328 Tasting Notes
Thanks to SoccerMom for this sample! I first sampled this last night and immediately thought it was a bolder, richer version of the Adagio version. Then this AM, I broke personal protocol, and tried Adagio’s GM (instead of my usual brisk breakfast) as a comparison and I was still leaning towards the Silk Roads version.
So finally, I did a side-by-side taste test of Golden Monkey from Adagio vs this one. And this one wins “by a nose”. The Silk Roads GM tea brews up a darker color and has a slightly bolder flavor. It is naturally sweet, no astringency, very smooth, not pariciularly smoky, not peppery…
As both teas are priced similarly, $17 for Adagio’s 4 oz vs. $20 for Silk Roads’ 4 oz, I would strongly recommend this tea.
This is just a fun tea. And this vendor has a great deal- 16 blooming teas (each one different) for $12. But, as a negative, there is postage from China to US.. Anyway, I randomly picked a tea and voila!, this is the one that turned up!
The flavor is pleasant, mild, smooth w/a hint of jasmine (but barely jasmine)…
When I previously posted this note, I was asked to compare this tea w/Mountain Malt. I would have to say this one is MUCH BOLDER as would be expected from a CTC tea. But even though it is bold it is in no way astringent or unpleasant. Just a solid, bold black tea for the morning. I will be placing a full order of this tea.
Simple Leaf provides $5 sample packs that are quite generous..
Thanks to RICKY for this sample. This was a fun tea. …Neapolitan ice cream was a favorite at my house when I was growing up so I really looked forward to trying this…Of course, the chocolate disappeared first, and vanilla was the last to go…
On to the tea: First, honeybush is preferable to rooibos. The strawberry flavor predominates. I added sugar and then a bit of milk. Somehow, although I could not detect any individual vanilla and chocolate flavors, this tasted like melted neapolitan ice cream when all 3 flavors blend….
This tea came directly from China and was certainly worth the wait. As an added bonus, they do sell samples.
The leaves are whole, and golden with a malty aroma. They are similar to the picture on the website. When brewed, the tea has no astringency. In fact, it had a subtle sweetness and honey flavor (and I did not add sugar, which is my usual habit). The peppery and maybe malty flavor that is typical of a yunnan was not present. This is not a bold tea so certainly this would not be an AM beverage but it is a nice relaxing afternoon treat. I am thinking I like this black tea (well how can I resist a tea that is naturally sweet…)
This tea has a bold, toasty almond flavor. I can detect the slight butter flavor…. With sugar and milk, this makes a pleasant desert tea. The description references a cinnamon flavor which I did not detect. Personally, this is a plus for me-sometimes, I just don’t want a spicy tea.
So far, I have tried Almond Cookie by SpecialTeas (courtesy of Spokh) , Brioche by American tea room (courtesy of Doulton) and this one. If I had to compare, the Almond Cookie was tasty but cinnamon-y. So, the Brioche and this one is a tie. But Brioche captures more of a baked good flavor…so maybe Brioche wins…
Although I haven’t done a side by side comparison… I think this actually is Almond Cookie from SpecialTeas… just purchased in bulk and renamed.
Note: The above comment is based upon other teas that I’ve tried from California Tea House – and I know that quite a few of the teas they offer are actually SpecialTeas creations.
Are you serious? And I bet CA tea house has a higher price /oz for teas. Though I am not certain that Almond Cookie=Almond Butter. In fact, maybe Almond Butter is similar to Brioche to be honest. When I had the Almond Cookie, it was distinctively cinnamon flavored and this Almond Butter had none…..
You must know the “inner-workings” on the tea blending business….I was wondering about that- meaning when I purchase tea how do I know if I am paying an upcharge just for the name of the company? Especially for unflavored teas- as an example, are other companies purchasing from Uptons, then calling their tea some fancy name and then selling it at a higher price….
I’m sure this is done all the time. SpecialTeas is a wholesaler too and it seems like many smaller tea companies (and even larger companies like Teavana!) source thier teas from them—at least the popular flavors like Almond Cookie, Earl Grey De La Creme and Rooibos Lemon Chiffon. For example, Almond Cookie = Brioche = Almond Butter = Almond Biscotti!
This can’t be ;)!. If this were true, I am starting to doubt my taste buds/taste memory. It really does seem like Almond Butter cannot be Almond Cookie. But then again, with these flavored blended teas, depending on how I scoop my 1 tsp.steeping time/water temp —I may capture more/less of certain flavors….AND each time a batch is blended, some discrepancies may occur.
Maybe this Almond Butter= Almond Pieces from SpecialTeas. I have a sample of Almond Pieces from Doulton. I will compare side by side….
You may be right, though! I hope so! These tea companies should at least tweak the recipes at least, to make it their own! I don’t want to just be paying higher prices for prettier packaging or advertising! Who knows, maybe California Tea House special orders the Almond Cookie with less cinnamon?
I have Almond Pieces and Almond Cookie—Almond Pieces is less sweet and not bakery-like. The flavor is more like almond extract. And Almond Pieces does not have the pretty red safflower petals like Almond Cookie, Almond Butter, Brioche et al.
Being new to the tea world I was sort of shocked to read all this, but knowing a bit of corporate America it made sense. :P Is there a Discussion topic about this where people can list what teas = other teas? I’d find that immensly helpful to keep from repurchasing the same the same teas just repackaged.
True Rabs- this needs to be a thread … I was sort of getting suspicious. I mean as an example, Samovar sells its pu-erh as Maiden’s Ectasy..did they source this tea directly in China or buy it elsewhere and charge a mark-up?
I have heard a bit about this. I think that there are some teas that sell wholesale. One example I can think of is that I think a few tea-sellers out there sell tea from the Metropolitan Tea Company. But do they change anything at all? They don’t use the Metro. Tea Label as far as I can tell. They can use their own label and name but is the tea identical? I’m very curious about this aspect of the tea business.
I am curious about this too! My local tea shop has an Almond Cookie w the safflower petals…I bet it’s wholesaled from the same source…
I can tell you that SpecialTeas does not offer many of their “bits” wholesale (that is, their nuts, etc).
I have not done a side-by-side of Almond Cookie vs. Almond Butter. But, I have done a side-by-side comparison of a couple of other teas from California Tea House vs. SpecialTeas and I can tell you that they are quite identical.
Not all of the small guys out there “resell” tea – I don’t. However, I guess that’s not completely true, because I don’t grow my own tea, and I do obtain teas from wholesalers, as well as additions such as flowers, nuts, fruits, and other bits, but, I flavor it myself and blend it myself.
Another “small guy” that absolutely does not resell their tea is 52Teas/Zoomdweebies.
Definitely CA Tea House uses SpecialTeas. When I looked closely at the SpecialTeas website, I did see some duplicates (blueberry syrup, mango, lemon drop, and pistachio gelato)..but CA Tea House prices are higher..
I have suspected this too. Boo on CA Tea House for not taking the effort to offer original blends! I liked their Earl Grey Creme, but now I know where to buy it direct for less $$.
This seems to be an unpopular blend on this website but I love it for a light night-time treat. This herbal blend mostly tastes of chamomile but the addition of mint and lemongrass provides a pleasant background to the chamomile. This is a soothing tea, so although lemongrass is present, it isn’t very noticeable and certainly does not make this “too lively” for night-time.
And the price is great at about $6 for a medium bag….
Thanks for the comparison :)
ooh i love adagio’s gm, but now i need to try this!