Organic Yunan Gold

The tin on this teas states that one should steep for 3 minutes…I did 4. My first sip was caramel notes. For me the tea was much smoother, malty and no bitterness or astringency. I also get the peppery finish I’ve come to expect from Yunnan teas. Four minutes is my new steeping time for this tea. It was so much more enjoyable for me that I need to up the ratings a few points. I’m still getting caramel notes as the tea cools. This one is on its way to becoming my favorite yunnan. Rishi step aside. I just love yunnan teas.
3g/8oz

Yum..I’m getting warm sweet bread again—in both the aroma and first sips of the freshly brewed liquid.

As the tea cools, I’m getting more of an unsalted, soft pretzel flavor. It’s still very bread-y to me. Scented with hints of freshly grated black pepper.

Toward the bottom of the cup, the flavor is like a Carr’s® Table Water® Cracker!

How is it that a tea can taste so much like baked wheat flour?

A very comforting cup! All of the flavor of wheat-laden baked goods with none of the bloat or empty calories!

I ordered this the other day when it was on the Steepster Select deal. Not surprisingly, I received it the very next day because I live in the same state…

First, I have to say, that the tea is really packed in this tin, not that it is crushed, it is loosely in the tin and has room to move, but man, did they fill the tin, as in, I opened it up to smell it and lost some tea. Fantasticly full :)

Second, kudos to you Leafspa, you did a fantastic job advertising, you really got your name out there and then with this fantastic deal on Steepster Select (half price tea, how could I say no?) you sealed the deal.

Thirdly, the packaging is the most detailed I have ever seen. The label on the tin has everything you could possibly want to know about the tea. I was especially impressed with the infusion instructions and a warning so you do not oversteep: because as the package spelled-out “tea will become bitter”.

I brewed two scoops in my 22 ounce beehouse pot. Brewed 2 minutes, hot, no additives. This tea is very good. The leaves are definitely high quality, they are mixed gold and black curls of tea. The smell is peppery and black tea. The infusion makes a copper colored liquor. The aroma is again, peppery, black, a little earthy and distinctly Yunnan tea. The tea flavor is delicious; earthy black tea, with a peppery note coming up at the end of the mouthfull and finishing with a slight aftertaste (of pepper).

I did not get the smokiness I was hoping to get like I did with The Tiger, but I think that might be from infusion time. I will rebrew this again and see if I can get the smokey flavor I so desire. Overall, very good tea, definitely worth trying.

Like most people I picked up this tea when it was offered on the Steepster Select. Good advertising, BTW LeafSpa.

I wasn’t expecting the canister to be so full, so I almost spilled it when I pried opened the lid. The appearance of the leaves seems similar to most Yunan teas I’ve seen – although they’re smaller than some of the prodigious leaf curls I’ve seen. They’re mostly black in colour with little flecks of gold here and there. The smell of the brewing tea sort of make me think of a pu-ehr, only much lighter – it has that same sort of earthy scent with notes of tanins and maybe something a little spicy.

Taste-wise I’m not picking up the pepper people always talk about when it comes to Yunan teas – maybe there’s something wrong with my taste buds. To me it’s more or a slightly smokey, earthy/tanic flavour with some faintly (and not unpleasently) bitter notes.

Got this in yesterday from the Steepster Select offer. I’ll echo everyone else’s description. Yes, they did pack a lot of tea in the tin. What I am most impressed by is the simple, but perfect packaging. A plain steel tin with a tight fitting, friction fit lid..all wrapped in their paper lable. Simple, elegant, infinitly reusable.
The tea is as the picture, small black/gold leaves. The smell is earthy, but clean—not musty or moldy. I did my tea a bit on the short side compared to others. 1tsp, 90 seconds, 205deg water. Got a nice rust colored brew. Medium boldness, no astringency as others have noted as well. Smooth, slightly earthy…a good black tea flavor with no grassy tastes.

I’ve been holding off on rating this one, because I was actually a little disappointed by it. I haven’t had a lot of Yunnan teas, but Rishi’s China Breakfast and Samovar’s Breakfast blend have apparently spoiled me, because this tastes weak. I mean, it’s a good flavor – I will happily drink it – and it has the earth/pepper/smoke/malt flavor, but it doesn’t have the depth and kick I’ve gotten from those other two. I need to use a heaping teaspoon, maybe even 2 tsp, for 8 oz, and when I’ve tried for a second steep it’s been noticeably weaker. Now, if you prefer your black tea without additives this might be good for you, but I like milk, and this tea struggles to hold its own.

I’m happy to have tried this, it was a fantastic deal on Steepster Select for organic tea, but considering that Rishi’s is also organic (and priced similarly) I’d be more likely to buy there next time.

As this cools, I am getting some really interesting, almost puerh-like, flavors. This is certainly the earthiest black tea I’ve had, and might be a good one to try if you’re wanting to ease into puerh.

My tin was full to the brim as well, and the top of the tin is very tight — which is good for the tea, but not so good for my newly cleaned countertop. At least it was the countertop, not the floor, so I could salvage…

It’s very tippy, giving it that (brown) salt and pepper look that I find so appealing. The dry leaves have the soil-like smell of some Assams, but with something stronger, sweeter and vaguely bready (as opposed to yeasty) about it. Bready good. Yeasty (unless winey or beery or bready) bad.

It makes a medium-dark amber liquor with a bready aroma. I totally get what Stephanie mentioned in her note — warm, sweet bread. It leans toward, but doesn’t completely reach maltiness of the type I recall from the Numi Chinese Breakfast. It isn’t the sugary, yam-like orgy of complexity that was the Samovar Yunnan Golden Buds. But it is quite nice.

It has a thick, substantial mouthfeel which adds to the perception of breadiness. I would not have identified the pepper note without reading about it here, but now that I do, yes, that makes sense. It’s not a spicy pepper though. It’s like the flavor of pepper without the spiciness.

A nice, all-purpose, Yunnan black tea.

What a magnificent tea!
I’ve been away (and life with tea bags is not fatal, actually, it’s just not nearly as much fun). I returned home and at the first opportunity rolled the die I got from RABS in the ongoing enchantingly marvelous Tea Geek Game. I rolled a “4” (I still have not rolled a “1” or an “8”) and got this tea: Organic Yunan Gold.

The dry tea has a pleasant aroma—earthy and a bit spicy but the dry aroma does not really give up the multitude of nuances the steeped tea will reveal.

It’s an exceptionally good Yunan and Yunans are amongst my favorites along with Lapsang Souchongs and Keemuns. I loved the play of flavor: the characteristically malty taste of a good Yunan is always a deep pleasure for me. In addition, I picked up on the peppery taste (before I had read the notes of others here) and loved it. It seemed as if each sip was a little bit of a yeasty pepper dancing a tango with some fleeting but at least momentary distinct overtones of chocolate and/or chestnut.

Overall, however, I’d say that this tea is unique in that I know of no other tea that brings in so much pepper in such a graceful way. It’s a bit tangy but not so much that the other tastes are overwhelmed. Although I didn’t need it, I think that this tea would do very nicely with milk and/or sweetener.

Another great selection from RABS, my teamonger of choice!

Be sure to read Cinoi’s tasting note on this one – it has some great details and I agree with a lot of it! She also has had other Yunans, and this is my first. I also want to echo that these tins are packed full – I heeded Cinoi’s warning the first time I opened the tins and was grateful. I sorta forgot about it this morning and had some spillage. D’oh! I also love the packaging, the Select deal, and the good service. I’m already getting a sense of loyalty toward LeafSpa.

Both dry and steeped there’s a black tea smell, but it’s different than others I’ve smelled. It’s more subtle and…I just don’t know. Super-subtle maltiness. And it took me reading the note to understand this other taste was pepper (and I don’t think it’s power of suggestion on this one). I just haven’t had many dishes with good pepper in my life so it wasn’t on my mind. This truly is one of the more complex black teas that I’ve had.

Second steep I had the water at 200 and added a minute. I think 200 shall be my set temp on this one. The first steep was supposed to be 195, but I’m still figuring out my newfangled kettle, so it was closer to 191. There’s still pepper, but the complexity just went to a new level for me. This is getting beyond my descriptive powers. It’s like a very shy carmelized sugar came along and keeps peeking out from behind a curtain of peppery black tea.

I never would have tried this tea without the amazingly generous Steepster Select deal – so thank you to all who made that possible! I still cringe at the price a bit, but after having experienced this tea I am willing to pay full amount. There wasn’t a teagasm with this one, but I think I was so lost in trying to peg down the tastes. It was more like a courtship that lead to love. More than NE.

This is a great tea. The leaves in the tin are similar to the photo: black leaves w/golden tips. The brewed tea is bold but not astringent/brisk/bitter. Definitely strong peppery notes were detected. As the tea cooled, I noted a malty flavor…

A few days ago, I brewed Adagio’s Yunnan Gold, which was a milder tea (almost bland) as I recall. Based on memory, this is a more flavorful option…Ideally, I need to try these side by side…