drank Golden Monkey by Harney & Sons
1112 tasting notes

Eeee eeee eeeeee! ashmanra was kind enough to send me a sample of this tea! When I went to add it to my cupboard, I noticed – dur – I had tried it almost a year ago, and dismissed it as being too delicate (because I put milk and sugar in it, and drank it with a butter cookie. I laugh!)

Well, now that I know better :) I am so very enjoying this tea sans additions. It is so naturally sweet and caramely. Honeyed. Mead like. There is a thickness and complexity that I am loving! Delicious! I think I could have taken it another 30 seconds or even a minute (I have more to sample thankfully!!!). It also has the milky mouthfeel that I’ve come to associate with Golden Monkey.

Steep #2 (4:30) is kinda ridiculous in the best way possible. Caramel, caramel, caramel! I’ve never quite tasted this from a tea that didn’t have flavoring added. Wow. `

My other Golden Monkey love from Teas etc. is much milder, and I would say a technically higher quality tea (smoother, longer leaves, more golden), but I like this one better. It has more gusto, which is my preference, but retains the things I like about GM. Harney’s GM is also much, much, much smoother than the so called Golden Monkey (which tastes like Panyang Congu) from Premium Steap.

ashmanra, you have No! Idea! how much you’ve made my day today! I’m crazy about this tea, and I’ve decided that even if I am not at my 40 teas in my cupboard state, I am going to place a Harney & Sons order in November. I remember clear as can be that my last Harney & Sons order came to my house the day after Thanksgiving last year, and I have like, an ounce of cobbled together chocolate tea and Florence tea and that’s all!! Clearly something needs to be done about that!

P.S. When all said and done – 4 steeps of deliciousness!

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec
ashmanra

So glad you liked it! The first time I tried it I treated it like an English Breakfast tea (milk and sugar) and didn’t like it AT ALL! But I respected the person who had recommended it, and tried again when my tastes had grown a little and I was taking tea without additions. Now it is a favorite, and we get a little antsy-nervous when the tin is low….

Dan

Adding another tea to my must try list. Waiting to see what Ricky rates this for you. lol

LauraR

I agree with Dan…and I love me some Golden Monkey.

Ricky

Well without a doubt, it’s 105. It sounds so good that I might have to add it to my shopping list.

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Comments

ashmanra

So glad you liked it! The first time I tried it I treated it like an English Breakfast tea (milk and sugar) and didn’t like it AT ALL! But I respected the person who had recommended it, and tried again when my tastes had grown a little and I was taking tea without additions. Now it is a favorite, and we get a little antsy-nervous when the tin is low….

Dan

Adding another tea to my must try list. Waiting to see what Ricky rates this for you. lol

LauraR

I agree with Dan…and I love me some Golden Monkey.

Ricky

Well without a doubt, it’s 105. It sounds so good that I might have to add it to my shopping list.

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Profile

Bio

I love to cook, bake, read, paint, knit, do needlework, and garden. I need my coffee, but I LOVE my tea. I work at an Art School, and attend a large public university doing post-bac work (my BA is in English). I’m interested in the liminal spaces between art and craft, the academic and the practical, the individual and community, and the old and the new. I’m currently exploring these ideas through the disciplines of education, literature, history, and psychology.

I enjoy writing tasting notes, but have decided not to numerically rate teas as of 9/14/10. For an explanation, see my looooong tasting note about Mountain Malt from the Simple Leaf.

My favorites:
Chinese black teas
A good “milk and sugar” English style black
Earl Grey (classic, and in all variations!)
Vanilla teas (classic, and in all variations!)
Jasmine, Rose, Violet and other froofy, flowery teas!
An Occasional Oolong
Flavored Rooibos
Herbal Tisanes

Location

Collingswood, NJ

Website

http://jackiemania.wordpress....

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