Golden Monkey

This is the first loose leaf tea I’ve purchased. I find it rather tasty, though it tapers of rather quickly in subsequent steepings. At any rate, I don’t plan to get it again because Teavana was way too aggressive when I was trying to buy it, but it was a decent first selection over all, I think.

Well I guess this is kind of a sad story. When I first wanted to get loose leaf tea, of course i went to Teavana. I walked out of there with 8 oz ( I think the guy told me it would last me 1 month…. I guess if I was drinking 5 or 10 cups a day…) of this tea. Not that it’s a bad tea, it actually made me realize that I love a good straight black, but it’s still sitting there months and months later. On teavivre, I could of got more acclaimed tea and for cheaper, I think theirs is about half the price of Teavana.
Other than that, like I said its a good tea, just dont buy it from this company.

I was distressed on a recent trip home to discover that Teavana has discontinued my beloved Celestial Temple Peaks. When asked what they had that was similar, they produced this Golden Monkey, which is twice as expensive and not quite as good. But the dry leaf smelled about the same as the Celestial Temple Peaks, so I bought some.

The leaf for this has less buds in it than I would like. The tea itself has the honey taste that I like in my black tea, but also has a malty note of which I’m not particularly fond. It also has a tendency to get a bit astringent.

Over all, I prefer it to Verdant’s Zhu Rong Yunnan Black, which was big on the malty taste profile, but not as well as Temple Peaks. I anticipate that I will now have to be on a quest for a new black tea.

(Sorry not to elaborate on the taste profile more. I’ve drunk this maybe half a dozen times now, so I figured it was time for a note, but I believe I’m coming down with something so it doesn’t taste quite right today.)

I have Golden Monkey mixed with a bit of Citrus Lavender Sage, and although delicious, I’m not willing to spend so much money on Teavana tea again.

I sprang for this during Teavana’s recent post-holiday clearance event, and while I ultimately found this a perfectly suitable and enjoyable tea, I wouldn’t purchase it at it’s regular (and rather ridiculous) price point. (My first Teavana store shopping experience was also rather uninspiring, but I suppose I’m digressing, and disappointment is probably what I deserve for daring to venture outside of the house.)

The post-steeping color was a gorgeous coppery brown, and the smell malty and slightly fruity. The teamaker’s notes about the lack of astringency are certainly true. In fact, the smoothness caught me off guard. Granted, I usually drink very strong Assams tanned with whole milk, but this tea is smooth and pretty when plain. The second steeping was more floral and even smoother, but still not the best I’ve had.

This is my standard go-to tea right now for when I’m not in the mood for anything specific. This Golden Monkey from Teavana is your typical second-flush tippy tea from Yunnan or Fujian (in this case, Fujian), heavy in golden tips. Because of this, the astringency is very low, which makes it a perfect choice for people who don’t like a bitter tea (just be sure not to steep it for too too long) – the taste is sweet and mellow, and needs nothing added. I would definitely suggest this to people who might not normally be so keen on black teas as well. Has a very nice golden brown color when brewed – taste, smell, and appearance, just a great and relaxing tea, and a good standard choice.

This is a good black tea. I try to have it twice a week. It has a nice simple black tea flavor.

Transports to you to an elegant world of class

9/13/2018 Western brew. I didn’t measure how much tea. 212F/about 3 minutes

Like most Teavana teas, okay but nothing special.

Had this tea with some honey and it had a delightful round taste.