Panyang Tippy Golden Needles Imperial (ZP77)

Many thanks to Lady Londonderry for this tea!

I was really excited to try this one since “Golden” teas are some of my favorites. This one is SO GOOD! I’m not getting cocoa notes, but more of a rich honey Golden Monkey profile. I am tasting this one to be more like the Golden Monkey I’m used to than Upton’s Imperial Golden Monkey! Deeeeee-licious! It has that heavy mouthfeel that I associate with these kinds of teas, and which I absolutely crave!

I was very much saddened to see that this is discontinued at Upton (I zipped right over there because I wanted to order it I liked it so much!). Alas, this will have to be one of my little special hoarder teas that I have every now and again so I can savor it for as long as possible!

Thank you once again, Lady Londonderry! This is making my Monday morning!

Back to palate training with Chinese blacks…..

This is cup #7 in my taste testing. This cup is nice and smooth with cocoa notes. It has a nice full taste, and is easy to drink. It really goes to prove that you don’t need to spend a ton of money to get good tea. It runs a little over $6 for 80 grams of tea (just under 3 oz.) That works out to a little over $2 per oz. and is in the low priced range for some of the teas I have been testing.

The leaves really are needle like, but not as long as the Imperial Black Golden Needles I sampled a few weeks ago. There is some golden, but it seems to be on the lower side at around 30%. Some of the others have been higher. Really this is a great tea for the money.

Interesting.

This golden tips the balance. Less sweet, more astringent. Still that same soft, covers your whole mouth kind of flavor, big aroma that lingers long after you swallow, but not an actual sense of sugar. Many of the others actually almost convince me they’re treated with sweetener they’re so sweet. This one is just shy of that.

I’d almost talk about this in terms of a roasted oolong that has a big finish and some sweetness, rather than as a soft, sweet tea that has some bite, which would be my short description of the other golden teas I’ve had.

This appeals to my tastes, because I’m not big on sweet. If you like sweet, go with the Yunnan golds.

Dark honey taste, little to no maltiness but with a taste of the chocolate like the Keemuns. Tends to be thick in the mouth and very dark brown amber for first couple of steepings, and thinner and lighter colored after. No harshness but a deep flavor over all, probably due to the prevalence of tips. As enjoyable as my favorite Golden Monkey. Definitely hits the “relax” command button in my brain. Bought an entire small tin, so am glad I was right in my suspicions re this tea. Fujians seem to be a theme with me.

Spicy and full. A great tea.