drank Golden Monkey by Harney & Sons
157 tasting notes

Thanks Veronica for sending this my way. I was curious to see if it lived up to the hype!

Each sip starts brisk and bold with the flavor of citrus fruits. There’s a little astringency, even though I used water under boiling. (I steeped for 3 minutes instead of my standard 2.) That initial punch of bright citrus transforms into deep, rich notes of cocoa and heavy malt. Heavy, heavy malt that has me licking my teeth and thinking of chocolate cake. It’s crazy rich! There’s a lighter flavor like sweet potatoes and caramel. A little bit of hay, I think. Some honey. (Especially as it cools down.)

Holy wow. I think I would really love this if I tweaked the brewing parameters a bit. Maybe lowered the temp a little more, steeped for shorter times…yeah. I’ll do that with the rest of my sample. No rating until I get it right! I see potential. That initial brisk, biting citrus flavor doesn’t jive with me. Astringent = no. I just hope it’s not a finicky tea.

Flavors: Chocolate, Cocoa, Fruity, Malt, Sweet Potatoes

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I have met such lovely, kind individuals on Steepster and am so glad to have become a part of this community!

Pure black teas are my favorite. I drink black tea daily and I try to keep a variety on hand. I also enjoy white tea, matcha, puerh, and the occasional oolong. In general I try to stay away from flavored teas—especially those with artificial flavorings—but I will make rare exceptions, and I do enjoy a well crafted blend of straight teas. Things I (usually) don’t like: green oolongs, rooibos, straight green teas.

Rating System
90+ The very best! Teas that I always need in my cupboard!
85-89 Teas that I enjoy immensely and will try to keep around.
80-84 Makes a very pleasing cup. I will enjoy drinking them, but won’t necessarily try to keep around. (There are exceptions.)
70-79 Decent, but could be better.
60-69 Mediocre.
40-59 Gross. I might still try to finish the cup.
39 & under Undrinkable. I probably dumped this cup. Depending on the specific rating, I probably threw the rest of the tea out as well.

Some of my favorite tea companies are:
-Whispering Pines Tea Co.
-Verdant Tea
-Mandala Tea

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