Honey Aroma Golden Needle Yunnan Black Tea

Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Black Tea Leaves
Flavors
Almond, Black Pepper, Bread, Brown Sugar, Butter, Camphor, Chocolate, Clove, Cream, Earth, Eucalyptus, Grapes, Hay, Honey, Malt, Maple Syrup, Mineral, Orange Zest, Peanut, Pear, Plum, Red Apple, Sugarcane, Sweet Potatoes, Bitter, Citrus, Grain, Herbaceous, Thyme, Drying, Floral, Sweet, Apricot, Creamy, Honeysuckle, Smooth, Toast, Nectar, Savory, Spring Water, Stonefruit, Tart, Thick
Sold in
Bulk, Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Togo
Average preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 2 min, 15 sec 5 g 9 oz / 275 ml

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8 Tasting Notes View all

From Yunnan Sourcing

s is a large leaf assamica hybrid (Yun Kang #100 and Chang Ye Bai Hao) grown in Ning’Er area of Simao. Just the buds are picked in the first week of March just as the bud shoots start to sprout after the tea plants awaken from their winter hibernation.

Processed with minimal wilting, and a medium level of oxidation gives this tea a subtle honey and flower aroma and honey-like sweetness.

About Yunnan Sourcing View company

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8 Tasting Notes

74
1904 tasting notes

This isn’t my favorite- it’s a bit boring. A little bit of a sweet, honey flavor but it’s mostly pretty bland.

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90
1049 tasting notes

Here is a slightly more recent sipdown of mine. This one came from either early or mid-September. Considering that many of the reviews I had seen were mixed, I did not expect to like this tea all that much. Well, it ended up surprising me. I found it to be an excellent offering overall.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a quick rinse, I steeped 6 grams of loose tea buds in 4 ounces of 194 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was followed by 17 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 7 seconds, 9 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 7 minutes, and 10 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea buds produced aromas of baked bread, hay, malt, sweet potato, sugarcane, and chocolate. After the rinse, I detected aromas of roasted peanut, roasted almond, and banana as well as a subtle camphor scent. The first infusion brought out more camphor on the nose. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of baked bread, malt, cream, butter, sweet potato, hay, sugarcane, and roasted almond that were chased by hints of chocolate, roasted peanut, maple syrup, brown sugar, and banana. The bulk of the subsequent infusions coaxed out aromas of black pepper, cream, butter, eucalyptus, honey, clove, red apple, red grape, and orange zest. Stronger and more immediately notable impressions of chocolate, roasted peanut, and brown sugar appeared in the mouth alongside mineral, black pepper, camphor, earth, eucalyptus, red apple, pear, honey, plum, clove, orange zest, and red grape notes. As the tea faded, the liquor continued to offer up notes of minerals, malt, roasted peanut, baked bread, roasted almond, butter, and orange zest that were balanced by lingering hints of sugarcane, red apple, pear, hay, honey, sweet potato, chocolate, and black pepper.

For me, I think the biggest issue with this tea was its name. There was a honey aroma present, but I found the tea’s overall bouquet to be nuttier, creamier, spicier, and more herbal. The honey aroma was not particularly consistent or dominant. I have that complaint a lot with so-called “honey aroma” teas. Ignoring that quibble, though, left me with a very pleasant, balanced, and complex Yunnan golden needle black tea. My advice to anyone interested in this tea would be to ignore the name and do not expect an overwhelming honey aroma. Approach it like you would any other golden needle black tea, and you will likely find it to be a tremendously rewarding offering.

Flavors: Almond, Black Pepper, Bread, Brown Sugar, Butter, Camphor, Chocolate, Clove, Cream, Earth, Eucalyptus, Grapes, Hay, Honey, Malt, Maple Syrup, Mineral, Orange Zest, Peanut, Pear, Plum, Red Apple, Sugarcane, Sweet Potatoes

Preparation
6 g 4 OZ / 118 ML

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84
6444 tasting notes

Thank you Cameron B for sharing this with me!

I broke out this sample today to go with a honey beer bread I made. However, dinner ended up being a lot earlier than I expected so I didn’t get a lot of time to enjoy this.

Both the bread and this had a nice honey sweetness but if I am being honest, I was a lot more interested in trying the bread in the moment I got before dinner=. As such, while I know I liked this, I couldn’t say why and am glad I have another serving of this to try again.

As for the bread, it was crazy easy to make but had an awesome dense and spongey texture. I totally recommend the recipe: https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/honey-beer-bread/

Photo of the bread and tea: https://www.instagram.com/p/CARHqQ9gVCs/

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77
998 tasting notes

[Spring 2018 harvest]

I got this this in a swap with tperez a while ago, but I only got around writing about it now as I finish the bag. I found less sweet, malty, and cocoa notes in here than your standard Yunnan dian hong. Instead, the aroma is more herbaceous and the taste more citrusy and bitter. There are notes of baked bread, thyme, and grains among others. The body is medium at best, but liquor has a nice bubbly mouthfeel that I like. All in all, it’s probably not as unique as I make it sound though, the profile does bear a lot of resemblance to other black teas of course.

Flavors: Bitter, Bread, Citrus, Grain, Herbaceous, Malt, Thyme

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 2 min, 30 sec 4 g 5 OZ / 160 ML

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88
4197 tasting notes

Sipdown! (31 | 308)

I don’t have any black tea samples around at the moment, so this was the tin I selected to be my morning cuppa until I finished it off. And now it’s finished, yay!

This is a lovely golden Yunnan tea. Light yet flavorful with plenty of sweet potato, fluffy baked bread, honey, and rich malt notes. It ends up reminding me a bit of a thick slice of brioche toast with a bit of butter and apricot jam. There’s also a light, clear sweetness at the end of the sip with a slight floral tinge, making me think of honeysuckle nectar. And underneath everything else is a gentle, mellow earthiness that adds a nice foundation.

Tasty, very tasty. I’m not sure I find it more honey-ish than other similar teas, despite the name. But I’ll definitely have to get some Yunnan teas back in my cupboard after I’ve sipped down some of my other options!

Flavors: Apricot, Bread, Brown Sugar, Earth, Honey, Honeysuckle, Malt, Nectar, Savory, Spring Water, Stonefruit, Sweet, Sweet Potatoes, Tart, Thick

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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