Premium Golden Monkey Black Tea

Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Black Tea
Flavors
Astringent, Chicken Soup, Goji, Malt, Mushrooms, Prune, Sweet, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Umami, Wood, Apricot, Brown Sugar, Chocolate, Honey, Caramel, Dark Chocolate, Bitter, Sweet Potatoes, Bread, Cocoa, Fruity, Yams, Flowers, Graham Cracker, Rose, Cream, Tea, Cacao, Cinnamon, Earth, Grapes, Grass, Maple Syrup, Dark Wood, Maple, Nutty, Smoke, Tobacco, Leather, Molasses, Salt, Drying, Fig, Tannin, Grain, Smooth, Thick, Caraway, Hay, Mineral, Savory, Strawberry, Coffee, Butter
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
High
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by TeaVivre
Average preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 2 min, 30 sec 5 g 9 oz / 254 ml

From Our Community

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62 Want it Want it

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231 Tasting Notes View all

  • “Ok, if opening this sample doesn’t make you say, “Oooh!” out loud, then just box up your stuff, send it to me, and go back to drinking soda or coffee or whatever else you were drinking before tea....” Read full tasting note
    100
  • “Good morning Steepsterites! My dad is 80 years old today. Mom turned 79 on xmas eve. They live in Florida, so I don’t get to see them as often as I’d like, but I chat on the phone with them pretty...” Read full tasting note
  • “This tea is so far superior to the one from Teavana in my opinion, and it is probably half the price. It is a tea that can go with any mood, any food. I served it today to youngest and her...” Read full tasting note
  • “Another delicious tea that i took out with me today. Early morning start today to make it in to the spa with nicole for a girls day out. Mani/Pedis, lunch, movie and then dinner with my other...” Read full tasting note
    86

From Teavivre

Origin: Fujian(福建), China

Ingredients: Tea leaves are tight as needles, conspicuous golden tips, slightly curly

Taste: Sweet potato taste, followed with fruity fragrance

Brew: 1-2 teaspoons for 8oz of water. Brew at 194 ºF (90 ºC) for 1 to 2 minutes (exact time depends on your taste – a longer time will give the tea a stronger taste and color)

Health Benefits: Being a fully oxidised – or fermented – black tea, it does not have the same level of antioxidants that our White and Green teas have, however it is still a good source of these and so will also help reduce the risk of cancers and lessen the affects of aging. Black teas such as our Fengqing black also are considered to help prevent tooth decay and help lower your cholesterol levels.

About Teavivre View company

Company description not available.

231 Tasting Notes

89
21 tasting notes

The Leaf: Very thin, needle like, with half being dark black and the other being golden and feathery. The scent is very strong with notes of malt, honey, cocoa, and dry wood.

The Brew: The liquor is a golden brown, clear but with lots of leaf fuzz floating about. The aroma is similar to the leaf but lighter with a slightly more sweet malty tone. The flavor is medium in strength, not too light, but also not overpowering. There is no bitterness and the mouthfeel is very soft. A slight aftertaste lingers for a short time. The flavor is in line with the aroma but with a slight smokiness incorporated as well.

I drink all of my teas cold.

Flavors: Cocoa, Honey, Malt

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 1 min, 15 sec 7 g 17 OZ / 500 ML

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94
4843 tasting notes

Backlog:

I love Fujian Black teas, so I was excited to try this Golden Monkey from Teavivre … I am always so impressed with the teas that I try from them. It has a rich, caramel-y taste with notes of cacao.

A very smooth tea from start to finish with a crisp, dry astringency toward the tail. Sweet, notes of earth, leather, fruit (apricot, raisins), caramel, chocolate, and notes of molasses. YUM!

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/03/23/golden-monkey-black-tea-from-teavivre/

looseTman

YUM!” – Agreed!

mrmopar

Teavivre has some fine teas.

Roughage

This is one of my favourite teas from Teavivre.

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84
694 tasting notes

Tonight was magical. A warm sunny spring day with no wind. A mid-western cyclist dream. A “hilly” ride, with the smell of freshly cut grass and lots of flowering trees. Wind and sunshine on my face! Yep, I was already in heaven and then I had some of this tea. Now, I am sitting here with everyone in bed enjoying a quite house and a warm cup of tea. Can I hit repeat on this day?

This tea is smooth and hearty. I get sweet potato with a bit of what I like to say is a “meaty” finish. There is no astringency. The last part of the sip also has a hint of sweet. This is delicious. I received this tea from ashleyelizabeth in a swap. I was intrigued to try this because I started my loose leaf tea habit with the Teavana’s version of Golden Monkey. I will have to try them side by side. I am curious to see how my perception of that tea has changed. Thank you ashleyelizabeth for passing this along!

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 2 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
Charissa

Although I haven’t gotten any teas from Teavana in a while, I remember at one time buying their Golden Monkey, and it was very good! From what you described, this Teavivre Golden Monkey sounds like it tastes just as good or better. Yes, you should definitely try them side-by-side and see how they compare! (I will look forward to your review!:-)

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1040 tasting notes

Drinking this at work tonight. It’s good, it’s a nice black tea, but there are other Teavivre teas that I like better.
This one just seems a little too – fruity? sweet? something? for me. There is chocolate, there is malt, but there is also a little bitter ? (i don’t think bitter is the right word, but I’m not coming up with anything better).
It’s good, it’s nice, but not something I would restock.

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77
22 tasting notes

1st pot: Somewhat bitter, dark orange liquor. Brewed in the “Chinese Gongfu Way” described on the tea’s website (rinse & discard water, 10s, 20s) in a porcelain teapot.

2nd pot: Brewed in the same way, but it came out tasting like chocolate, more than leather. Maybe the water was a few degrees cooler? This second pot completely changed my mind about this tea’s potential, if you are willing to experiment with brewing.

Flavors: Chocolate, Coffee, Leather, Tobacco

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 0 min, 15 sec 4 g 3 OZ / 88 ML

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84
417 tasting notes

I received this in a swap from ashleyelizabeth. Thanks!

This was a really nice black tea. Casey thought it was excellent. I have more mixed feelings about it. I would have liked this more without the smoky note, or if it had a more robust body. I’m not sure if I would order a bigger quantity of this, but I’m glad I have more to try it again.

Sil

this one has grown on me… i don’t get a smokey note anymore..just rich chocolatey notes heh

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85
41 tasting notes

Thanks to boychik for the sample! I first steeped it western style, 4 grams to 8 oz of 195F water at 1/2/3/4/5 minutes. Aromas of honey, spearmint, cinnamon, and grapes emerged over the various steeps. The cup was creamy, malty, quite tasty! The honey notes were more prominent in retronasal exhale than upon the tongue, but still very nice. The mild sweet potato aspect was most noticeable in the aftertaste, and a citrus note and pleasant bitterness emerged in the cooling cup. Later steeps had a hint of spice in the aftertaste. Overall a very nice cup.

Next I tried the remainder of the sample Gong Fu style just to see what that did (7 grams to 130 ml of 195F water in short 3 to 4 second steeps). Many of the same notes emerged one or two at a time over the various steeps, with sweetness in the early ones and the spice aspect emerging in the middle steeps. Although a decent cup prepared this way, the tea was more enjoyable when brewed western style.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 1 min, 0 sec 4 g 8 OZ / 236 ML
Terri HarpLady

“Retronasal Exhale”
Now that’s an interesting term, which I think is the same as what I refer to as an “after aroma”, which I especially experience with Wuyi Oolongs like Big Red Robe. :)

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139 tasting notes

“What’s in your cup?”
This morning, courtesy of Angel Chen & TeaVivre, I brewed Golden Monkey Black Tea Western style: 7g / 8 oz / 194*F / rinse, 1, 2, 3 min. without sweeteners, milk, or cream. (This sample packet contained 6.8 g.)

Leaf: Fine dark brown, tan, and golden twisted 2 cm long or less
Fragrance: Notes of hay & fine pipe tobacco
Liquor: Beautiful brilliant clear copper
Aroma: Sweet potatoes
Flavor: Sweet potatoes

1 min.: Oh my gosh! YUM! TeaVivre’s Golden Monkey is so rich and so velvety smooth! It has strong notes of sweet potatoes and provides a velvety sensation that gradually develops into a buttery flavor, which persists long on the tongue. I’m in love with this superb tea in just the first cup! Happy Dance!

2 min.:
Liquor: Beautiful brilliant clear darker copper
Aroma: Sweet potatoes with notes of Keemun
Flavor: Sweet potatoes & butter with a fuller-body! Some black teas I’ve tasted are lucky to maintain the same body on the 2nd cup. Many have a little less or significantly less body, but typically not MORE! The buttery sensation continues to intensify.
When is the next major TeaVivre Sale??? I am there now waiting in line …. waiting!

3-min.: A little less body.
4-min.: Liquor: Very dark clear copper. Nearly as full-bodied as the 2nd steep and still velvety smooth & rich.

Impression: This buttery, sweet potato-flavored tea should not to be missed! Highly recommended and a definite favorite!

Thanks to Angel Chen and TeaVivre for their gracious sample of this superb tea!

Method:
RO water re-mineralized with an Aptera filter http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/39532-puregen-aptera-alkamag-water-filter
http://steepster.com/teaware/teavana/39311-perfect-tea-spoon
http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/37731-my-weigh-durascale-d2-660-digital-scale
Brewed western-style conveniently in a tea mug with a brew basket http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/29177-finum-brewing-basket.
http://steepster.com/teas/davidstea/36677-thermometer-and-timer

Flavors: Butter, Sweet Potatoes

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 7 g 8 OZ / 236 ML
TeaBrat

ah, I love a good Golden monkey :)

looseTman

Agreed! I found TeaVivre’s GM to be much more full-bodied than the one from Teas Etc. when following the recommended brewing insturctions of both.

looseTman

Minor editing refinements added.

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90
475 tasting notes

Similar to Teavivre’s Yunnan Dian Hong Golden Tip. Bolder and has a slight earthy taste. Not as sweet, but it is still noticeably sweet and smooth.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 1 min, 0 sec

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79
408 tasting notes

I get this sample thanks to the lovely Dexter3657

This is my first Tea Vivre and first Golden Monkey I think.
After 2 minutes steeping I already get a very dark beverage. It is very malty without being strong.
I detect very nice notes of sweet patatoes, the most proeminent to me, and, behind cocoa notes, tasting more like cocoa powder.

Sadly I don’t get the honey notes promised and this is one of my favourite notes in plain black teas along with mature fruit notes.
This is a pleasant cup of tea, really but probably not my first choice for a black tea cup in the morning.
I can perfectly understand why it is so high rated here oon Steepster, it is just not among my favourites.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 2 min, 45 sec

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