Golden Fleece

Venturing into the world of tea and searching for that “Golden Fleece” can turn up quite a confusing adventure where nearly every sip and smell and taste could be the proverbial “Golden Fleece” ! Suffice to say I am writing to you all while drinking Golden Fleece, courtesy of wild tea trees of Xishuangbanna. True to its testament as the embodiment of Yunnan teas, Golden Fleece has all the attributes of Yunnan teas being velvety, a tad bit spicy, smooth, sweet and medium bodied with just a hint of minerals.
Successive brewing from five seconds to 15 gave off aromas of boiling sugarcane juice with subtle morel notes that adds a minerally vegetal note. Brewing from 15 seconds to 35 seconds raises the level of sweetness, becomes far more velvety that hugs the palate and coats the throat, a bit of molasses comes out to brings a bit of boldness in the aroma. Past the minute mark in brewing from successive brews flattens out to a linen, lightly sweet and coarse sensation, not that its actually coarse. Throughout most of the sessions not once the tea became too bitter, too faint, too astringent that prevents most of the uniqueness to shine.
This my friends is what tea is! The very height of crafts of a culture and abilities of one plant no matter how mundane it looks nor how ordinary its product bestows to thirsty mouths. The quest for the real “Golden Fleece” however maybe a fool’s errand, yet almost certainly the most simplest pleasure in life is one with kindred spirits and a beverage as historical as the world over! Do drink on steepsterites!
Cheers, Tony!

I really like Yunnan teas, so I was almost certain that I would love this one. But I was skeptical due to the hyperbolic description. I’ve tried a number of Yunnan teas, including all-bud teas so I wondered how this one would be different. When I opened my bag of Golden Fleece the dry leaves looked and smelled very similar to Rishi’s Organic Ancient Golden Buds. When I put my nose into the bag, I could smell the difference. Golden Fleece had a more potent aroma, and unlike Golden Buds it had strong caramel and cocoa notes coming off the dry leaves. My guess is that it is fresher than Rishi’s Golden Buds. But dry leaf aroma doesn’t always equal taste, so I brewed Golden Fleece Western-style exactly the same way I brew Golden Buds. The aroma of the wet leaves was very similar between the two teas, and my initial tastes were similar as well. I started thinking, “There’s nothing special about this. It’s just Golden Buds!” However, when I took more sips of Golden Fleece, the differences started to become apparent. This tea runs neck and neck with Golden Buds, but comes out slightly ahead. The differences are subtle. Golden Fleece has a more complex flavor and a longer-lasting aftertaste. The spiciness of Golden Fleece also leaves a slight tingling on the tongue.

These teas are so close that I picture two farmers (one Rishi supplier, one Verdant supplier) who live across a dirt road from one another each arguing that they have superior golden tea.

Finally! Finally, finally, FINALLY!

I got to try this. And it was perfect. I have a fetish for Yunnan golds in general….but now I have one for this tea in specific. After nearly two years of people extolling its virtues, it finally made it into my cup. It was honey-ish, malty, floral, and teagasmic in all the right ways. Definitely worth the hype.

Even better was the conversation it invoked. You can find that here: http://steepstories.com/2013/05/09/golden-fleece-feast-fest-a-taste-of-eugene-and-tea-from-neighbors/

Now that I have tasted Golden Fleece, I can die happy…honestly, that is about what I expected after reading the reviews. Ummmm, for real, it’s…good? I mean it is a nice tea, really. For the price and hype? Nah, not so much. Jing Tea Shop used to sell one remarkably like for almost nothing under the category of everyday teas. (Which they no longer have, after they sold out and remained that way for a long, long time). Yes, Golden Fleece has bigger leaves. But, the smell and the taste are much the same. Upton’s Yunnan Rare Grade also has the same wonderful candy/ sugar cookie smell and, to me, the same taste. Maybe better. I guess that marks me as a tea peasant.

Really, I’ve made this tea three times now and I end up trying to remind myself that this is a great tea and to appreciate it. Because, when I’m drinking it, it doesn’t hit me and I end up just slurping it down. Some teas really make me quite happy, time after time (Yunnan Rare Grade) and when I find myself drinking it in a distracted manner, the taste reminds me and I remember and think “Dang, that’s good!” It is kind of the opposite with Golden Fleece. I guess I can save a lot of money, at least on this one…

Phenomenal. I preheated both the gaiwan and my cup with boiling water. Weighed out 4g of leaf for 4oz of boiling water. Quick rinse and decant. Steeped the first infusion for 2 seconds. The aroma is similar to malt extract, oxidized/honey smell. Caramel notes abound. The liquor is slightly hazy but a nice shade of brown with hints of red. Extremely smooth mouthfeel. Absolutely no astringency. Some spice in the flavor. Very well integrated. Lots of complex caramel. Delicious.

I’ll write more later…but I just wanted to write a quick note to say…

I have never had a tea like this before in my life. I’t exquisite and complex.

Love

I was a little skeptical because of all the hype this tea gets, but I have to admit I’m pretty impressed. I’m finding this tea really good in a really subtle sort of way. It’s very light and very smooth, and there nothing even a little bit thorny or offensive about it. All the flavors melt together perfectly, nothing really sticks out. And it tastes… like what a black tea should taste like.

(It also reminds me a lot of the Zhu Rong Yunnan Black, but vanilla instead of chocolate. =])

I don’t know if this is left over from 2011, or 2012, but it’s still a favorite black tea. Seems a shadow of its former self, though still satisfying. Maybe I’m wrong… Or maybe leaving it in its original packaging did it no favors. Regardless, it’s still lightyears from a loss.

I’m rarely in the mood for a black tea, but when I know I’ve got a hankering, I know I’ve got a hankering. Today was one of those days.

Honey, light, delicious. Reminds me of an unseasonably warm Fall day, pleasant and crisp with clear skies.

Lost count after 7 infusions, but still kept going. Started with short 10-15 sec steeps and went progressively longer, sucking the life from this tea. Lovely sunset-orang-red liquor that remains long after the flavors have waned.

I have found amazing green and white teas from Verdant, but I haven’t much enjoyed the black tea selection so far. This one is the best I have come across yet, but it’s far from stellar for me. There’s no nasty mushroom and no musky manliness going on in this one. It’s very smooth, almost oolong-like. I can recognize it’s quality and how it would appeal to others, but it’s not the tea for me.

So very good, I took this hot and cold to work. I like it a lot and definitely can see why people talked about a sweet potato taste. Yum.