(from my notes 7/06/19)
For the tea of the day, we have Emperor’s Yellow Tea.
The leaves feel like a cousin to silver needle leaves (which are soft and velour like) This one tastes of bittersweet cocoa with hints of orange/citrus and some florals. It’s an easy tea to drink with a mild viscosity reminiscent of very light roasted oolong, but parts of it remind me of a green/white tea.
Brewstye: Gongfu
Tea: 5grams water: 150ml
Temp: 185F
Time: 20s, 30s, 40, 60
The color of the tea brother is a golden, orange amber.
The wet leaf smells of chocolate, malt, cocoa, orange. Later infusions bring out slight florals.
The flavor ranges from bittersweet chocolate to cocoa & florals depending on the steep. There’s a mild viscosity.
Overall, I really like this tea. You need to be careful on the temperature. I brewed once over 185F and it came out just a tiny bit bitter. This really needs to be brewed closer to green tea temps.
Flavors: Cocoa, Dark Bittersweet, Floral, Orange
Other than the temperature constraint, would you say this is similar to a Yunnan gold needle?
Yes. It’s about the same family. YS’s Imperial Golden needle might be a touch sweeter and have more of a malty flavor than the yellow, and there’s no floral notes in the YS’s Imperial GN. If you enjoy one, I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy the other.