Golden Moon Tea

Today is our Welcome Back “Coffee” Break here at work; it’s a Staff Council tradition each semester. My coworker went, and brought us back a pile of pastries! I zeroed in on a croissant filled with what I now know to be a delicious cinnamon almond paste. (Mmmm!)

I was pawing through my tea drawer for something good to have with it, and unearthed this beauty. Clear as can be on the label it said “…best served with pastries and fruits.” I decided to take that advice and Oh! The synergy! I’ve always loved this tea, but paired with this pastry??! I feel as if I’ve melted and gone to a Very Happy Place!!! Sweet touch of vanilla, jasminey, but just a little, and good tea flavor. Perfect sans additions. Thank you for making my day Golden Moon (and pastry!!)!!!!

LOVING the cool mornings we’ve been having. I am so happy to take my teas with vanilla in them to the forefront of my to-drink drawer at work!

This one is one of my favorites. Jasmine means happy, and vanilla means comfort in my tea lexicon :) I have yet to drink this tea and not feel an elevation in my feelings of well being. Rich and heady. Almost too decadent for the morning!

Couldn’t resist having this one after reading about Adham drinking it yesterday!

It does not disappoint :) Jasmine, creamy vanilla, good tea. Happy tea! Comfort tea! One of my cupboard must haves. I always enjoy at least two steeps too :) Working on number two as I type. ♥

I have this little ongoing project where I am transferring all of my teas that are not in tins, into tins. It was easy to do at home in one fell swoop, but it’s slower going at work – I’ve been taking 3 tins in a day along with my packed lunch, and I do the transfer before my work days starts.

Today I was planning on a totally different tea for my morning tea, but THIS was one of the three I was transferring today! I took one sniff and changed my plans immediately!!

This is yet another tea that I’m crazy for, yet isn’t super popular on here. My happy tea (jasmine) and my comfort tea (vanilla) all rolled into one! It’s delicious without additives (but a pinch of sugar can be nice if you are in the mood for it). It’s very unique and I find it super delicious! It’s a great afternoon tea, but I find it particularly delicious after a big breakfast.

I am having a big day today…

-Yearly performance appraisal meeting at work
-My big 13 page paper gets returned at school

Eeee! I need a happy tea, a comforting tea, and caffeine!!!! This tea fulfills all of my prerequisites!! Jasmine = happy, vanilla = comfort, black/green tea blend = caffeine!

I simply adore this tea. I love the flavor, I love that it’s perfect without any additions now that I lowered the water temperature a notch, and I love that I’ve never found any tea flavored quite like it. Three steeps of happiness, comfort, and energy :) I’m ready to face my big day!

It’s Monday! Need Happy Tea!

I decided, since this does have a little green tea in it, to set my kettle to 200 degrees to see if it makes any difference in the flavor.

sip sip hmmm. It is smoother, a nice hint of vanilla, but somehow less jasminey? I’m kind of torn between liking the smoothness and missing the more jasmine character. But on the other hand, I can taste more TEA ness. The flavor of the black and green teas is very delicious. I also did not use any sugar (which I did at 212). I also wonder if it will mean I can get an extra infusion! I will keep it at 200 throughout this experiment.

steep 2 (5 min): Excellent! Again, finding more delicious tea flavors and little back up harmonies of vanilla and jasmine. The tea is still quite dark and flavorful.

steep 3 (6 min): A bit watery, but drinkable, especially on a Monday!!!

Results of Experiment: will now steep at 200! I am really enjoying the smooth tea taste, and the fact that I don’t need sugar. I will know that if I am in the mood for something super jasmine, to set my eyes to Jasmine Green, Three Part Poetry, etc. etc.

So tired this morning – I definitely need some happy mood power today. Must have something jasmine :) I thought this one would be good because it also contains green and black tea (caffeine!!) and vanilla (one of my favorite flavors). I put a scant half teaspoon of sugar in my cup, too, for a little extra something.

Delicious! Rich floral vanilla. Unique. Sweet. As it cools, the jasmine moves a little more to the front. Very nice to ease into the week with :) Flavorful and delightful second steep which I don’t feel needs sugar. I’m going to give this a bump to 100 because it’s a tea that I adore and always want to have around. It fits my ideal flavor profile to a T(ea! sorry! blame the happymaking jasmine for my cornball humor)!

I was in SUCH a mood for this today!! My first steep was delicious with a teaspoon of sugar, and I’m working through my second delightful steep (5 min) without. I remembered the last time I drank this, it put me in an incredibly great frame of mind, and it is working once again!!! It has cleared away the tiredness cobwebs and I’m able to focus on my work.

A tea related aside: My husband isn’t feeling well today, and his coworker made him some tea. He told me it wasn’t as good as our tea at home, and would I put together a little good tea care package for his work so he could share really good tea with his coworkers? :) :) :) I’m not sure what I’m going to include yet, but I’m thinking def some Irish Breakfast Special Reserve from Golden Moon. Def some Jackee Muntz (they will get a kick out of the smoky peaty) but NOT Thomas Sampson – he is MINE!!! FOREVER!!!! Get away from him!!) Maybe some Organic Black with Coconut for something sweet and different…that should start them off!

Taken with a teaspoon of sugar.

YUM! I absolutely love it! The vanilla is that Golden Moon creamy vanilla which I think pairs very well with the jasmine. Whatever black tea they are using works very nicely with the whole shebang. The little bit of sugar makes it very smooth (I tried a plain teaspoon of the tea that was left in my teapot without sugar and I preferred the sugar addition). Hooboy – another one that I need a tin of :) I am having it all by itself, but I can see it being so delicious with some shortbread or other plain sweet like pound cake. It also must have a good bit of caffeine in it, because I have perked up quite a bit :)

I decided to do another steep at 5 minutes. It’s a bit lighter in taste, but I can still taste vanilla AND jasmine. I didn’t add any sugar to this steep, and it’s very sweet and pleasant. It holds up really well and is very delighful! If this tea can make me this happy on a Monday morning, I better get a CASE!! :) :) :)

I sampled this today, and took pictures, but they’re not posted yet.

When I first smelled the dry leaves I thought it reminded me of Candy Cane Lane, but then I realized what I was smelling was almost exactly like Harney & Sons’ White Christmas. I’m more a fan of green and black teas than white, so I was excited to see how this held up.

Also, I recently realized that I’m not really a fan of vanilla teas, so this was also kindof a test to see how much I dislike them.

Of course, I was wrong. I love vanilla teas when blended with other flavors. I can tell by my past tea ratings. And this was no exception. I adore both Candy Cane Lane and White Christmas, but I think I like this one more. The tea stands up to the flavors a bit better, and you know you’re drinking tea, while still getting a nice blend of mint and vanilla. This mix of green and black teas is really nice as well.

So, I might consider this as a holiday tea this year, or maybe just a tasty tea to keep on hand. :)

I am sipping, and having a conversation with myself:

“No, this is strange!”
“No, it’s good-strange.”
“No. Honey Pear is good-strange, this is strange-strange!”
“Hmmm. I’m kinda getting you on the strange-strange, and now that I think of it, doesn’t it taste EXACTLY like Rose Milk body lotion from the 1970s!!?!?!?!”

http://www.amazon.com/Rose-Milk-Skin-Care-Lotion/dp/B000087L6T

“OMG it DOES!”

I then promptly stopped talking to myself, threw the tea down the sink, and am about to choose something COMPLETELY different for my evening tea!!!

Regular Ceylon, move over, Sinharaja is here! Not only does it have a far more exotic name, but the taste matches it.

I’m almost at the bottom of my Golden Moon sampler – just this, Honey Pear, Sugar Caramel Oolong, and Coconut Pouchong. I have scraps and bits from some of the other teas in the box, but the tasting is almost over. It makes me almost melancholic, really. This box was truly the beginning of my tea education.

Anyway, Sinharaja looks pretty gorgeous for a black. The leaves are beautifully brown and wiry, and very long and unbroken. The smell coming off of the dry leaf is pretty basic. There’s an almost grape-berry smell, slightly similar to a Darjeeling, but it’s really more of a traditional black tea smell.

So I steeped this one up, and the leaves unfurled quite a bit more than I thought they would. They floated up and down, up and down, sort of like a madcap carousel. I was really anticipating this one…

And it delivers! Now, mind you, I sort of think I’m a bit blown away by this one because it is actually a Ceylon. I don’t know how super-excited I’d be if it wasn’t. But for a Ceylon, this is probably one of the best I’ve tasted. The smell coming off of the burnt amber cup is very just “default black tea.” Which I was a bit worried about, because honestly… it smells like a typical toasty Ceylon. But the taste…

It’s a bit more brisk than I thought it was going to be. There’s a pretty heavy berry-like note, followed by a delicious, honey-related note. This one is just one of those compulsively drinkable cups, where the flavors are just smooth and satisfying. I don’t know if I’d be craving this one continually, but I have fallen into like with it. In that kindergartner way. It’s light and yummy and sweet and scratches my black tea itch. Mmmm.

All of the other reviews are right. This is a really special Ceylon!

EDIT: Listen to sophistre! Seriously. I resteeped this (4:30, boiling), which I would have never done with a black, unless someone seriously recommended it. And this is the best resteep of a black I’ve ever tasted. EVER. It tastes completely different than the first steep, but somewhat related. Like cousins or something.

I was a bit worried when I smelled the wet leaves after the second steep, because they smelled… spent. That dead-black smell you get after a resteep that just screams, LEAVE ME ALONE I’VE DONE MY DUTY. But those leaves? They lied. Seriously, because this second cup is lighter than the first, without any of the brisk qualities, and tastes like sugared raisins. With some berry notes. But sugared raisins. Mmmmm.

So. Good. Thanks, sophistre, for pointing out the wonders of the second steep on this puppy!

I’ve really been craving this one lately! It just seems so perfect for spring. :) So refreshing!!

Yum! I was about to go for a complete repeat of yesterday’s tea selections with Mighty Leaf’s Kyoto Rice, but I decided to go for this one instead, and I’m glad I did! Light and refreshing. Exactly what I needed after a lunch out! :)

Brought this tea to work with me, and it was calling me after lunch. I’m glad I chose it, because this is a tea I can relax with. It inspires good feelings. And for some reason, the office is ridiculously noisy today. Grr. But I can peacefully sip this tea and drown everyone out. (Normally, I would say something like, “Mwahaha” here, but this is not a tea that inspires evil laughter.)

It’s just so light and tasty! I’m really glad I invested in a full size of this. Mmmm.

Wanted something light this morning, so I chose this one!

The leaves smell fresh with a little hint of melon.

The tea itself smells sweeter, sugarier, and more melony.

The taste is really yummy! I mean, you’ve gotta like honeydew and cantaloupe, I think. But yum! It’s not too heavy on the melon, which I appreciate.

Hits the spot! :)

I wasn’t expecting to like this one, and I’m not a huge fan of jasmine. (What’s with me drinking teas with flavors I’m not crazy about today? :P) My only experience with it so far had been in Teavana’s Body + Mind, where it completely overpowered any other flavor the tea might contain. But I wanted to give it another shot, and the combination with vanilla intrigued me.

The leaves smelled predictably like a combo of vanilla and jasmine, with vanilla on the front end and jasmine lingering afterwards. An interesting scent.

The tea itself smells much like the leaves did, but I feel like there’s a bit more combination of the scents, whereas the scents were coming off the leaves separately.

The taste? Mmmmmm. Lightly jasmine with sweet vanilla. I’m pleasantly surprised! :) The black tea in this does come into play a bit, too, but it really fits very well with the vanilla and jasmine. I like this!

I have to start by saying that I’m not a huge coconut fan. I don’t hate it, but I also don’t love it. It’s not something I search for, but I do enjoy it from time to time. I do, however, hate coconut scented things (body lotion, shampoos, etc.), since they just smell fake and nasty to me. :(

But I figured this would be a good tea to go with my Thai leftovers, so I decided to do this one today.

Now, this is an award-winning tea, and I had high hopes for it, even despite my not-loving-coconut-ness. When I opened the packet, a heavenly toasted coconut scent came wafting out, making me really hope that this scent would come across in the tea itself. A bit of the scent, however, did resemble the fakey coconut scent I dislike, but the toasted coconut scent was primary.

Brewed, it smells a bit more like fakey coconut. :( However, the taste is sweet and creamy, with an underlying hint of earthiness that tempers the coconut flavor. I honestly can’t help but like it! It tastes kind of buttery actually.

I’m a bit perplexed on how to rate this. I like it, but I don’t think I love it, and I don’t think it’s something I could have all the time, but it’s still very yummy. Hmm.

Hooray! This finally came in the mail yesterday! (I say “finally,” but it really didn’t take long to get here at all, haha. I’ve just been craving this tea since I had the sample that it seemed like a long time. :P) I even get to try out my new steeper mug to brew it! Yaaay!

It’s just as delicious as the last time! :D I could’ve done with less sugar this time, though. :P

I opened the packet of this, and it just smelled amazing! The cinnamon came out on top, combined with a sweetness. Brewed, it smells like cinnamon and clove. It reminds me of pumpkin pie, since those are two of the main spices. (Then again, chai has always reminded me of pumpkin pie! :P But I think this one does more so because of the sweetness I smell.)

I brewed this just like a normal tea, but I would really love to try doing the simmering-with-milk thing. Perhaps I’ll have to buy it just to do so. :P

The taste is definitely strongly cinnamon. Mmm. Tastes kind of bakey too. After a few sips, I decided to add some sugar, and I NEVER add sugar to my hot tea. But sugar in this just tastes incredible!!! I’m getting a warm and spicy taste with the tea, and an aftertaste of sweetness from the sugar, with bakey. The lingering taste is like the last bite of pumpkin pie crust. It really just leaves me wanting more!

I really may need to own this… ♥

…and another beloved tea, finished. We are drinking our last pot of this creamy vanilla delight with a little sugar and half and half. Intoxicating! I love that I can taste the vanilla bean itself in this one. I’m very sad to see this one go. I have a little of another vanilla tea in my cupboard, but once it is gone, I’d like to repurchase this again. I also miss Golden Moon’s Kashmiri Chai in my cupboard so I will have a nice amount of restocking to do. :)

So comforting and delicious on this cold windy day. I feel 32334535634535434 times more snug after a cup of this tea. Love the creamy vanilla made even creamier with a splash of milk.

Another rainy day. Time to pull out my ultimate comfort tea: Madagascar Vanilla. The first steep was creamy, sweet, and delightful with the addition of a teaspoon of sugar and a splash of milk. I took the second steep plain, and the true vanilla bean flavor emerged. Mmmmmmmmmm. Just exactly right.