Hand Curled Golden Buds Dianhong

Sipdown, 144. Today was a rough day at work, and I didn’t get to sit down and drink a cup of tea until the very end of the day. I was very grumpy about the whole thing, so I wanted a comforting tea. I actually drank a session of this gongfu this past weekend, which I didn’t log but was delicious, and I was left with a small amount that would work for a western brew. I didn’t plan to drink it up today, but it seemed like it might help me feel better.

Mmmm, just smelling this made me really happy. I love super tippy golden bud Yunnan teas, and this definitely fits. Brewed western style it is somewhat more chocolatey than gongfu, which I don’t normally associate with Yunnans. Sweet and malty and just all around tasty. I will have to drink a cup of Golden Fleece tomorrow to compare.

I like the new tasting note format.
This time I brewed this tea in a Gaiwan, Gongfu style. And suddenly the whipped cream flavor came out. Startling and nothing that I’ve ever encountered in a tea before.
I wish that Verdant still stocked this. Apart from this being one of the most beautiful teas that I’ve ever seen, I really love this flavor profile, and I haven’t gotten it from other dianhongs.

Welcome to day 2 of little terri’s Ultimate sipdown Extravaganza!
I’m starting my day with a sipdown gongfu session with this tea, from last may’s reserve TOMC. This is a golden dian hong, rolled up into the bi luo style, with a dry aroma that is lightly earthy & creamy, & brings to mind milky milk chocolate. I put it in the hot little teapot & let it sit for a moment to warm the leaves, & the aroma bloomed into honey & canned condensed milk!
5G + 4oz (rinse) X 15/30/45/60 sec.
I like to do my gongfu sessions in rounds of 4, back to back, so that I can see the color of the steepings, side by side, & taste them that way as well.
This first round presented an immediate yunnan thick mouth, light cream & honey, & the 2nd cup was, “Oh yeah, Baby! Bring on the milky cocoa!” My favorite cups were 3 & 4, a rich & substantial cup of honeyed deliciousness, with a growing tongue tingle.
2nd round: 1.5/2/2.5/3 minutes
This set started out a deep mahogany, so rich, thick, & satisfying. As the bass note expanded, the cream faded away. In the final cup there was a hint of bitter wood.
3rd round 4/5 min
I only did 2 cups, as the color & flavor have faded down to a pale caramel color & I was ready for a change.
This brings my total to 397.

My first bundle of reserveclub tea from verdant tea.
I was in the mood for some dian hong. Since i already have some Moijang golden buds dianhong from yunnan sourcing i knew more or less what to expect.

6.5g / 220ml Zhuni yixing.
1m @ 80C
2m @ 85C
3m @ 85C

The taste is the same. But without a side by side brewing i cant say if its the same tea.

It however is very nice. Sweet honeytones in the first cup. Then it turns more chocolately and malty for the second and third cup.

From experience i know that this tea is better suited for gong fu brewing to bring out the most of its flavours. But with a sick 4year old i opted for the easy pot. :)

My first Reserve Club tea from Verdant. I generally like a black tea but I can’t drink them unsweetened so usually gongfu is a no go so I guessed at a Western brewing time and I think I may have oversteeped at 2 minutes. Even with more sugar than normal, there is quite a bit of bitterness. Other than that, this tea tastes slightly bread-y to me, with strong honey notes.

I only drink 2 pots of tea over the day at work so I’ll likely be drinking this for the next 2 days probably. I think I should be able to get 4 steeps out of it anyway. Looking forward to trying the white tea that came this month, though both pu’erhs will likely go into the Traveling Tea Box when it gets to me.