Yunnan Gold

OK. What is it? The weather? Stress? Why the heck am I so tired tonight? Seriously, I could probably go to bed NOW. Except I’m not gonna.

I don’t know what it is with me and this latest batch of Adagio teas; I’ve been trying to be generous with the leaves, but they’ve all been really mild. I can detect a creamy mouthfeel with this one, and a bit of buttery sweetness, but I really don’t get a whole lot of flavor…

Yeah. I just tasted cup #2, which I’ve left brewing for about forty five minutes. A bit of bitterness, a bit of mushroominess, and a bit of the flavor from the first cup, but it’s all so subtle. Dammit Adagio! What, do you give us these big honkin samples because we have to use three teaspoons per cup in order to taste anything?

No numbers for now. Hey, at least this stuff is waking me up a bit.

thanks so much for the trade, Starfevre! The leaves here are definitely gold and I did notice a peppery fragrance on the dry leaves before reading about the pepper in the description. After a steep of four minutes, the color looks like a beer (I guess I’ll be saying that a lot now with my new clear mug.) The flavors: pepper, cedar, some kind of stone fruit… maybe plums and something even sweeter than that. I wouldn’t call this one a deep, malty chocolatey Yunnan. It is a very light black tea! Very good… very different! I haven’t really had a tea like this one yet. I really love how different teas can be from each other.

1 heaping tsp in 8 oz

OK, this is not nearly as good as I remember! Probably because I’ve had much better teas in the meantime. Thanks for spoiling me, Steepster!!!

The aroma is what I remember, and I really like that Yunnan aroma, but the flavor is practically non-existent, and it’s a little astringent, even a bit bitter. Will try 190 for 3 minutes next time, but I have a feeling this tea (which used to be a fave) will be a no-go for me.

Obviously I liked the Teavivre better, but I see I brewed them very differently. Thank goodness for tasting notes. Will have to try these side by side brewed the same way!

So this is the third Yunnan black tea that I’ve had today and the only one that has tasted even remotely right. Smooth and slightly peppery with slight malty notes but not a lot. After experiencing more black teas (this was one of the first from Adagio I had, one of the first plain black loose leaf teas that I’d ever had), I’m finding it lighter than I previously thought it was. There’s still something not quite right with my tastebuds because something is coming across as sour, especially in the aftertaste, of everything I’ve consumed today, including the croissant I had earlier. Something’s wrong with my sense of smell too, the van I rode home in smelled of urine and if that had been at all correct, I think someone else would have mentioned it, so I think it was just me. Hopefully this will reset after I brush my teeth and go to bed tonight because I’ll be very unhappy if it lingers. And yay, my ‘y’ key is working again!

Another pleasant surprise from the Adagio Black Savant sampler. I really liked the Golden Spring, and Yunnan Gold is really nice as well. It has big, bold, golden leaves that smell slightly chocolatey in the sample tin. It’s a deep, rich, slightly sweet smell. Different from other Yunnans in that I’m not getting a strong malty note, but smells extremely inviting even so.

The aroma does have a tad of maltiness to it, but it’s a very dark, ale-like malt rather than a sweet, chocolate ball malt. Though there is some chocolateness even in the aroma of the steeped tea. It lends an expectation of chewiness to the tea.

The flavor is very much like the smell. Not sweet, really, but smooth and rich. And I get the pepper reference. It’s that pepper flavor without the spicy kick thing that I have tasted in other teas.

Between this and the Golden Spring, I may have to place an Adagio order when all is said and done. I guess I’d throw the Apricot, Blueberry and maybe the Passion Fruit in to this fictitious order, too, if/when I get out of lock down.

2/5/14 Evening pot. 3g/6oz/200F/5min. Oh Yunnan Gold, how I love thee. Your beautiful tippy golden leaves, your aromatic raisin wineyness. Your ruby /mahagony liquor. How you settle in with a sugar cube. I dialed back the temperature slightly for this brewing, and upped the steeping time. I got a great straightforward black tea, tannic and astringent enough to be a good mouthful without being unpleasant. Excellent with a sugar cube.

caveats: Yunnan Gold was the first tea I loved and my emotions may be a bit involved in this tasting note.

Great. Smells like chocolate and pepper. Woke me up earlier and kept me going through my day. Tired now.

I feel like I tried this a few years ago, but didn’t like it. I most likely oversteeped it then, which I was prone to doing. (And still am, occasionally.)

But this time, having a little more basis for what a yunnan should taste like, I like it. The leaves smell bright and sweet, but satisfyingly malty. They aren’t smoky, just smooth and very flavorful. It’s strong enough to be good with breakfast. The description mentions a peppery taste, but I’m not getting it. I guess that comes out if you give it the full 5 minutes.

This would be a good yunnan to have around, but I still prefer Teavivre’s Yun Nan Dian Hong Golden Tips.

Great black tea, with a subtle, peppery flavor and a nice aroma. Not too strong (as with most teas, I think the flavor could be a bit stronger) but it isn’t bitter or too acidic, so it’s smooth and pleasant. The flavor also lingers for a while, so you can enjoy it slowly. Color is a nice golden/copper orange, and looks like the flavor will be stronger than it is.

Yet another sample that is now gone. This one is a perfect example of how I end up with tons of little bits of teas left… when they go away, they make me sad. Flavorful and smooth, it’s not got a heavy mouth feel or much thick feeling to it. I will miss it greatly. Must order.