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KiwiDelight drank Himalayan Golden Black Tea by Nepali Tea Traders

371 tasting notes

From the Regional Group Buy.

First brewed in a ceramic infuser mug, then in a glass tumbler with the same infuser.

Himalayan Golden Black looks somewhat like black Bi Luo Chun: small, downy, golden-tipped black curlies. My favorite aspect of this tea by far is the aromas. The packet is filled with the fragrance of bitter dark chocolate. I let the leaf sit in the pre-heated mug, covered, and this brought out cinnamon and cocoa powder. Ready for baking! Made me think of those microwavable cakes in mugs.

At first, I follow the packet instructions: 1 teaspoon per 8oz for 3-4 minutes. I like to get out as much as I can with loose leaf tea in general, so I go with 3 minutes. This produces – in spite of a rich golden color – a weak infusion. The chocolate flavor tastes watered down. I brewed the second infusion for 10 minutes. Even worse.

I couldn’t leave my experience with this tea at that since I didn’t think it’d be fair. I have another go-around with it later. I simply double the leaf amount. And this time, I timed the first infusion for 4 minutes. Much better results. Once I get passed the tannin and malt, the liquor is very flavorful and rich with notes of fudge-frosting brownies, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Liquid dessert. The next and last infusion is timed for 9 minutes and it tastes the same. (I had used a glass instead of the mug this time. Huge difference. I’m not brewing black/red tea in thick ceramic ever again.)

You may want to double the amount of leaf if you acquire this. It’s worth to do so. I’m very glad it worked out. The packet parameters make work for you – no harm in messing around.

Preparation

Boiling 8 OZ / 236 ML

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Bio

I began drinking tea because its complexity fascinated me. I love learning about its history, its manufacturing processes, and its place in various cultures.

Japanese greens were my first love and gateway into the world.

My favorite teas are leafhopper oolongs, pu’erh (shou and sheng), and masala chai. My favorite herbal tisanes are spear/peppermint, lavender and chrysanthemum.

I’m currently exploring pu’erh, and any Chinese and Taiwanese teas in general. I’m not much into flavored teas, unlike when I first started. The only teas I truly dislike are fruity tisanes and the ones that have too much fruit. I do like hisbiscus, especially iced.

I like to write nature essays. I’m a birdwatcher as well as a tea enthusiast. The kiwi is one of my favorite birds. I also like Tolkien, Ancient Egypt, and exercising.

IMPORTANT NOTE, PLEASE READ: After two and a half years of having an account here, I will no longer will provide numerical ratings as an addition to the review because the American school system has skewed my thoughts on numbers out of a hundred and the colors throw me off. Curses! My words are more than sufficient. If I really like what I have, I will “recommend”, and if I don’t, “not recommended”.

Key for past ratings:

96-100 I adore absolutely everything about it. A permanent addition to my stash.

90-95 Superb quality and extremely enjoyable, but not something I’d necessarily like to have in my stash (might have to do with personal tastes, depending on what I say in the tasting note).

80-89 Delicious! Pleased with the overall quality.

70-79 Simply, I like it. There are qualities that I find good, but there also are things that aren’t, hence a lower rating that I would have otherwise like to put.

60-69 Overall “meh”. Not necessarily bad, but not necessarily good.

0-59 No.

If there is no rating: I don’t feel experienced enough to rate the tea, or said tea just goes beyond rating (in a positive way).