Ancient Golden Yunnan

Morning cup. It’s very unusual for me to be up this early as I’m a high school student in the midst of my summer break, it really only happens when I can’t sleep and that is the case this morning. But on the bright side, I’ve got lots of lawn work to do and this way I’ll have more time to do it – I just hope I don’t fall asleep on the job! I hate sleep deprivation…

This smooth yet brisk tea should help wake me up a bit. I’ve already got a list of things I’m going to buy with the money I’m going to earn from this work, and those things are… wait for it… TEA! But first I’ll have to explain that to my parents as they shake their heads in disapproval and tell me how much of a waste of money it is and yada yada. They’ll never understand. Well, good morning!

This tea has beautiful black and gold leaves and a rich malty peppery taste. This is a robust tea with a raisiny smell and caramel notes. Its mellow and smooth, no bitterness or astringency that usually accompanies assam and ceylon teas. Yunnan is one of my favorite teas.

I think this is my third review of this tea.

I’ve been sipping it constantly since I made a pitcher last night. I made two quarts with eight teaspoons of this yunnan, and one teaspoon of the DeKalb Farmer’s Market’s lemon Ceylon. You can’t really taste the lemon, but that’s alright. I’ll know next time to use more.

This is my last caffeinated tea of the day and I’m glad that I picked this one! It has a great peppery bite with a great caramel sweetness towards the end of the sip. I can tell that I need to spend more time with this tea in order to fully appreciate its complexity, but I do really like it!

Golden Yunnan – Rishi

I needed something to lean on after today…I actually started my day with this and revisited it this afternoon as well. It didn’t leave me hanging.

There is something so warm and pleasing about this Yunnan tea. All week, while I was battling migraine headaches and various aches, this was the tea I was craving. It has a great cha-qi (energy) that comes from these big leaves and golden buds. Sweet yet malty with a nice robust flavor and aroma that lingers on and on. This is definitely “comfort in a cup.”

Drinking this again today because I really like it! Although I should probably stick to teas today that don’t have caffeine because I am jittery enough as it is. My sister-in-law is going to have a baby today or tomorrow and sadly they are in Texas which I hate. And I leave tomorrow for Michigan to meet my boyfriend’s family. So, yeah. I have a lot of nervous energy running through me. Definitely gonna be packing this in my suitcase for my trip!

The leaves are beautiful with black and gold interspersed. The tea itself is black as coffee but smells like resin and what I have come to identify as the elusive malty fragrance and something else. It tastes marvelous with notes of caramel, cocoa, malt, and sweet tea. It is what I need this morning before my run.

This is one of my favorites when I want a strong, flavorful black tea to help wake me up. I get notes of raisin, chocolate, cola caramel, and sort of a baked-goods kind of feel from this tea. I find that adding a pinch of Truvia helps bring out the flavors. This is a full-bodied, well-rounded tea.

In the morning, I want an in-your-face, take-no-prisoners sort of black tea. I want it to rip the everlasting sleepiness out of me. I want something that barks. A loud, vicious bark. Caffeine is not the sole driver of this. Flavors, feelings, textures all play their part. A lively, energetic harmony. Enter stage: Rishi’s Golden Yunnan.

The dry leaf is dusty and earthy with some sweet notes. The wet leaf has a strong-muscular earthy tone. The liquor is less fragrant than the dry and wet to my nose. Sipping this tea is experiencing a certain polarity; a bold crispness and a sweet smoothness live in friendly coexistence. The bold elements play in the front of the mouth. After sipping, there are crisp peppery notes that dance on the tip of my tongue and the back of my lips. Awakening. Spirited. Sharp. The back of the mouth is a different story and experiences a nice smooth sweet flavor. A mild caramel note. The aftertaste in the back of the mouth is one of relaxation with little to no astringency. Softening. Balancing. Overall, it’s a bit Jekyll and Hyde, but it works.

This is one of my go-to morning black teas. It’s strong and biting enough to wake me up, but with enough smooth and sweet notes to not be overly bitter or jarring. This tea is the pit bull that exhibits an angry face and barks like mad. But once you get to know this scary canine, the mutt is really quite a softy. Don’t be shy, rub the belly of this pup.