I'm having Adagio's Golden Monkey, which before (though not here) I have said is my favorite of the black tea samples that I had ordered. I'm using my glass tea pot, and my Swiss Gold infuser. Using the common 3g per 8oz, that's 6g for the pot. I'll do two infusions.
I think some teas are simply intended to be made certain ways. I won't say that a tea that does well gong fu should only be steeped that way, but black teas seem to have more of a history as a little-tea-and-lots-of-water category. So that's what I'll do.
It seems a lot of people recommend having black teas (more breakfast blends though, or the main teas of breakfast belnds) with a bit of milk and sugar. Not me, though. I just don't have any (unexpired) milk at this point. but I did try it with a bit of sugar at one point, just to see.
So, take one: Three minutes of steeping rendered a golden-orange liquid. I am reminded of my complaint about the infuser, only that it doesn't drain as thoroughly as I'd like. But that's fine.
The tea? It's a lot like most black teas, but it has a nice boldness. Someone describes it as having a citrus background. It's not sour, but I'd find myself agreeing more with the descriptions of subtle floral or fruity hints. With sugar, the tea simply became sweeter. Some people claim that sugar can bring out subtleties from a tea, and some say milk is better at that. I can't vouch for the milk. But I can say sugar didn't help with that. So I ditched teh sweetness after that cup.
The second infusion was a much darker, richer brown. In part, I'd almost blame this on the fact that the infuser doesn't completely drain, so the warm water in the leaves continued the brewing. But that's fine. This tea seems reluctant to become bitter -- at least astringent. The favor is a little bitter, though, in the sense of the deeper flavors being pulled from the leaves. And the boldness is still possessed.
So that's about it. Here's the second half of the second pot! I might go ahead on a third, but I'm not yet sure.
A lot of people have recommended Adagio's Yunnan Gold over golden Monkey. I'll perhaps order a sample, and see how I like it (especialy while I still have some GM for a side-by-side comparison).
5 comments:
3 pots of tea... O_O
Even I would feel that much caffeine! You are truly dedicated, my friend. :)
Thanks for the charming and very personal review. The photo of the teapot is a great touch.
For me, sugar seems always to detract from tea. A few drops of milk, however, in astringent or bitter Assams can soften and even bring out additional flavors. Chinese blacks are so smooth and painless they've never prompted me to resort to lactic mitigation.
As for my personal habit, I virtually never add milk, even to Assams. It just doesn't seem right somehow (silly idea!)
I am curious what you think of the Yunnan Gold when you eventually try some.
Here's my secret, that I don't share, but yeah, I put a teaspoon or less of sugar in my black tea.
I'm a big fan of their Golden Monkey. Very smooth with a lot of flavor. Yunnan Gold is another good one, but the two don't really compare. Each to be enjoyed on their own stance.
Great and thoughtful review. I love the Yunnan Gold from Adagio, but have switched to Teaspring's due to cost (and it's just as good, in my opinion). Ironically, I just got a sample of the Golden Monkey from Adagio this week to try later, so your review was quite timely.
I never add sugar or milk to anything other than chai or sometimes a dessert tea (normally highly flavored from a bag). I prefer to let the tea speak for itself. But indeed, sometimes sugar does bring out some different flavors not otherwise evident.
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