Golden Fleece

I’ve been lucky enough to score several harvests of this wonderful Dian Hong. This time I decided to revisit the oldest in my stash, the awesome Autumn 2013 harvest (now 2 years old), to see how it’s holding up. I keep these well-sealed and out of the heat and light.

Looking at my older tasting notes I see a few changes. The vanilla and slight tart notes are now muted, but the mouthfeel has thickened considerably to an almost syrupy texture. The honey and bee pollen notes are still present, as are the hints of spice, cloves and occasional cinnamon. Overall it’s a little less lively, but the mouthfeel is nothing short of incredible.

I took this through my usual 15 steeps and the flavor kept up right to the end instead of tapering off like it used to. I meant to cold steep the used leaves, but accidentally tossed them in the compost bin (it’s hell getting older).

There are other Dian Hongs I enjoy, but this one still tops my list. It is a truly legendary leaf and I never would have found it without Steepster, nor gotten to try it so long ago without the generosity of Terri HarpLady who sent a sizable sample from her stash to a relative newcomer. I’m bumping my rating from 95 to 100.

A thing worth 1000 words: http://instagram.com/p/9dcoVMliw0

I’ve written rapturous notes about this tea before. It was my first “OMG this is so freaking good I must have so much of it that I never ever run out” (or just OMG for short) tea. I’ve neglected it as of late because I have MANY of those OMG teas now: Special Dark, Golden Orchid, Cocoa Amore, Bailin Gongfu, Wild Monk, etc. And I have a staggering amount of this. I’m so glad.

I read Dexter’s note on this when I woke up far too early this morning and craved the thick honey sweet malty bready slightly spicy flavor that is this cup of love. Usually when I’m this groggy and half-awake, I do something simple: make water hot, dump tea, drink tea.

It’s been too long for this tea, so I got out my beautiful pink flowered pot and its matching cup. I pre-heated the pot and the cup and overleafed the pot and brewed up 16 ounces of pure golden delight: http://instagram.com/p/r1cWGsQx61/?modal=true

I’m sitting here sipping and mmmm-ing. Blissful! And this is playing in my head as I sip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EgB__YratE

Thank you Dexter for reminding me how much I love this.

Updated to note that I went through those 16 ounces of love so quickly and loved it so much I’m making another pot.

Had the chance to try this today thanks to Charlottezero!

This has been on my wish list since I joined Steepster a year ago! It was the mention of the honey notes that got me. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any honey :( All I could pick out of this one was hay, but not too strongly. Thankfully, the hay disappeared after the second steep. I normally enjoy black tea with milk and sugar or agave, but since I am on a diet, I used skim milk and stevia instead and it does not do the tea justice. I snuck a couple drops of agave and milk in the bottom of one of my cups and it made a huge difference. I can’t wait til I am off this diet! I miss my black tea! But it has forced me to start enjoying other teas without sweetener and I find I really enjoy greens and oolongs without additions.

I found this enjoyable enough that I made a Verdant order and ordered this along with a few others I’ve been wanting to try.

Ok, it’s time to write the review of this one…. after two days of drinking the same leaves. What they say is true. This tea just goes on and on and on.

The dry leaves sweet aroma reminded me of Silver Needle but without vegetal notes and with much more depth. No wonder… the leaves are really buds, they are all buds and they are beautiful!

I used 1 gram of leaves for 1 ounce of water ratio and steeped about 4.5 grams. Steeped for just about 4 seconds the first time and then 10/15/30/30 etc… I drank about 5 steeps the first day and then several more the next. I’m still not done with it, I’ve added it to one of my flavoured black teas for some desert drinking later on.

Throughout the steeps the tea was full of body to the point that it actually surprised me especially through the later steeps. I couldn’t believe how much I was getting out of this one. I usually steep my teas around 4 times before I get tired and move on, but for some reason I couldn’t do that with this one. It was just too much left in the leaves… it demanded to be drank again and again. The flavours that really stood out for me were honey and sweet potato. During the second steep I detected cocoa and coffee notes which disappeared in the third steep and were replaced by extra full bodied mouth feel and some maltiness. I have to say 2nd and 3rd steep stood out the most for me because they were just so different.

Overall this tea deserves all the praise it is getting. I’m so glad I got couple of ounces when I had a chance and I will cherish them for as long as I can.

I got a sample of this from IfJuly, and I really appreciate it. This is a great tea. The first tea I brewed this morning was super disappointing, and I’m glad my tea drinking was redeemed. This is a light black tea, one which brews a soft yellow color and has a very fragrant, floral aroma.

The unbrewed tea is really attractive, as it consists of fuzzy golden leaves which are fairly large and unrolled. When the water hits the tea, the leaves release a smell of earthiness and twigginess. The leaves do not unfold, because they are so unprocessed to begin with, and instead grow to a deep brown color.

I am drinking my third steeping of this tea, and I think each steep has been better than the last steep. I’m happy with this tea, and I’m so glad I brewed it.

Another one of those teas I wasn’t sure if I wanted to try. I mean almost everybody raves on it and I am never sure if it is really that good or if it is a peer pressure kind of thing. Well, I don’t think I succumb to peer pressure easily but I love, hear me, I LOVE this tea. Dian Hong is always at or near the top of my favorite list. So no surprise I took to this before it was even steeped. The wet leaf announces malt as soon as the brew is poured. Sipping, I thought honey, brown sugar, and fresh baked bread. It heads towards sweet potato but makes a turn in a different direction. A really satisfying cup. Thanks Terri.

The first thing I noticed about this black tea is the aroma of the leaves after the first steeping, very strongly of honey. However, within that honey aroma, another is hidden. At first I was not able to identify it, although it perplexed me. I realized it is of cinnamon when I started to drink the liquor. There is a slight metallic aftertaste and astringency, however I did not notice this until I reached the bottom of the cup. The second steeping reveals a subtle and pleasant fungal taste. This tea is wonderfully smooth and balanced, although it’s not quite affordable for me.

(large thoughts about his have been made) “Cha dig!” I love it, i brew it Gongfu, I follow Verdant’s Style, I do it all perfectly, that “i love it” isn’t the dumb comment, i legit would love to sit down to this complex tea everyday, it’s limited and expensive and it’s worth it! GET IT!

Wonderful and so easy to drink.

I wold also make it cold from time to time, but no need to add sugar or anything…

The tea is not TOO complex or difficult, which makes it a good tea to drink in the morning as it wont make your stomach hurt. I liked it, but also have others I like more.

WOW! what is this texture?