Golden Yunnan

As some other tasters have noted, this is certainly a high quality tea.. However, it was not for me. It is a very strong, tobacco-y yunnan. The earthiness is nice, but the tannins are also very present, which gives it a little more acidity than I like.
I would suggest this tea to anyone who likes a tea with complex flavor that still packs a punch!

After a restless night, I chose this black tea as my first cup from my Steepster Select box. I opened the packet, usually good for one cup, and noticed the amount inside was much more than what I usually use for a cup, so I may have been conservative on the first steeping. I also steeped it to recommended directions, whereas I would probably steep a black for longer.

With that being said, the cup came out light and somewhat crisp, like a silver needle white tea, but with the sweet undertones that reminded me of an English Breakfast tea.

Though I used less than recommended, it is clear that this is not a strong black tea. I prefer much bolder, stronger black teas and was expecting that, I did find it enjoyable. I’ll be sure to try again with more tea and perhaps a longer steeping time.

Nice aftertaste not bitter

VISUAL: The dry tea leaves are gorgeous! Golden and green and feathered like dried flower petals. The tea itself brews to a beautiful rich dark caramel color. Surprising considering how light golden and green the dried tea is.

SMELL: I was surprised by this one, the first whiff smells very similar to an Assam tea like Irish Breakfast, although with more subtletea. Smelling more carefully reveals more floral and sweeter notes of a Chinese black tea.

TASTE: Oh wow YUM. It’s more delicate than teas from India, and like BrewTEAlly Sweet mentioned, not at all brisk. Others have already described this one perfectly, tobacco leaf and rich sweetness. Very smooth and creamy mouth feel.

PREPARATION: 16 oz of water, just off a boil, steeped for 2 minutes (stopped short of the recommended time because it tasted pretty perfect already). I don’t generally add any sugar to my fine teas but tried it on the recommendation of my fellow steepsters Michael Cutillo and Julie Stiles. A pinch of sugar did bring out the flavor nicely. Thanks! (For my second steeping I left the sugar out, call me a purist).

Oh goodness, this tea is delicious! This first brew i accidentally oversteeped by a bit, but i added a little sugar, and NOM. you mustn’t mind the round, thick, full, honey- and tobacco-esque richness, or you’ll never love this tea. definitely a mouthful! i’ll update if i get in another steep today BUT i’ve spent the morning on another tea, i may have to draw the line here, since this one is REALLY making it’s presence known. YUM!

ON EDIT: nope, had to have a second cup. EVEN BETTER! i’m loving this one, it’s just so rich and creamy, full and thick. i just don’t know how to describe it. important thing to note, however, is that before i added the 1/2 tsp or so of sugar, it wasn’t near as amazing. just accept that this is one of those needs sugar teas, and you won’t go wrong. in fact, based on second brew, i’m ranking this in my tops.

Having this with leftover Chinese food – Vegetable Deluxe with Chow Mein. I forget what the other Steepster Select tea I tried was, but I wasn’t impressed. This, on the other hand, is fantastic. What a nice surprise! I tend to like Yunnan Gold teas that are a bit lighter and sweeter, but this will definitely do! Nice and tobacco-y and chocolatey. Yum yum.

Another sample from long ago from a box of Steepster Select.
Accidentally steeped this for 2 minutes longer than recommended, which is likely causing the bitterness. I am not going to make it through the cup, but it is user error and cannot be blamed on the tea.

https://instagram.com/p/6sBmG4pnhZ-4Ikgjvo6eWpHWE6jK2DtyW_s9E0/?taken-by=kkpeltzer

Good Morning Steepster. I found this ancient sample in my tea stash when I was signed up for the Steepster Select box a few months ago. I like a drink a lot of yunnan teas so I’m not sure what made me wait so long to drink this one (aside from simply forgetting about it).

Have to say I am not overly impressed with this one. I think it’s a matter of personal preference as tobacco isn’t really a flavor I enjoy a lot in tea. Aside from that it seems very thin and light in body even though I used the whole sample to produce my tea, I don’t think I underleafed. There is a bit of sweetness that balances out the tobacco and also pepper.

I can see why this would really appeal to some palettes but it’s just o.k. in my book… also is leaving a very strong aftertaste in my mouth…

The dry leaf smells floral and sweet. There is also something spicy that reminds me vaguely of clove and cinnamon. Once water has been added, I detect that starchy scent that some Yunnans have. The spice is still very present, but I have a feeling that it will lighten up a little as the cup cools.

Sipping… wow, there are some really strong leather and tobacco notes here. It’s very savory, but also has mild notes of sweet potato and milk. This is a decent cup of tea with different layers, but I think it’s a bit too sharp for me. I’m not crazy about the leather/tobacco and pepper combination. Creamier sweet potato and honey flavors would really turn this tea around, but they’re so faint that the tea remains peppery and brisk.

I’m happy to have tried this tea, but I am not all that impressed with this particular Yunnan.

Samples Only TTB
I’m not much one for straight black teas usually, but the leaves were just so pretty that I decided to try this out. On top of being a black tea, the notes of tobacco mentioned scared me. I don’t smoke, so the idea made me think it would be like taking a sip of your soda, just to find out some jerk used it as an ash tray (true story, I was 10).
Thankfully it’s not like that at all. It’s hard for me to discribe the taste, hard pressed I would say sort of earthy, but also kind of sweet. I found this to be less intense than some straight blacks I’ve tried. I added a touch of sweetener and this is pretty darn good.
Resteeped, I like this even more. The sweet notes come out more, and the almost smokeishness is more subtle.
Very glad I got to try this because its something I would have never bought on my own, but I surprising quite liked it.