. So my husband and I went to Bed Bath & Beyond to purchase a new tea kettle. So finally, I was able to get some tea in me! Steeped, this was a honey-brown color. The scent is a bit milder. The taste is great! Very toasty and nutty with a very mild hint of sweet florals and fruits. Delicious! However, I didn’t enjoy the strange after taste… I think it was astringency. Otherwise, this is a very good tea. As far as yunnan teas go, this one is good!

JacquelineM hit the nail on the head. Bright sweet potatoes! I could not stop sniffing the pouch of dry leaves. What a delight to the senses! The golden tips are awesome. I have read so much about how special this tea is that I wanted to get it right, so I weighed the leaves instead of just measuring. These are long, light, and fluffy and I didnt trust my teaspoon.

Steeped, this has a lovely deep amber (cup nearly empty) to red (cup full) color. The aroma is now malty sweet potatoes. As a yunnan tea, it should.be an assamica varietal, and it has the malty goodness of both those teas, but without astringency, without pepper. This is an amazing tea, probably my favorite yunnan so far. I am considering making this one of my “conversion” teas – tea that I serve to guests who are not tea drinkers that is guaranteed to make them want more!

Youngest daughter, when asked for comments, replied, “nom nom nom!”

Leaf and Brew
The dry leaf is beautiful with orange and gold throughout. The aroma images a barn filled with sweet hay. The wet leaf is a cool chocolate brown and the aroma is still hay but slightly rooibus. So glad Teavivre includes instructions on the package because I would have totally messed this up by overheating and over steeping. 85C for 2 minutes. The liquor is caramel chocolate in my cup.

The Sip
Tasted with and without sweetener. Not a hint of bitterness or astringency. Very smooth. Still getting that sweet hay with a hint of rooibus but the main flavor I am getting from this is malted milk balls. Having read SimpliciTea’s malty thread I can now claim to know what that means. It lingers long and pleasant in the aftertaste. This is such a good example of it that I now realize I have experienced it before buried in lesser teas. This is nice. For fun I added a tiny bit of French vanilla creamer to it. It was good but totally unnecessary. Only had time for four cups this afternoon it will go further.

Conclusion
I have never had a black tea that would steep more than twice. This can be steeped many times, so I am impressed. It is familiar enough to serve to those whose experience is limited to the grocery store isle, yet is complex enough to delight the more discerning.

Water: 8oz Boiling,then let sit for 1 minute.

Leaves: Dry leaves-yellow/brown tone, medium length leaves & Wet- brown in color and slightly larger once steeped.

Steep: 3 minutes w/30 second rinse

Aroma: The scent reminded me of other black teas I’ve had in the past but lighter.

Color: Dark Golden yellow

Taste: In the beginning brewing this tea gave me a bit of trouble either I made it to light or too strong (which gave me a bitter taste). Now after many trials and errors I finally managed to get it almost right. I can say this tea would be good paired with a meal. I want to make this tea properly so I can get the full experience.

Dry Leaf: Has a sweet malty aroma.
Wet Leaf: Has a sweet malty aroma and I also detect a very faint hay or wheat type of smell.
Liquor: Is dark in color like a yellowish brown color.
Taste: This tea is smooth and has a sweet flavor with some toasty and malty flavors. Call me crazy but I pick up a very faint fruit component to this tea maybe plum or something like it. I also got a slight dryness feeling in the mouth that was not off putting to me.
Overall Opinion: I give this tea a 89. I think this is a good tea for anyone that enjoys black teas or even newbies that are getting their feet wet into teas. This is a nice likable tea. I also would recommend this tea for mornings maybe as a change from a coffee routine. Also, could be good through out your work day for maybe some energy boost. I also want to add this tea does fine for those who like to add milk and sugar to their teas.
Vessel: SAMA DOYO Gongfu/ Kungfu Teapot. 7grams of leaf for 220ml or approx. 7oz. of water to inner cup of pot.

This is the 3rd Golden tips tea I have had. Thanks to Teavivre for the sample. This is a hearty tea to drink. No astringency at all, very smooth.

WOW! So moving on to the second in the wonderful bouquet that Angel at Teavivre has sent along, and I couldn’t be more excited to try this. This was one I was really looking forward to. So without further delay I’m gonna jump right in!

Visually this tea is unlike anything I’ve seen. The long, golden tips are incredible! And the look, scent and feel are all so much more fresher than can be believed. I already know I’m in for a treat. The scent is fragrant and complex. The taste is absolutely divine! It’s balanced nicely with lots of flavor without being astringent. It just might be the perfect black tea. It produces a deep golden color liquid, and was delicious through multiple infusions. I am in love with this. Unreal.

Thank you to Teavivre for their generous samples (that were sent to my wife – privileges of matrimony = delicious tea)! See her review of the Blueberry Fruit Tea for the heart attack she gave me when we opened the package of what seems like all the tea in China.

Dry: Long twisted leaves, much lighter in colour than I expected, with a golden dust. Very pollen-y scent, made me want to go back for another sniff. Then another. Then another. Until my wife asked me why I was smelling the tea like a creeper. So I finally made a cup.

First steep: 100C, about 2 minutes. Quite dark, considering the short steep and the light colour of the leaves. Not bitter at all, with no unpleasant aftertaste. Not much of an aftertaste at all, just a sort of vague sweet heady satisfied mouth. Reminds me of wine and coffee without tasting like either (thank goodness), but that same kind of dark richness, but really smooth. This tea would be great in the morning or as a lunchtime pick-me-up, one of the best straight blacks I’ve ever enjoyed. Just the kind of solid tea I was craving after a shift that seemed way longer than it should have. I would love to try blending it, because of that natural sweet, rich body, but I also don’t want to waste this sample!

Second steep: 90C, about 2 minutes 30. Brewed up with a lighter golden colour than the first steep, and I reread the package directions and realised that I steeped the first cup waaaay too hot. Luckily I don’t think I burnt it the first time around? Anyway, this cup was a much more mellow drink than the first, a nice all-around flavour. The sweetness continued unabated, but the tea was a much lighter taste than the first steep.

Think I might go for a third steep before bed, if I can dig myself off this couch.

I’ve been enjoying this tea for the past week in all different kinds of steeping scenarios and it’s delicious! Like the others, I’ve noticed notes of citrus. It’s very smooth, slightly sweet, and steeps into a dark, rich cup, but it retains a delicate body.

More thoughts and pics in my full review http://bit.ly/sXlcaY – this is definitely a tea that will take you from your wake-up into your workday. That’s how I’ve enjoyed it – a big vacuum mug that stays warm and flavorful for several hours.

I don’t know that it resteeps as well in the traditional teapot method. Gong-fu style with very short steeps brought out more flavor profiles when I sampled it that way this past weekend.

Definitely one to add to your cupboard!