Golden Moon Tea

I don’t think I really fooled anybody with my post yesterday… As Lena pointed out, I should probably have left out the hibiscus bit.

But I can assure you all that my infatuation with smokies is unchanged and there is no force on the planet that could make me give them up.

(Which is kind of odd, really, considering my strong dislike for tobacco smoke)

Had a cup of this one this morning and it was yummy.

How about a backlog? The good thing about backlog notes is I can make a post even when I’m not actually having any tea. (No specific reason, just drinking something else at the moment) The bad thing is I don’t really want to write up the ones that I didn’t like, so there’s a certain lack of balance in that document…

My Golden Moon debut and the second one of Auggy’s gift teas I’ve tried! When Auggy told me about what she would like to gift me with, she mentioned that this Lapsang Souchong has a surprisingly sweet flavour for an LS. It reminded me a bit of that sweet phantom note in A. C. Perch’s Lapsang that try as I might, I can’t find again.

The leaves smell very smoky, and the actual tea is smoky too. Quite smoky, in fact I’d say. Smoke is just not the first note I’m finding.

At first there is something way more substantial. Something solid. It’s (work with me here, Steepsterites) a bit like pu-erh, only without the earthyness. Without the cowstableness. I mean, it doesn’t taste like pu-erhs at all, it just sort of creates the same flavour intensity sensations.

Then, after that, YES!!! There it is! Sweetness. That same sort of sweet note that has disappeared from my ACP Lapsang. Smoky smoke is smoky, but underneath it the sweetness lies. I can only describe it as kind of thick. It’s not a specific flavour other than ‘something sweet’, but it tastes like something that would come in globs, not in puffs or powders.

There is also a small note of some kind of leaf-y something. It’s not grassy or fruity or any other word that suggests right-off-plant-ness, nor is it an earthy stored note like pu-erh. It’s in between. Like dried flowers (except it’s not a flowery flavour either) or leaves pressed between the pages of a heavy book

I seem to be using a lot of energy describing what this tea isn’t and very little energy on what it actually is. What it is is very nice indeed. I just wish I could recreate this same sweetness in my ACP lapsang.

All in all, I’m totally getting the whole camel driver vibe here.

Smells cloyingly sweet, candy-like caramel vanilla. Tastes much milder – almost neutral with a hint of a vegetal spinachy taste. The vanilla is most prominent in the finish. Mild astringency. Brews up pale amber.

I was so looking forward to this, but— The dry leaves smell wonderful, exactly like toasted coconut macaroons (thanks, takgoti!) However, it is a strange brew. The aroma is vegetal fighting with coconut. The flavor is buttered spinach—with coconut—not necessarily a complementary combination. My daughter asked “what’s the weird smell”—additionally not a good sign. In any event, I’m a bit bummed, as my expectations were high but sadly unmet.

Very floral aroma, buttery brew. Unfortunately, the floral grows and the butteriness fades quickly. Somewhat bitter afternote. Not horrible, just not as good as hoped.

I can feel my tea choices lightening up as the weather warms. I’m looking up all kinds of iced tea recipes, fruit teas seem really appealing, and lo and behold, this afternoon I’m curious about this mint tea of all things!

Taken with a half teaspoon of sugar.

sip sip…not bad. Between what I’ve heard about gunpowder and not really caring for mint, I was expecting to want to throw this in the sink, but it’s ok. I’m getting the ashtray thing going on at the tail end of my sip. Nothing I’d ever seek out, but I have half of the sample remaining…I think I may mint it up further with some mint from my garden. That might take this atrocious ashtray aftertaste away (alliteration!)!

Brews up dark amber. Malt and baked apple in the nose. Mild honey taste with a bit of a peppery bite. Moderate astringency. Mildly bitter. Leaves are medium size but broken and dusty with fannings (maybe due to sample size packet).

Right up front, I like Earl Grey. This one, however, is not doing it for me. The dry leaves smell wonderful, citrusy with maybe, maybe a back-note of lavender. The aroma of the tea is muted citrus, but the flavor is like the bitter white pithy part of the orange that you’re not supposed to eat. I don’t know it that’s the influence of the lavender or not, but it’s not a plus. A very harsh brew—

Hmm….

Smells a little berry-ish, dry.
The taste is like Thomas Sampson’s second cousin—twice removed.

This a very mild black tea. Very easy to drink. No astringency. No bitterness.

Soft and agreeable, I think.

Slighty sweet toward the end.

There’s not much to say, I guess. It’s a likeable tea, but not memorable, at least for me.

Although the dry leaves have a faint burnt sugar aroma, the steeped tea has a surprising floral scent, at first, which fades to more caramel-ly. Although the flavor is light, it is nutty and sweet, like caramel-nut candy. Intriguing cup—

2nd infusion—more nutty, less caramel. 3rd infusion—light with a sweet afternote. 4th infusion (5 min.)—surprisingly very sweet and can really taste the caramel!

I want to start by saying that I thought Snow Buds were white tea, but these are classified as green, go figure. Anyhow, the leaves are long and pretty, they smell light and faintly sweet. The sweetness is unidentifiable, it is not floral or sugary/caramel, but a natural, honey-like sweet aroma.

The brewed tea does not smell like much of anything, but I don’t mind that too much. The tea tastes very gentle, it is light and very white flavored, I would not have picked this as a green; there is no vegetal or normal green flavors. Oh well. The tea is sweet without anything having been added, it is smooth and light and goes down easy. Good for an easy-going, relaxing day.

Overall, it was very good. Brewed hot, three minutes, no additives.

Tea is a pretty golden color, but, overall, the tea is just OK. Little aroma and flavor; not tasting the sweetness as described.

Another weekend, another Golden Moon Tea! See pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lauren_pressley/tags/frenchbreakfast/show/

This was a good black tea! It’s lighter than English Breakfast (in taste and color), has a hint of something floral to it, and kindof reminds me of yesterday’s Darjeeling.

Unfortunately there was a little speck of turquoise something in it, which I pulled out prior to steeping, but it kept me from fully enjoying the tea. Maybe I’ll give it another go in the future. Despite that, the part that I tasted was quite good.

This is like a fresh green coconut husk in tea form! The combination of the slightly bitter, astringent green tea leaves and sweet coconut milk flavoring is spectacular! I’m very much reminded of tropical islands. For me, tropical islands are all about the coconut trees, coconut milk, palm trees, banana leaves, bamboo and teakwood—and, somehow, I’m reminded of it all when I drink this tea. It’s very good.

So far, I’m loving my GM samples—thanks Golden Moon! I definitely need to order a full tin soon.

Hrm, this one is a bit confusing.

So if you’ve been keeping up with the Golden Moon sampler count on this end, we’re up to the second to last sample here. I happen to adore both honey and pear, so this one is guaranteed to be a knock-out.

Or is it?

Well, to start with the smell coming from the packet. It’s a big strong, and smells sort of musky. And rather honey-like. But a dark honey… very dark. Fermented, almost? That’d make MEAD. w00t, learn your alcohol. There’s a pear overture as well, but to me, it wasn’t that juicy and strong and succulent. And I heart pear. Hard. It’s one of my favorite fruits! Messy, drippy, ripe pears! MMMMM.

The leaves here are of a fairly standard, flavored black tea size. I don’t really see any bits or pieces of anything else other than leaf, although that could mean I’m blind, since the ingredients list pollen pieces.

So we steep this one up, and the resulting liquid’s color is somewhat akin to the color of buckwheat honey. The smell coming off of it is very similar to the dry leaf; the wet just smells like spent black tea leaves. There’s a bit of sweetness highlighted in the aroma, but it’s nothing that’s going to kick your socks off.

Okay, let’s get to the taste, because the taste is strange. In a pretty good way, but still, it’s kind of weird. The honey is definitely the dominant flavor here, but it’s a pretty floral honey component. Maybe even a little soapy? Or maybe it’s that soapy that comes from some floral-tasting things. Anyway, it’s a pretty interesting dark-sweet taste. Very dark. I’ve tasted buckwheat honey before, which is closer to a woodsy brown than a golden color, and this tastes even darker here.

The pear definitely plays second fiddle to the honey. I mean, it’s clearly there in the aftertaste, but it’s not as strong as I would have hoped. It’s an echo of pear. Like if you ate a pear about a half hour ago and the sweetness is still lingering in your mouth. That sort of thing.

Basically, it boils down to this (hurrhurr boil get it tea joke woah I’m tired right now): the tea is not an every day drinking tea. At all. It’s kind of funky, in a good way. Like a weird ethnic food you’ve never tried before, and you’re compulsively eating it, even if you’re not sure if you really like it or not. This tea is akin to that experience. I had a quizzical expression on my face the entire time while drinking it.

It’s certainly thought-provoking, but I’m not sure in which way.

In any case, this is a tea experience that I’d definitely recommend, because the weird factor is way up there. I think this is also a love it! hate it! kind of deal, where the flavors either appeal to you heavily, or you think this is one of the grossest things you’ve ever drank.

This is the lapsang of fruit teas.

For my first GM sample review, it was toss-up between this and Sinharaja. Sugar Caramel Oolong won because I felt like having something sweet! :)

Scent: Like milky palm trees! This smells so green and sappy! Like I imagine palm trees basking in the sun smell like (but I’ve never actually smelled them).

Appearance: The leaves start out tightly rolled, but quickly unfurl into these large, wide leaves! At first I thought, “Oh what a stingy sample!” —because of how small these leaves were wound, it didn’t add to much in my mug. But add the hot water and it’s like boing! the leaves unwind and end up filling half the mug!

Taste: Very fresh and “brisk”. I’m not detecting anything overtly caramel (meaning no burnt or glazed sugar taste). It’s more of a “green” sort of sweetness. Like how banana leaves smell like when they’re wrapped around sweet, sticky rice.

Final thoughts: As the liquid cools, I’m detecting more of a toasty sweetness…but it’s all still overlaid with green. This is very much a green tea. The flavoring is just a bit of enhancement.

Smells and tastes like licorice, with a creamy mouth-feel. Interesting—but not a repeat candidate.

I smelled peppermint patty when I opened the sampler pac! The aroma of the tea is not as pronounced but I sense separate aromas of vanilla and mint. The tea is sweet, slightly minty, almost syrupy, with a kick of gunpowder at the finish. The gunpowder ashiness tends to increase a bit as the tea cools. 2nd infusion—mintiness has faded somewhat but still a hint of vanilla. I’d like to try this iced—

Took advantage of the free shipping and re-stocked a 1/2 pound of this tea. THIS is my
favorite tea. Lately, I have been brewing this 4-5 minutes. This time really brings out the richness of the molasses on the first steep of this tea. The second brew is delightfully different from the first in that the berries are more predominant.

Smooth. I have missed drinking this…added a bit of sugar crystals in brew basket. Three minute infusion. Yum.