Imperial Gold Needle Yunnan Black Tea

sad to see this one go. I started my morning out with this one as there are still a few things to be doing around the house as we have friends coming over for dinner and board games…and i’m still working as some things came to light from last night’s testing that i need to sort out. I love this tea and i can’t even explain why. there’s something about it that just makes me want to drink it. Plus the leaves always make me smile :)

I’ve been avoiding steepster for awhile. I’m back.
YS is the company I buy the majority of my teas from, and this one is among my favorites.
Today I’m attempting to compare the Spring and Fall versions of this tea, both from 2015. So far all I can really say is that I enjoy them both, but the Spring rendition is probably preferred over the Fall. Why?
It has a sweeter taste and a creamier mouth.
Also, the Fall version is a little heavier in the kind of grassy hay-like flavor.

Having said that, I will happily drink either one of them on any day of the week!

I like this one a lot more than I expected to! I’ve made it gong fu style style and am on something like my 5th steep and it’s still going strong. Chocolaty, sweet, malty, not hay-y like I was expecting. This is a great cup. Thanks Terri Harplady!

Autumn 2013
This was an excellent tea which I enjoyed over six steepings. Upon opening the package, I could immediately smell the vibrant floral qualities of the tea. The tea was very fragrant, and smelled wonderful- a scent matching the beautiful leaves.

The dried leaves were a rich golden color, and were very straight and pointed. The brewed leaves retained the wonderful qualities of the dried tea, and produced a very refreshing brew- a bit of maltiness, floral notes, and a sweet aftertaste with hints of chocolate in the finish. Each steeping changed only slightly, increasing in floral notes.

Friend not invite you to a wedding? Cuppa. Frustrated because Priceline’s customer service doesn’t seem to be taking you seriously? Cuppa. Nothing calms one down like a cuppa. Especially when it’s a cuppa that has so many interesting aromatics and flavors. I’m on my second gong fu steeping. Didn’t have time to fully enjoy the first one because the time before school is hectic. But every sip I take gets me closer to calm and brightens my palate. (okay… I’m sensing a need for a song parody of Every Move You Make) There is so much going on in this cup. Sweet. Sugar cane. Citrus. Woods. Bits of cocoa. Leather. Oaks and cedars. The aroma is musty, earthy, old wood house.

A really nice Dianhong. I got the Spring 2022 harvest of this tea from my YS order, and I got to say it is quite nice! Strong and complex taste with a nice aroma, a moderate finish and a nice chaqi. I felt that this tea could do better in terms of texture, which was quite rough and chalky, and in terms of character. If it offered a bit more, I would’ve highly recommended it to everyone I know, but it gets a decent recommendation for now.

[Spring 2019 harvest]

This is a very elegant black tea with a lot of complexity, especially in its aromas. The first infusion tends to not be very interesting, but once it picks up steam, it’s very easy to enjoy the tea.

Before the rinse, I can smell aromas of cherry, caramel, and roasted grains. On the other hand, a range of scents present themselves afterwards – including molasses, berries, rum, chicken broth, chestnuts, and various spices.

The taste is sweet with flavours such as those of roasted onion, cocoa, tree bark, malt, lemon zest, and licorice. In the aftertaste, I also detect vanilla and some rose-like floral notes. The body is medium, but the texture is smooth and viscous, which definitely helps the experience.

Arby Advent Backlog
I prefer a maltier black tea, so I thought this was just rather light and all right. Just not my preference!

(sipdown of an older sample from Mackie)

I think this has long some of its flavor because it was the 2015 harvest. The first cup I added some soy milk hoping to bring out the rich cocoa notes. It didn’t give a lot of flavor, so my second steep I went with half of the water and only water, also I used boiling water instead of the moderate temperature I normally use. The second cup was much better and it steeped a rich amber-brown and had a distinctly cocoa flavour. It also gets a bit tannic if you let it steep too long, so be careful. I get an acidity but also smooth malty notes.

Yes, this is good too! Another magic black tea strikes again! I looked more into my previous black tea apathy, and it struck me that I actually have more black teas in my cupboards than any other tea type (including oolong). Seems I’m generally not picking up the right black tea for me. Maybe I need to go for more of this and less of the flavoured stuff.

Thank you for sending me some of this beautiful tea, Arby!

Steep Count: 2

(2017 harvest)