Ceylon Black Tips and Yunnan Gold

[harmyd]

Hello fellow tea lovers. I am new to the loose tea world and I picked up the Tao of Tea Ceylon Black Tips and Rishi Yunnan Gold from a local store about a week or so ago. After tasting these two teas I enjoy the Black Tips a little bit more than the Yunnan Gold. The Black Tips has a crisp clear black tea taste while the Yunnan Gold has a noticeable taste at the beginning. Since I am drinking these at work I am not using boiling water which the Yunnan Gold package recommends. How do others feel about this?

[olivierco]

With tea there isn't any absolute rules. Recommendations from sellers are more hints: you have to experiment by yourself and find what is the best according to your personal taste. You should try your teas with boiling water and see if you notice a change.
You could also try the same tea from a different seller.

[omegapd]

I'm in the same boat as you are. I don't have access to boiling water at work and can definitely taste a difference with black teas. They really need to be steeped with boiling water to get the full flavor. So, I've been drinking green teas and Yerba Mate at work. They can use non-boiling/cooler temp water...

EW

[harmyd]

I brought my Rishi Yunnan Gold tea tin home and already I brewed about four cups of it through a two cup glass infuser teapot with boiling water. I used around a tablespoon of the Yunnan and let it brew for about four minutes. I noticed that the last was lighter and more enjoyable than before. In my second infusion, I let the tea brew for five minutes and the tea still is enjoyable.

The difference is in the water temperature and the quantity of loose leaves that I am using. Ceylon Black Tips is better for the work environment because it does not require boiling water whereas the Yunnan Gold shall be enjoyed at home - no problem at all! Now I need to find new tea to fill Yunnan Gold's spot at work!