Yunnan Black Organic

Om nom nom…I think I might have found our household breakfast tea. This really is full-bodied and malty (I think I finally understand what malty is..or maybe not..meh). It’s also suitable for members of the household that might not be as tea-crazed as this one is (i.e my husband). There have been only a handful of teas that he has tried and liked. When on a whim I asked him to try this one as I was impressed by the first sip, he actually really liked it. It always makes me happy to share good tea :)

Bonus note about Silk Road Teas – I had a small teapot in my order and the lid arrived broken. I called to ask for a replacement and they apologized and were really nice about it, and asked about the packaging so it wouldn’t happen in the future…all in all a great customer service experience (part of me always expects hassles when dealing with stuff like that). It was my second order with them and I will probably order again. The only thing that bugs me a little is that they only do 4oz increments of tea, which is more than I usually like to order at once of a tea I haven’t tried (although the price per oz. ends up pretty good).

Another one from Nicole, thanks! I’m not sure if this is the correct tea to post this under. The package says Yunnan Gold but that doesn’t seem to fit any of these Silk Road Teas on Steepster correctly. These leaves are gorgeous, a nice amber gold. The cup is darker than I would expect from such light leaves (the color of the brew actually looks like coffee rather than an amber color), but sadly not as distinct as I would like in flavor. It’s just a solid black tea… not really any flavor notes that stand out. Nothing I dislike, just not unique enough when I’d like to drink a black tea.
Steep #1 // 2 teaspoons for a full mug// 15 minutes after boiling // 2 1/2 minute steep
Steep #2 // couple minutes after boiling // 4 minute steep

Hm. Thought I had not only put this in the cupboard back in October, but also thought I had reviewed it. Ah well. :)

I have this in sachet form. I packed up a couple to take along with me for being a tea snob at restaurants. :) I used one this morning at breakfast. It steeped up decently, despite a water temperature that was too low by far.

I’ll review based on both previous experience and this morning. This is an okay tea. It’s more of a blunt instrument than other Yunnans that I have become addicted to over the last year. Earthy, some malt, some dust. A few of the rough edges are knocked off when steeped in a lower temperature water. It’s better than the normal bagged offerings in restaurants but nothing I’ll restock when I have others that I enjoy far more.

Water temperature at home: 205F-ish; at the restaurant best guess is 160F.

Tea of the super early morning. I am loving this a bit more every time I have it. A delicious yunnan, malty, peppery, chewy. Makes a great breakfast tea with a splash of soymilk. I may need to make it part of the permanent collection. :)