I received the absolute most amazing tea package from TreeGal today. I teared up a bit at the generosity. She said she would send me a few teas and then BAM TEAS. There are so many kind people on Steepster. Steepster is one of the nice areas of the internet. :D I appreciate it so much so a HUGE THANK YOU to TreeGal. I can’t thank you enough!
I’m the hugest fan of Frank’s blend of Eggnog Yunnan. It’s probably one of my top 10 from 52Teas and there is some competition there. I was pleased as punch to see the reblend in the 2018 advent (among so many other awesome blends). Even though Anne is usually great at recreating Frank’s blends (or making them better), this one just isn’t the same for me. But the original would be very tough to beat. The main difference is the base tea. Of course, it would be different. It’s not going to be the same source and definitely not the same harvest. But Anne’s golden monkey is almost entirely black with a much bigger leaf. The biggest a tea leaf could get. Frank’s base was much tinier leafed and at least half golden in color which I thought was the perfect base for an eggnog tea. Anne’s base mostly reminds me of a dark roasted oolong tea, which sadly is probably my least favorite flavor profile. It doesn’t have a flavor that I even can tell is anything like a Golden Monkey. I’m not really a fan of the flavor profile that this base tea brings to an eggnog tea. The base tea tastes like cedar or something woody. But that is just my tastes. Maybe others prefer this Golden Monkey. I loved the amount of cinnamon and nutmeg that Frank used in his blend. It was hella nutmegy people. I realized Anne used freshly shaved nutmeg but I think the nutmeg Frank used really immersed into the cup. I can only taste hints of nutmeg or cinnamon here. I suppose the aftertaste that lingers definitely tastes like I was sipping eggnog. On the second steep, I’m really only tasting that roasty base. So Anne can’t win them all, and I had Frank’s blend on a very high pedestal to begin with. Luckily I still have some of Frank’s blend around. I don’t lower ratings on teas, but this blend would get a 72 from me. That darn base!
Steep #1 // 1 teaspoon for a full mug // 18 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 minute steep
tldr: Anne’s base reminds me of a roasted oolong, which sadly will never be my favorite flavor. Sadly this means I loved Frank’s blend more.
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When/if I reblend this one in the future, I’ll be using a different base as well – I had the issue of time not being on my side – I wanted to get a yunnan from my direct from China source but I knew that at the time I would have placed the order, there was a distinct possibility that the tea would not arrive in time for the holiday box so I had to improvise a bit. I found a Yunnan gold that I liked but I knew that it would not be as good as the one that I would have gotten direct from China.
PS: my direct from China source – well, it’s kind of like getting tea shipped on a slow boat from China.
No need to explain. I’m usually a fan of your creations but it’s good to know a different base would be used in the future. Of course I’d want to try it again in the future if it’s a different base!
When/if I reblend this one in the future, I’ll be using a different base as well – I had the issue of time not being on my side – I wanted to get a yunnan from my direct from China source but I knew that at the time I would have placed the order, there was a distinct possibility that the tea would not arrive in time for the holiday box so I had to improvise a bit. I found a Yunnan gold that I liked but I knew that it would not be as good as the one that I would have gotten direct from China.
PS: my direct from China source – well, it’s kind of like getting tea shipped on a slow boat from China.
No need to explain. I’m usually a fan of your creations but it’s good to know a different base would be used in the future. Of course I’d want to try it again in the future if it’s a different base!