Golden Moon Tea

The scent is wonderful—very dewy and fresh! Almost like honeydew. The taste is only faintly melon-esque. I taste mostly the white tea overlaid with a suggestion of melon. The white tea itself seems outstanding—just slightly vegetal, no bitterness or astringency. I think I detect some creaminess?

This is a very refreshing tea, overall. But it’s so ephemeral it’s almost “not there”. Like a dream of a tea.
(…did I drink this…or not?…)

Golden Moon Tea Sample #12 selected at Random

Dear RICKY sent me a sample of this so I knew what to expect. My opinion has not changed really; I think it would be nice to keep a rose tea in stock but I don’t know how frequently I would choose this. I could see getting this if I were inviting certain types of people over—-Anglophiles who would prefer that we were still in the Edwardian period, if not the Victorian period. It’s most certainly an evocative tea.

Thank you very much to Ricky for sending me a sample of this. I was quiet overwhelmed by the aroma of the dry leaves. They really smelt like a rose bush. It didn’t smell overly synthetic at all.

And it tastes like a rose—just like a rose. I like strong flavors and I like it when teas defy expectations. No daintiness at all here: it’s really like a rose. The tea gets lost amidst the rose.

I had a bunch of conflicting contradictory thoughts. I wanted more tea in my roses. Yet this tea was heavily evocative. I could imagine it being drunk by the Pre-Raphaelite painters. I could imagine it being on foot lotion or in perfume, as others have noted.

Most of all it made me really miss my mother. It’s one of those times when I really wish I could call her up and say “You wouldn’t believe what I just drank!” And she’d get excited. And we would have a long talk ranging from roses to beverages to a special bush that somebody planted in 1904.

So it is certainly an old-fashioned experience for me although I imagine that the ability to infuse tea with such exceptional flavor must be a newish technique.

I have no idea if I will wake up in a few days or a few weeks or a few months and NEED to buy a full container of this or if it will waft away into oblivion like yesterday’s perfume. I’m certainly glad I tried it but I wonder if it isn’t simply a novel-Tea.

Golden Moon Sampler Tea #13:
Today’s blind grab got me this, and I decided since it was a green, or at least more green than black, to make use of the Vaguely Asian™ teacup that came with the lid I bought for my teapot. The other option for making use of this cup is to figure out how to make chawan mushi, or Japanese savory egg custard served in teacup-sized portions, but that would A. involve finding fish paste somewhere and B. involve learning how to steam things. Thus, tea it is!

I’m glad that I decided to use the cup because it let me see the lovely golden color of the tea. Regardless of anything else, it is quite pretty. I admit to never having gunpowder before (or at least not consciously) so I have no idea how it’s supposed to taste. I guess the name is kind of a clue? I didn’t really get much (or any) kind of a smokiness from it, maybe the tiniest undertone but it tends to be subsumed by the general grassiness of the tea itself, finishing off on a decidedly sweet green note. The more I drink of it, though, the more of the smokiness I’m noticing, undoubtedly due to the fact that I am growing used to the other aspects of the flavor, but it remains noticeable only in the periphery of the sip.

Having spent the majority of my time drinking this in search of that elusive smokiness, I confess that I am not really sure whether or not I like this. Certainly it’s quite sippable, but is it a thing I want to sip on a daily basis? Is this another one of those teas that’s too subtle for me? And should it, as a gunpowder, even be subtle? Perhaps I should get a sample of the Adagio gunpowder, since some of the other reviews indicate that it is more straightforward.

I’ve been craving black tea and it really came out while tasting the melon that I needed to brew a black tea as well to satisfy this.
This tea smells wonderful. So relaxing and full. The lavender really relaxes me (I’m very susceptible to lavender.
The flavor is not what I was expecting. The citrus seems stronger in the scent then the taste. Maybe it will come out more as it cools. The lavender is definitely there.
It does a bit. I may try steeping longer next time and see if I can get a bit more flavor out of this. It’s not bad though and I would consider getting it. Due to the lavender this is a tea for after I get home for the day.

Golden Moon Sampler Tea #12:
This was the first black tea I saw this morning, therefore making it my morning tea, despite the fact that it’s an afternoon tea. I’m glad that I did though, because MAN does this tea pack a punch. For once I was actually paying attention to steeping times, but even then it brewed up really really dark reddish, like a deep maroon. Very attractive. I’m afraid I didn’t really pay much attention to the leaves, but I recall them being lighter in color, so I wasn’t really expecting something quite so dark.

As I said, or at least implied, this tea has a lot of personality. It basically smacks you upside the head and goes I AM TEA DRINK ME NAO (OR ELSE). The taste is mildly astringent compounded by an underlying spiciness, but not as much as I get from your average darjeeling, and there’s definitely something else there. Floral notes perhaps? Definitely not honey. Or perhaps I only THINK it’s not honey because I don’t like honey but I do like this! That’s right, let’s turn this review into a meditation on human psychology.

Or not.

Suffice to say that this tea impressed me quite a bit this morning – a good way to start a Monday, even if I did drink it at the wrong time of day.

Edit: Whooooo tasting note number 50! I celebrate by having some tea!

Golden Moon Tea Sampler #1
I picked out a packet at random and got this one. I wonder if I used too much water? I tried to use about 4 or 5 ounces of water, but my eyeballs are not well-trained precision tools. Glancing at the other tasting notes, I see that I’m off from the general consensus. Aroma, to me, is sweet corn in green tea and I can’t get the “corny” flavor out of my mind as I sip.

It tastes like a pleasant, weakish, generic green and I’m missing out on all the sensation. I will carefully measure water for my next steep and then possibly revise my note.

Brewed after letting it cool for a bit post boil.
wow! This really smells like melon! I didn’t and any sweetener since it smells so sweet already.
For the taste, I’m glad I didn’t add sweetener. It’s light, refreshing, with that sweetness of melons that actually annoys me if I have too much (in the melon as well as the tea). If I concentrate hard, I can pick up a tea flavor at the end of the sip. Really though this tastes like melon. I imagine it would go well with a summer breakfast (then again, that’s when I eat most of my fruits during the day). For me, it’s too specific of a taste for everyday. Now and then, just like the fruit, I like it.

I really need to start writing these while I’m drinking the tea again instead of this afterward habit I’ve gotten into.
This tea was a bit of a surprise it smelled and tasted mellower then I was expecting with an Irish breakfast. There was some malty aspect but the honey quality tamed it. There was a detention I couldn’t name, perhaps that it the cherry and the prunes they mention on the label. I rather liked this tea. Not what I expected but pleasant and something I could see myself drinking with some regularity.

Golden Moon Sampler Tea #11:
So as you can see, fate totally rewarded my acceptance of the organic green tea, by giving me Vanilla Jasmine to try! Straight out of the packet, it smelled just like vanilla ice cream – which is actually a different scent than what I associate with just straight vanilla, so already it was giving me the idea of creaminess.

Although I paid enough attention to it to give it a normal steeping time, I was promptly distracted until it had cooled to basically a lukewarm temperature, so I have no idea if the temperature actually makes much of a difference. I know that I liked what I tasted. The vanilla flavoring gave it a creamy taste and texture and really complemented the flowery jasmine quite well. Once again, a very smooth, and super tasty blend was created.

I let my second cup steep longer, and this time the jasmine is definitely overshadowing the vanilla, which really only shows up in the aftertaste. It’s still tasty, but I definitely enjoyed the first steeping more.

All in all, I enjoyed it a lot, but I’m not sure if it’s enough to warrant buying more. I mean, I enjoy flavored teas a lot, but when I want to get more of something, it’s gotta be something that I want to drink often, and I’m really not sure how often I’ll really be in the mood for vanilla jasmine. This kind of floweriness is something I can see enjoying once in every great while, especially after the novelty and yaynewtea! excitement wears off.

Still one of my favorites from Golden Moon Tea, hands down. The mellow sweetness of the pouchong along with the depth from the coconut make this an enjoyable treat.

So a few samples in my Golden Moon Tea sampler have now made me want more. I’m already in love with the Sugar Caramel Oolong and the White Persian Melon, so I had to see what was up with this Coconut Pouchong. Now keep in mind that I love coconut. I have a bag of shredded coconut in my fridge just to munch through from time to time. Almond Joy is my favorite candy bar. So a coconut flavored tea (a pouchong, no less!) sounded delicious.

And it delivered.

The pouchong flavor is light and doesn’t interfere with the coconut essence, which radiates from this cup in a beautiful toasty bouquet. Unsweetened, I couldn’t really taste the coconut, but sweetened, it flows delicately and doesn’t compete with the pouchong. It was just what I needed after a long day. Plus, now that this puts my order over $39.99, I can get a free teapot! SCORE!

Oh the disappointment. I sooo wanted to enjoy this tea especially after reading the reviews. Buy nay, our love was not to be – perhaps my expectations were too high? This was the tea where I finally had to admit to myself that I must get my “winging the temp” issue resolved and soon. I just don’t want to think about how many teas I’ve potentially butchered. (eeek!)

This is another tea where I swear I tasted soy milk (plain soy this time – or what I like to call “bean juice”). Then the melon taste to me was like a not-quite-ripe cantaloupe. I’m so sad that this earns a M in my book.

This is so delicious. First, let me just say that I am not a fan of coconut. In fact, as I’ve mentioned before, the smell of coconut tends to to make me queasy, due to a bad experience as a teenager with coconut rum. Anyway, I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about this tea—on the one hand, it’s award winning. On the other, I hate coconut. Well, this tea definitely has changed my mind about coconut, because it’s absolutely scrumptious (ha, I love that word).

The dry leaves are dark green and long and thin, and smell like coconut milk, cream, and maybe the lightest toasty scent. I can’t smell any tea at all. After steeping, the scent of the infusion is the same as the dry leaf, with a hint of pouchong. Surprisingly, the flavor is actually a very nice, even balance of pouchong and coconut, and they meld together seamlessly. The flavor doesn’t just sit on top of the pouchong, but seems to be intertwined with it. The ratio of flavoring to tea was nicely done, so it doesn’t feel like I’m drinking just coconut flavoring with a hint of tea, or tea with a hint of coconut. And oh, the flavor is delicious. There’s a custard note to the infusion as well, and at times it feels like I’m sipping coconut milk, not tea.

I only have a sample of this, so I’m going to have to get my hands on some more. I can see myself drinking this a lot!

Finished my sample of this last night, and stuck the third steep in the refrigerator to save for today… wow! So glad I did that, because this last steep chilled is incredibly delicious. Sweet, and honeyed, and yes the pear is still there. I highly recommend this as an iced tea – strongly flavored, no sweetener needed! Bumping the rating a bit for longevity/endurance, three steeps is a lot for flavored tea in my experience.

Just finished up my sample of this – I really enjoyed it, especially knowing what to expect. It’s very strong and musky, gets better as it cools and with a little bit of honey. I like the second steep best!

GM sample #2/31

The boyfriend requested something “fruity” from the GM sampler, so this seemed like the one to try. This is… interesting. Not what I expected. The honey is the strongest flavor, but it’s not sweet exactly – like someone separated all the honey flavor from the sugar and just added the flavor. Well, the ingredients do say “pollen” so I guess that makes sense. The black tea base is actually a little harsh for my taste – even at 3 minutes I can taste some bitterness. The pear comes through more as the tea cools.

Will try this chilled next. Used 1/3 of the sample (~1.3g, hooray for tiny scales) with 3.5oz water.
ETA: Very good chilled, on the second and third infusions; the sweetness comes through more. The 3rd infusion was looking pretty weak though, so I’ll stop here

Tried a second steeping with milk in it. Sadly, the milk has been infected by the vague kimchee smell of everything else in the fridge >.< But I can get the sense of what it would taste like without it – very nice! Such a gentle nostalgic taste. I definitely want to try the stovetop method now!

Golden Moon Sampler Tea #9:

Well, went to the thrift store today and spent an enjoyable half hour trying out different lids. I had some initial problems since A. it had to fit, B. I would prefer it look nice or at least amusing. For example, I was mightily tempted by a lid that was shaped like a cat’s head. Sadly, it did not fit. I eventually found a Vaguely Asian™ lid from a teacup set for five bucks that actually fits quite well, so looks like I’m going to have to call off construction on the time machine.

Now let’s talk about chai. The coffee shop at the Borders near where I used to live was, when the store first opened, NOT a Starbucks. I know, right? A chain bookstore with a non-starbucks coffee shop? Inconceivable! But it’s true! Once upon a time, it wasn’t a Starbucks and it had the best chai lattes ever. It was just the right amount of spice to tea, a modicum of milk and well…these days I’d probably find it too sweet, but this was 10 years ago, so I was still sweetening my tea.

Then they got bought by Starbucks and switched over to Tazo and well…their chai is…unsatisfactory. The spices overwhelm everything and give it a really quite unpleasant taste. But we are not talking about that chai today, we are talking about this chai, and this chai, tastes like what I vaguely recall that other chai tasted like. Well balanced, smooth, and not too heavy. I kind of want to try it in all the different ways other people are drinking it. Which I suppose means I need to buy more…

I’ve decided that I’m a floral freak and I’m letting my floral freak flag fly (say that ten times fast)! Oolongs are still new to me, so I’m guessing that someday in the future I will think this one’s ho-hum. But for now I’m loving this. I’m on the third infusion and plan to keep goin’ as many times as possible – I just had to get my first 3 steeps down before I forgot (and will edit to add more info if I feel it is warrented).

Steep 1 (180ish for 3 minutes): I always think that I’m going to hate oolongs on the first infusion. The dry leaf smell doesn’t do anything for me and then the first taste is always so very veggie and I’m not a huge veg fan. Still nice, but very veg and no floral (but the leaves hadn’t fully opened). Oh – and I had done a short rinse on them.

Steep 2 (180ish for 3 minutes): Less strong veg and just the tiniest little whisper of floral. Mmm…

Steep 3 (180ish for 4 minutes): Where the hell did this sweet floral side come from?!?! It’s like a completely new tea! It has a great floral taste and then it’s the most interesting sweet lingering sensation on my tongue. I’ve never experienced that lingering sensation before. If someone handed me this tea on its third steep and had me try it, then I think that I’d be utterly confused and not know what it was. A floral white perhaps? Again – remember I have a noob palate. ;) Off for the fourth steep I go! TG

The dry leaves in the packet do smell like fruit and nuts….and wood—reminiscent of a fruitcake nestled in a cedar box.

The flavor seems a little thin, to me. And bitter. Almost like unripe grapes on the vine. Or like grape seeds—bitter and green with a woodsy bite.

The tea mellows out and becomes more “floral”, as it cools. Floral like gardenias. It seems like a white floral notes are common to tea leaves.

This was my first Darjeeling. It was okay, I guess. I’m not sure if I’m intrigued enough to seek out more.

Golden Moon Sampler Tea #8:

A little story before I start. I was at the university book store trying (and failing) to buy my textbooks (they were out), when I noticed that one of the more prominent displays was a big table full of teapots and various kinds of Republic of Tea teas. Is tea in or something? Is it the trendy new hipster thing? Looks like it might be!

Anyway, I decided to check out the teapots, but they were BLAH – boring, mass-produced, and generally not anywhere NEAR Ivan’s league. Here’s hoping today’s trip to the thrift store gets me some results.

Before going OUT THERE (where the nasty evil sun is), I had to bolster myself with some nice sippable tea. I was kind of wary to try this because from the reviews it seems extremely polarizing – you either love it or you hate it, but I decided to take the plunge.

This tea smells exactly like it’s name, the two scents of honey and pear seem to be in a fight for dominance with now one, now the other achieving it. The actual tea came out more pear than anything else, which is good because I am not that huge of a fan of honey. Now the package says that this is a mixture of black tea and bee pollen, which I guess is where the floral undertaste I am getting comes in. The black tea is noticeably present, tempering the pear-ness, and the honey comes in at the end, mostly along with the floral taste.

All in all, the tea itself tastes quite nice, but it leaves a dry taste in my mouth that I don’t find particularly comfortable. I prefer not to need to go drink a glass of water after finishing my tea.

The scent is like Thomas Sampson eating grapes! A grape-y Thomas Sampson. Must be the Darjeeling in the mix.

The taste is kind of “thick” and malty with just a hint of sweet. I think I’ve steeped this beyond 5 minutes (close to 6!) but it’s not overly astringent or bitter at all.

This breakfast blend is pretty delicious, overall—it has plenty of body and is strong enough to hold up to milk and sugar, but I like it fine on its own. Although, If I were to change anything, I would make it just a bit stronger, add a bit more “punch”.

And it tastes more biscuit-y as it cools. Biscuit-y is always good.