TeaChat

I was looking to try a black tea because I have never had loose black tea. I am torn between the Yunnan Gold and the Assam Harmony. usualy I would just order a sample pack of each but I want to order the 3oz tin.

thanks

After trying a variety of Assams, I am convinced that Yunnan Gold has a depth that you wont find in an Assam. I'd go with the Yunnan Gold.

The Assam will be bold, strong and malty. Yunnan is definitely more complex with a smoother, malty and slight caramel finish. Yunnan gold is on par with a good Darjeeling.
Assam is good if you want a nice high quality bold black tea. Yunnan gold if you want something more refined and complex. I hate making decisions so I'd get both!

Not to complicate matters (just to give you a different opinion)... I personally would choose the Assam. I love the bold, malty quality of the assam. When I tried the Yunnan (the description sounded so wonderful) I found the taste to be too overwhelmingly peppery for me... as a matter of fact, pepper was all I could taste.
I've come to believe that it really is better to try the sample whenever possible as so many people have so many different tastes and reactions. Sorry if I just confused matters.

...you may get 20 different answers from 20 different people in response to your question...because it all comes down to personal taste...

So my personal taste in blacks would be a quality Darjeeling which is like fine wine...fruity and fragrant and usually rather light...and selecting the right Darjeeling to suit your personal taste is like selecting wine from a whole room full of different wines. There is so much to choose from.

On another day I may say Keemun which is more woody and deeper...quite on the opposite end of the spectrum.

So it not only comes down to personal taste...it also comes down to your personal mood at the time.

I don't find the peppery thing in Yunnan Gold. It certainly is a great tea. But if I were ordering an Assam, I'd probably go with the Melody rather than the Harmony. I like it better and if you look at the reviews, a lot of people feel the same way. It's also cheaper.

If you're picking just one, I'd pick Yunnan gold, but I'd certainly recommend getting a sample of Assam Melody. They're similar and different and well worth comparing.

I recently ordered samples of both. I much preferred the Yunnan Gold. It's multi-dimensional, and very rich. I tasted some pepper, but not even close to the extent mentioned above. The Assam was fine, but mostly just a dark, malty drink.

I've had 'em both, & prefer Yunnan Gold (to the point where I've consumed the sample and 1.5+ oz. in the past month or so.

The Gold has an interesting complexity, a sweetness, a depth, malty overtones & tends not to go bitter when I get distracted.

I found the Assam to be just okay -- not bad, but uninteresting. And could get bitter if not decanted after 4 min. Besides the Yunnan Gold, I preferred Golden Monkey, Darjeeling 2 and 22, & Ceylon Sonata. Also Oolong 40 which, tastewise, strikes me as a black/oolong hybrid -- it's the tea I drink most often.

And I'd second Chip's comment -- what you want to drink at a given time will vary with your mood.

- Richard
www.oldWithoutMoney.com

thanks for all the help. I receved my Yunnan Gold today and it was everything I hoped it would be.

I suggest you can try Keemun Black Tea.
It has many good functions to human body.
It can help or make you:

1.facilitate dieting;
2.relaxing and refreshing;
3.blood fat reducing;
4.reduce blood pressure;
5.prevent memory loss;
6.relieve stress.


Take a try,Seeing is Believing!