substitute for discontinued Peet's Yunnan Fancy
Now that Peet’s is no longer selling Yunnan Fancy, where can I get the equivalent tea? Does anyone in this community know where Peet’s got that tea from, and who else distributes it? I’ve enjoyed other Yunnans, but most had additional bitter notes not present in Peet’s Yunnan Fancy. I’m sure there are other great Yunnans out there, but would appreciate a pointer in the right direction.
Yunnan Sourcing is always a good go-to for that type of tea. Mandala Tea also has a ton of great Yunnans. I’ve never had Peet’s though so I can’t say which one might be a good sub. I have several from both Mandala & YS that I would be happy to send samples of so you can compare and see if any of them come close to what you are looking for.
Trying Rishi’s Golden Yunnan (ordered before I joined Steepster). Doesn’t come close. Bitterness is the first and lingering taste on my tongue. The other flavors are too weak to identify.
I just finished off a tin of this myself! Peet’s now owns the Mighty Leaf so you might want to check the Mighty Leaf website, they have a Yunnan up there, maybe it’s the same one since Peet’s owns the company.
I would hope Peet’s would tell me of a Mighty Leaf alternate, since I was a subscriber. All they say is they’ve discontinued the tins but will continue to sell the one-pound bags, though, of course, those all sold out as soon as word got around. They claim they’ll get more in January.
I’m not sure how long ago Peet’s discontinued it, but have you tried calling their stores to see if anyone local still has some on the shelves?
Peet’s seems to have reconsidered and is now restocking Yunnan Fancy in the 4 oz. tins. (I was told by their customer service when they couldn’t fill my recurring order that they would only carry the 1 lb. bags anymore, and then they ran out of that before I could place an order. Something definitely changed.) I ordered 7 tins (to reach the free shipping level). I sampled one already, and it seems to be the same source.
Thanks to a kind Steepster member who sent me a sampler of Yunnan teas, I also know about many other yummy options. (Not revealing their identity unless they choose to themselves.) Here are my tasting notes on the samples, in the order I sampled them.
Mandala downy tips – lighter sweetness than Peet’s. Smooth, buttery, pear.
Mandala golden strands – more like Peet’s than downy tips, but still not as full. Very smooth. Sweetness more like honey than molasses.
No. 9 Yunnan – Steven Smith – Teamaker – very smooth, orange-blossom honey, buttery, full. Very pleasant!
Yunnan Gold – Silk Road Teas – light malty flavor offset by astringent feel. Second infusion is smoother, less astringent, with light honey-lemon overtones.
Yunnan Black Gold – Yunnan Sourcing – light citrus, floral flavor. Barely sweet. Taste and astringency at the tip of the tongue.
Pure Bud Bi Luo Chun Black – Yunnan Sourcing – smooth, full, malty, complex slightly roasted flavor. Orange blossom honey overtone. Very pleasant!
Imperial Mujiang Golden Bud – Yunnan Sourcing – Buttery at first with lemon finish, full, honey sweetness. Nice!
Flowering Cones – Mandala – light, sake sweetness, citrus
Flowering Yunnan Feng Qing Black Tea Canes – Yunnan Sourcing – smooth, full, buttery, slight molasses, astringent. On second infusion, the taste is still very full, but it is sweeter without any of the astringency. Nice!
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