Golden Moon Tea
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I felt like something sweet this morning, which I typically don’t in the morning. But today my desires drove me to Honey Pear tea, which is one of the sweetest teas I have. The delightfully sweet smell of succulent ripe pears rises from the cup and fills the room with sweetness. The honey smell and taste is somewhat overwhelmed by the pear taste, but notes are there. The black tea at the base is a good non-bitter, non-astringent black. Nice.
Preparation
Does this pear lean toward tartness or sweetness?
Sweetness. Very heavy on the sweetness.
When I get around to putting an order through with Golden Moon [I 100% blame you, by the way] I’m so getting some of this.
They have really good quality tea, I think. I gave my mother a Tea of the Month Club from them, which she has really liked. She enjoys trying the tea and she gives away the ones she doesn’t like as much or keeps them for guests. Each month she thanks me again (which is somewhat embarrassing) so I think it is one of my more successful gifts.
Way to whet my appetite! I’m going to have to get some of this. Sounds wonderful. I’d rather have overpowering pear than just the suggestion of pear.
This is one of my favorite teas. The sweet honey pear flavor perks me up in the afternoon. The sweetness of the black tea, the slight undertone of honey and the lush fragrance of ripe pears make this a perfect substitute for naughty afternoon snacks. Come to think of it, the tea feels a bit naughty. Sometimes it’s nice being naughty, even when you’re only playing at naughtiness.
It was a very hard day and night yesterday and I’m still shaky. So I’m having the Pu-Erh Chai, which is a very serious tea that speaks to me of being grounded on Earth and not burning up in flames of anger or fear.
This is the first Pu-Erh I’ve had that I truly do like. Mixing it with black tea and chai spices was inspired, I think. The earthiness of the Pu-Erh, which has a muskiness in this blend, is sweetened by the tea and spices. The Pu-Erh taste that is so upsetting to my senses when I drink it plain is moderated. The chai spices which can sometimes overwhelm the tea are damped down as well. It is a happy blend that makes all the parts better.
I love this tea. It is dark, almost black in my cup, like coffee. The chai spices are not overpowering and the combination of the earthiness of Pu-erh and the sweet black tea blends perfectly. It has a sweet, salty, slightly smoky taste. On second steeping a slight smokiness intrudes.
Brewed 3 min. 1Tsp raw sugar. Hot.
This is my favorite vanilla tea. Golden Moon has stuck a very nice balance between the tea and the vanilla.
They did this by using a tea that can be called a weaker tasting black tea to allow the vanilla to come out in more prominence than in most other vanilla teas.
Which is awesome for me since I don’t really like black teas that hit you over the head with flavor anyway. There is no tannic bitterness or astringency.
Just a delightful, light vanilla tea.
Brewed 5 min. No additives. Hot.
This is a very dark fermented oolong. The flavor comes very close to being a light black tea but it still holds on to the roundness of an oolong without the tannin taste.
I have gotten 4 good infusions per tsp.
It has a good, woody sweetness.
Brewed 3 min. No additives. Hot
If you like “normal” black tea you’ll like this. It has all of the characteristics of tea that I avoid… including that weird tannin feeling in the back of my mouth, and that strange after taste that I have been told is the sign of a “good” black tea.
So it’s probably very good…. even though I don’t like it. K-Thnks
Brewed 4 min. 1 Tsp raw sugar. Hot.
I was afraid to try this tea. Usually when my friends say “try this black tea” I start making faces and trying to weasel my way out of having to drink it. I don’t like teas that make your face pucker up with tannins and bitterness. I don’t like that weird malt sensation in my mouth. And I really don’t like teas that call themselves smooth and sweet and then leave the acrid water after taste.
This tea is none of any of that. The first cup is a little toasty for me however, tolerable… But if you re-brew this tea it seems that the second cup might be the sweetest, mellowest tea with an after taste that lingers and doesn’t turn sour.
Second brew is totally awesome.
First brew is perfectly fine for a black tea.
It’s gray and peaceful outside but warm and comfy inside. I had the previous cup of malty assam and it left me wanting something more, something maltier and more great flavor. I reached for this tea. It’s an amazing cup that’s a blend no less. Not all blends work well but this one is a mix that has a “wow” factor for me. It’s got a sweet malty pow that stands out and not in a sharp astringent way at all. It’s a bold flavor that with some sweetener really hits the spot. This is a really fantastic tea and will remain on my restock list for likely a long time. If you find something better that has a similar description let me know. For now I will sit back and enjoy this wonderful cup of flavor.
Preparation
Sounds fantastic. Does this tea come in any of the Golden Moon samplers?
I have never gotten their sampler sets, however in viewing their page for them I would be highly surprised if the 31 tea sampler set didn’t have it. I got the sampler as a standalone, which is a dollar. Their sample sizes are small, about enough for 1 cup, so steep it right. I steep all my assams about 2 minutes, no more than 2 1/2. It is a fantastic tea. I have tasted tons of tea and this one is very good… if you like assams.
I’ve had a little experience with assams… however I haven’t had your background so I’m still trying to gain a palette in that regard. Any suggestions?
When I started out on loose teas I didn’t like Assams at all. They were always bitter for me. I figured I must not have found the right ones or they weren’t for me. That was part of the problem I found… but the main problem was steep time. In my opinion, for some reason Indian teas start turning bitter after about 2 minutes of steeping. Bitterness comes from the release of tannins in the tea leaf and those teas seem to release it quicker than most. I love most Chinese black teas and they don’t have this sensitivity I found. You can steep them 3-5 minutes and little impact but Indian teas, Assams in particular, it is much more sensitive. So, combining that with finally stumbling on some Assams that have a nice malty flavoring and I started really enjoying them.
I’m still very picky about my Assam picks. Some even claim to be malty but when I try them they aren’t that malty in my opinion. I have found some that are really good. It varies by the source and by the year even. I’ve had some one year that were very good and the next season they are not good. So each year I go through a sample and trial period trying various places till I find a few that are great and then order more. I have found some really good ones from teasource.com, a shop in MN that I stumbled on, however they are out of stock (OOS) on the ones I’ve found to be really good such as Special Reserve or Panatola. I have also found some from a Portland shop called taooftea.com such as their Golden Tips Assam. The Mokalbari Estate tea from SpecialTeas.com I’ve find is good however it too is OOS. They have had a Salonah in the past but it’s OOS. I’m sure there are others, just can’t keep ordering more and more tea, I already have too much.
Just thought of another consideration. 2009 was not a good year for Indian teas due to the drought. It has resulted in far less tea output hence higher prices. It has also had impact on the flavorings of the teas. Some are saying they are stronger flavors not necessarily in a good way. I haven’t determined if it’s related to the drought or to the randomness of the year and the source as already mentioned.
Try some assams from various sources (get samplers) and try steeping them for 2 minutes or 2 1/2 and see if you find a difference. Hope this helps.
THANK YOU FOR THIS. Seriously, I was just lamenting to Auggy about how my black tea tends to go bitter on me a lot, and I do believe that this is why. It doesn’t happen with all Indian Blacks, and I think that some of them are simply beyond fixing, but I’ll be shortening my steep time down to 2 minutes on a lot of them to see if that helps. FANTASTIC.
Takgoti! You crack me up… some (Indian Blacks) “…are simply beyond fixing” LOL! Yes I hope this helps you start to like some of the great Assams out there!
Eric, I misspoke on that recommended tea from SpecialTeas.com. I stated Mokalbari Estate but I was going from memory (bad idea). I meant Majulaghur Estate Assam. I’m having another cup of it now and it’s really good. I recommend it and it’s for a great price on their site. BTW… I have no connection with any tea source… other than as a customer.
Based on the sample I had previously I finally ordered a canister of this from GM. It just arrived last night. Being anxious to try it this morning before heading off to work I didn’t have time to analyze the tea as thoroughly as I would have liked for this report.
The leaf is really beautiful. It’s long and kinky with black and gold tip coloring. This tea brews up a dark color. I steeped mine for 2:30 to 3:00 minutes (I shut the timer off and failed to remove the leaf so I’m not exactly use where in that time frame it landed.)
The flavor is bold but I wouldn’t say strong. For me it is a rich, complex flavor with multiple notes including malty and fruity. I find it a very enjoyable and terrific taste. I was looking forward to getting more of this after the sample and I am not disappointed. For those who like a malty rich tippy assam, this is a winner!
Preparation
Brewed 3 min at just below a boil. No additives. Drank Hot.
O.K. This is a strange flavor to have to describe and the closest thing I can come up with is the sweet smell of burnt sugar. Not how burnt sugar tastes but the smell it gives off.
The blend with an oolong is a great choice because nothing in this blend is at all sharp. From start to finish it is a smooth sweet cup.
And as a note, this tea is wonderful hot, never ice this tea. The coldness brings out all of the aspects of oolong that should remain hidden.
Brewed 3 min. No additives. Drank Hot.
It’s named correctly. The white tea is surprisingly the dominant flavor with a under current of ginger that lasts though out and leaves a pleasant lingering after taste.
Golden Moon calls this tea “refreshing” and I really would disagree with that. But soothing would be a good word to use.
The flavors are balanced well and this tea can be re-steeped twice with absolutely no flavor loss.
My first taste of this tea… It is fantastic! Based on a tea between a green and oolong tea, the pouchong tea is oxidized only 10-20%. The infusion of coconut flavoring results in a really nicely balanced blend that is mildly sweet and quite refreshing! I will have to order up a canister of this tea.
Brewed just below boiling for 2 min. No additives.
Light Sweet brew. If you like finoccio/fennel you’ll recognize the flavor.
This was my first time seeing star anise and they are ugly ugly little plants but, the flavor is delicious.
The white tea and anise are blended with care to make sure that both are present. This tea is kind of like a three course meal. First you get the initial sweetness from the anise followed by the clean white tea and then an after taste of fennel.
Nothing is overpowering. Very Pleasant.
Re-steeped 3 times and retained good flavor in the brew.
Golden Moon is hit or miss for me, though I’ve only had a few kinds so who am I to judge!