Golden Moon Tea

I really love this tea and I don’t care much usually for tea blends or flavored teas. However, the rose petals in this tea really add a heady flair to this that makes me want to keep drinking it. It’s definitely a spring tea, though.

I really want to like this tea, but it has an almost metallic astringency to it that really clashes on my taste buds. I’ve had it before where it hasn’t been astringent, so it might be a batch issue, rather than a tea issue.

I must say, this could be the best black tea I’ve tried so far, definitely better than the Ceylon from the Single Origin Teas that I had just a couple of days ago. Very rich, malty, chocolatey – tastes great with a bit of sugar or without it. It smells absolutely gorgeous too! I might be tempted to get some more of it because I only had a sample.

Confusing! I am pretty sure that the sample packet said ‘green tea’ on it and this page says it is classified as white tea. From reading the previous notes, it seems like Golden Moon are not sure themselves how to classify it. Oh well! It is sure very subtle for a green tea. Slightly similar to Adagio’s Green Needle – except that one actually DOES taste like a green. There is nothing particularly special about Snow Sprout. Pretty decent minty-flowery aftertaste that I love so much about whites. I think I have yet another sample of it and I am sure I will enjoy it, but I don’t think I will be buying a greater amount of it any time soon.

I can’t wait to try this cold brewed.

This is a tea that I ended up getting an ounce of for free with my Golden Moon order because they mistakenly shipped me this tea instead of the tea I ordered. So I figured I would try it!

It is a confusing tea. Golden Moon initially called it a green tea, then changed their website info to a white tea. Other Snow Sprouts are typically classified as green teas, but they are the downy buds that look just like white tea. Not to mention taste like white tea. So yeah, confusing.

Hayish, nutty, a bit bready. Yup, tastes like a white tea. It’s not too exciting (to me) but I’ll try to keep it in rotation so I drink it up before it starts to lose flavor.

I love the way this one smells dry and steeping. Very very ripe to the point of musky pear, and lots of mysterious, sexy floral honey perfume (you have to be on board with honey’s true smell beyond sweetness; other notes about how it’s amped up honey but separated from honey’s sweetness are spot on, as is the copy description of syrupy floral Middle Eastern desserts but without the spices). Smelled so good I was anxious to try it, impatiently tapping my foot for it to finish steeping.

The finished color is a surprisingly dark rich pretty red. The tea base has a slightly raspy, woody texture (fitting given fresh pear’s texture) and the pear and honey flavor is toned down (the aroma remains heady and strong though). I like this. It’s not as straightforward or sweet as Joy’s Teaspoon’s, more musky-floral and complex. Also a clean finish, reminiscent of pear’s clean-sweet aspects.

SNOW!!!! There is a light dusting of snow on the ground and this makes me happy. I might feel like utter garbage today but I am so happy because of snow. I suffer from SAD, Snow Absence Depression, if it is Winter I want there to be a constant blanket of snow, I really think I need to move farther north. Today’s tea review will warm you up vicariously if you are in a cold climate and, well, if you are somewhere warm just remember that it is frequently very warm in India, Chai’s homeland.

Yes, it is still Pu-Erh week, but I am bringing in a bit of spice! Pu-Erh Chai by Golden Moon Tea is a mix of traditional Chai spices and aged Pu Erh, and can I just point out that their website is very helpful with notes on who would like this tea and various features of the tea. Bravo, Golden Moon Tea, you get one of my (not really since I just invented it) coveted ‘Awesomely Helpful Website’ awards. The aroma of this tea is deliciously spicy cardamon and cinnamon blended with rich earthiness of Pu Erh, the spices are well balanced and blend very well with Pu Erh’s natural aroma. There is also a mild underlying ‘Asian Market’ aroma and an even fainter metallic hint.

The brewed tea leaves’s aroma is richly earthy, loamy and oaky with strong notes of cardamon. It is like the blending of a forest floor and spice and that is an unusual but wonderful combination. Oddly it is one of those teas that reminds me of my time mushroom hunting, you would be surprised how many mushrooms smell spicy. The liquid is also very rich and intensely spiced, mostly cardamon. There is also an underlying creaminess and notes of oak wood, less forest floor more fresh cut wood.

The taste is very sweet, like spiced candy. I mostly detect cardamon with a surprisingly gentle hint of cinnamon, there is also a very rich earthiness. There is absolutely no bitterness at all, this tea is very smooth, I almost feel like I am drinking silk. All of the flavors present in this tea are well balanced and when paired with the traditional cream it turns into a decadent Chai experience that is unlike any other I have ever had. There is a gentle oaky aftertaste that fades into a lingering loam, the mouthfeel is surprisingly tingly since it feels like the tingle of a lot more cinnamon that was present in the taste. This is a new favorite Chai!

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/12/golden-moon-tea-pu-erh-chai-tea-review.html

It’s been almost 10 months since I last wrote a tealog on here and a whole lot has changed in those 10 months!! I really need to make an effort to start getting on here again, I’m just so busy these days. I’ve got enough tea to last me a good long while and I really need to get to drinking it. I’ve been on a coffee kick lately which I know isn’t all that great for me. But I feel like I need the pick me up in the morning! Bad bad bad….

I am so extremely worn out this week between school and work. And I’m getting sick on top of it. I could barely sleep last night because my nose and throat were hurting so badly. I almost failed a test this morning and I decided to leave school early just because I’m feeling so crappy and I’ve got to work again tonight. I’m spreading myself awfully thin…but such is the holiday season. My customers need me to take care of their pooches.

I thought I’d rip into this sample today as a pick me up. I don’t think the sample was quite big enough to put into my breville, but it was just so easy to brew it in there and forget all the hassle. It came out pretty weak. Or maybe it’s the sickness coming on. Or the fact that I haven’t been drinking much tea lately. Something’s definitely off here. But it does feel amazing on my throat. And for that I am thankful.

I’ll hold off on rating this one.

Edit: used less water and still not terribly impressed. It still feels great on my throat though.

I received this a long time ago from someone, who I am pretty sure I still owe tea till.
I had it store in less than optimal conditions.
I wasn’t getting much caramel, or much sweetness to this, however it was AMAZING. So good, possibly the best oolong to date. I can only imagine how good it would be if it was fresh.

I had always steered clear of the blended teas for fear they were inferior to the single harvest teas that went into the blends. This tea proved me so wrong.

The liquors rich root beer brown, as dark as a good cup of coffee. The aroma is light in the cup, a bit sweet and vegetal.

On the tongue the flavor of this tea really pops, full bodied, rich and so much more than the sum of it’s parts! Yeasty and malty, exactly what I like in a black tea, but also a bit of astringency that recalls a good Darjeeling. The finish is soft for such a powerful cup, and slightly sweet with a hint of dark chocolate.

This is a powerful tea, great for mornings, or anytime a quick jolt of energy is needed. This one’s on my list of teas to keep on the shelf!

Gene

One of the tastiest breakfast teas I’ve ever tried. Strong but not overpowering. Simply delicious.

There are subtle flavored teas, but this isn’t one of them. To me this is a big, bold tea with an artificial but not unlikeable golden pear flavor. Really, the pear flavor is overwhelming. The honey doesn’t hurt either, it compliments very well. It’s fragrant and it’s strong-I would say less is more when measuring this tea. This is also one of the first teas to go bitter if you brew it too long so I tend to pour additional mugs if I don’t finish the pot. I have purchased this for years-it’s a staple of my cupboard-and I swear it has only gotten ‘bigger’ since I began buying it. If you like flavored black teas and pear-but not a subtle pear and more the Jolly Rancher concept of pear-this is a great tea.

Earthy. Smells toasty and tastes a bit like green tea. Pretty, bright green balls in the bag. Like many of the oolongs I’ve tried since that first terrible milk or whatever it was one, this was nice but not my favorite sort of thing. Fine, just not thrilling/exciting me.

This was a sample from the lovely Stephanie. I don’t know about this one. I’m not getting the coconut, and that is a shame because I am a COCONUT LOVER! Its a nice green. Nice and toasty. And maybe there is that hint of coconut but not that creaminess that I was looking for maybe. It’s not terrible by any means, just maybe not one I would keep in my cupboard. I will definitely finish this sample up though! Thank You!

4/5

This smells so good! I love how creamy it is and yes, true coconut flavored. It’s pretty leaf- and cup-wise too. Curious how it’d taste cold steeped.

Had a second cup it was so good (I must be a zombie today because at first I started to pour hot water over the steeping basket without a cup underneath it whoa o_O), this time with my late lunch of leftover chicken and shrimp salad with grapes, green apple, oranges, fried shallots, and serrano chile (Madhur Jaffrey’s recipe) and it was fantastically delicious. I love when tea makes a good meal even better.

The mild scent of the dry leaves stumped me. It was mild, floral, and sweet. No strong malty or yeasty overtones as I’d expect with black tea. Their appearance recalled some Golden Monkey in leaf type only, not color.

As i always do with a first brewing of a new tea, I followed instructions, 1 tsp. per cup of water, plus one extra. 4 tsp in 3 cups of water at 205F.

The tea was deep rich yellow, mildly scented and mild tasting. Very sweet (again, not sugary, but free of astringency or bitterness) with mild floral notes. Again, not typical of black tea, but not bad, either. All the flavor a good tea, without the extras of malt and astringency.

All things considered I enjoyed this tea. It’s a mild tea that is good for times when a big bodied black is too much.

I’m sure this tea can be much more, so next time it’ll be 2 tsp. per cup, same time, same temp. We’ll see how that goes.

Gene

Cold brewed this overnight. Didn’t know how this would turn out cold but I really liked it!! The color was beautiful and was very smooth and refreshing-not bitter or astringent. I added 1 drop of stevia to it and it really brought out the sugar carmel flavor. Have to say was excellent iced.

I found a use for this tea. I found out my milk was spoiled this morning and I wanted pancakes, so I used the tea instead! It was great! I put in cinnamon and vanilla, and nothing tasted polleny! Yay for cooking with tea!

It’s alright. Tastes like pollen. A little too perfumey tasting for me. Not bad iced though.

Thanks Rachel for another tea from your sale! I was happy to get a chance to try a bunch of one cup samples from Golden Moon! When I opened the package for this one, I was hit with a blast of pear fragrance. Authentic or not, this was definitely pear and it also had something floral about it. Steeped, the color is a medium amber. The pear and the floral flavor is delicious to me, anyway. It doesn’t have that odd artificial flavor. The base is perfect: present but not overpowering of the lovely pear. The second steep has less pear flavor but I get to appreciate the nice black tea base. I wish I could describe all of these teas better than just saying if the pear flavor is present or not. ah well. I wouldn’t say there is anything noticeably honey-like about it, but I wouldn’t mind stocking this one in my collection if I needed a go-to pear tea! I had a third steep since I knew I would miss it but that cup was mostly oaky (probably the seven minute steep time.)

If anyone ever wants to do a shared Golden Moon order, let me know since they don’t take Paypal. (That would be good though since it would be splitting 3.5-4 ounce tins. This one and the Sinharaja for sure.) I’d have to try more of my Golden Moon samples first though! :D

I feel like I have not had a good darjeeling, or at least not a good one that is properly prepared. Darjeeling is definitely not the tea I would have all the time, because of my forgetfulness when the tea is steeping. Yes, I have tried timers. The alarms I tend to shut off like my alarm clock in the morning, so timers do no good for me.

This one, though, is likeable. I like the grapey aroma, and the taste is like a light black tea, but with no bitterness. And I did oversteep this one, and still no bitterness. Even better iced. Probably the first darjeeling that I like!