Fujian Golden Monkey 'Jin Mao Hou' Black Tea

This one is from Ost a while ago now.  Thanks, Ost!  Sadly has a ‘drink by 2016’ on the bag, but we’ll see how it goes.  I’ve had this a few times and think it’s best at this point with two teaspoons.  The leaves are large with only hints of the namesake gold.   The flavor most reminds me of a Fujian black and then forgot that this IS a Fujian tea (face smack)— cocoa powder with a hint of smoke but also something that can remind me of lychee (so not really that much of a Fujian black in flavor, I don’t normally get lychee with those). The second cup is more sour plum and rye bread, so the change is interesting.  A malty, rustic tea, seems aged somehow (and I don’t mean from 2016) that seems perfect for this time of year.  I liked how I steeped this, note to self.  This seems to be holding up with age, but these poor What-cha teas certainly deserve better.  I just checked and luckily other than this tea, it’s just some small What-cha oolong samples that comprise the What-cha part of my collection.  I like samples.  Samples are good.
Steep #1  // 2 teaspoons for full mug // 18 minutes after boiling  // 2 minute steep
Steep #2  // just boiled //  3 minute steep
2020 Sipdowns: 72 AprTea -Fenghuang Dancong Oolong Tea Honey Rhyme Mellow Grade One

Third tea of the day, getting a bit of caffeine before class. Did this gongfu style because why not. Malty, smooth, and a nice caramel undertone. As others mentioned, mouthfeel is thick and satisfying. Good kick of caffeine as well, of course. Not much more to it. Very nice black tea.

A wonderful morning tea.

Excellent!!!! I have tried many Golden Monkey tea, and my search is complete. This is the best I’ve tried. The Fujian region never disappoints me for tea. My favorite silver needle comes from here. As another one noted, this tea is the perfect everyday tea. But I will have to stretch it out until there’s more of this tea(What-cha is out of stock at the moment). It’s just tasty, slight malt, no astringency.

Smooth malt and a faint hint of caramel sweetness. This tea is simplistic in flavor, but pleasant, with a thick texture and no bitterness whatsoever.

MMmmmmmm this is why I love Fujian black teas. It’s fun, it’s malty, it’s starching, and there’s just a hint of chocolate. Not my favorite – my a really nice example of a Fujian black tea.
Thank you Sil for sharing.

This is the one I pulled out this morning (still haven’t unpacked the tea box; just stuck it in the cupboard for the time being) It was luscious and smooth and warming. It’s been a bit nippy in the mornings in my new garden level apartment, so tea is welcome. I think all this physical labor has worn me down. This morning I was yawning and dragging before my first hour at the day job was over. I needed a pick me up and this tea delivered.

A great everyday-any time black tea. Smooth, beautiful color. Good hot or cold!

Happy weekend, everyone! I hope you all have fun weekend plans, I’m going to head to the Asian market today and then try my hand at making ramen. Excited! I felt like a nice smooth Chinese black tea this morning, so I plucked this little packet out of my pile of What-Cha samples. I’ve tried a couple of other Golden Monkey teas, but it’s been a few months and though I remember liking them, I don’t remember specifics about the taste. The leaves are medium-sized and rather thin and twisty, and they have that fragile, brittle look about them. They’re a dark chocolate brown in color with just a few golden tips included. Dry scent is quite roasted and has strong rye notes.

This is pretty yummy! It has a definite Fujian taste, with that rye bread and caraway seed flavor and strong roasted notes. It’s also very malty and smooth with a thick, silky mouthfeel. I can pick up a bit of unsweetened dark chocolate. However, the most interesting part of the sip is near the end, where an interesting fresh fruit note comes out. It reminds me of fresh, slightly tart cherries or plums. Yummy. :)

This is another tea that surprised me! But in a good way finally! XD
I picked up 50g of this tea in my first What-Cha order because I was sure I’d like it! Well I was finally right for once. xD
So the steeping aroma smelled pretty malty, which is always exciting!
When I began to drink, chocolate and cocoa notes emerged from the tea. And better yet, there was a soft undertone of sweet potatoes. All four amazing flavors in one!
I was honestly not expecting it to be that complex. I really enjoyed the layers of this tea. I really didn’t expect it at all.
It’s not very sweet, probably due to the chocolate, cocoa, and malt notes combined. But it still is quite nice. Really happy to have gotten 50g of this-definitely worth the money! :D