87
drank Yunnan Gold by Adagio Teas
2036 tasting notes

Another pleasant surprise from the Adagio Black Savant sampler. I really liked the Golden Spring, and Yunnan Gold is really nice as well. It has big, bold, golden leaves that smell slightly chocolatey in the sample tin. It’s a deep, rich, slightly sweet smell. Different from other Yunnans in that I’m not getting a strong malty note, but smells extremely inviting even so.

The aroma does have a tad of maltiness to it, but it’s a very dark, ale-like malt rather than a sweet, chocolate ball malt. Though there is some chocolateness even in the aroma of the steeped tea. It lends an expectation of chewiness to the tea.

The flavor is very much like the smell. Not sweet, really, but smooth and rich. And I get the pepper reference. It’s that pepper flavor without the spicy kick thing that I have tasted in other teas.

Between this and the Golden Spring, I may have to place an Adagio order when all is said and done. I guess I’d throw the Apricot, Blueberry and maybe the Passion Fruit in to this fictitious order, too, if/when I get out of lock down.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
sophistre

I seem to remember one of the Keemuns being quite good also in a breakfast-tea kind of way, but I can’t recall whether or not it was the Savant sampler or the regular one. I think it was ‘Concerto’, but I could be misremembering.

__Morgana__

I think the rhapsody one comes with the sampler. I’ll be giving it a try in the next few days, most likely.

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sophistre

I seem to remember one of the Keemuns being quite good also in a breakfast-tea kind of way, but I can’t recall whether or not it was the Savant sampler or the regular one. I think it was ‘Concerto’, but I could be misremembering.

__Morgana__

I think the rhapsody one comes with the sampler. I’ll be giving it a try in the next few days, most likely.

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Bio

I got obsessed with tea in 2010 for a while, then other things intruded, then I cycled back to it. I seem to be continuing that in for a while, out for a while cycle. I have a short attention span, but no shortage of tea.

I’m a mom, writer, gamer, lawyer, reader, runner, traveler, and enjoyer of life, literature, art, music, thought and kindness, in no particular order. I write fantasy and science fiction under the name J. J. Roth.

Personal biases: I drink tea without additives. If a tea needs milk or sugar to improve its flavor, its unlikely I’ll rate it high. The exception is chai, which I drink with milk/sugar or substitute. Rooibos and honeybush were my gateway drugs, but as my tastes developed they became less appealing — I still enjoy nicely done blends. I do not mix well with tulsi or yerba mate, and savory teas are more often a miss than a hit with me. I used to hate hibiscus, but I’ve turned that corner. Licorice, not so much.

Since I find others’ rating legends helpful, I added my own. But I don’t really find myself hating most things I try.

I try to rate teas in relation to others of the same type, for example, Earl Greys against other Earl Greys. But if a tea rates very high with me, it’s a stand out against all other teas I’ve tried.

95-100 A once in a lifetime experience; the best there is

90-94 Excellent; first rate; top notch; really terrific; will definitely buy more

80-89 Very good; will likely buy more

70-79 Good; would enjoy again, might buy again

60-69 Okay; wouldn’t pass up if offered, but likely won’t buy again

Below 60 Meh, so-so, iffy, or ick. The lower the number, the closer to ick.

I don’t swap. It’s nothing personal, it’s just that I have way more tea than any one person needs and am not lacking for new things to try. Also, I have way too much going on already in daily life and the additional commitment to get packages to people adds to my already high stress level. (Maybe it shouldn’t, but it does.)

That said, I enjoy reading folks’ notes, talking about what I drink, and getting to “know” people virtually here on Steepster so I can get ideas of other things I might want to try if I can ever again justify buying more tea. I also like keeping track of what I drink and what I thought about it.

My current process for tea note generation is described in my note on this tea: https://steepster.com/teas/mariage-freres/6990-the-des-impressionnistes

Location

Bay Area, California

Website

http://www.jjroth.net

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