I can usually get three good steeps and a 4th weaker...but the third one is tricky. I have to make sure it brews hotter and longer than the previous two. So I always make sure to preheat the brewing vessel, brew with a cover, and brew for at least 2-3 min longer than my first two brews. Even then it will be slightly weaker than the first couple, but I still find it satisfying.
Apr 14th, '08, 10:48
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Apr 14th, '08, 16:31
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Katrina
I am definitely a big fan of Adagio's Yunnan Gold. It was the first Yunnan I had tried and I was amazed. I re-ordered and also felt a little let down, but didn't know if it was me or if it was actually different. It just didn't seem as peppery as I'd remembered. It's still pretty excellent, though.
I also recently tried Yunnan Jing Mao Hou Organic Select from Upton Tea and was really impressed.
I also recently tried Yunnan Jing Mao Hou Organic Select from Upton Tea and was really impressed.
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Apr 14th, '08, 17:11
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Funny, I got my Yunnan Sourcing "Pure Small Bud Black Tea Gold Tips" order recently, and what I received from Ito En was better. The Yunnan Sourcing is quite good, but did not blow me away like the Ito En.silverneedles wrote: what the ?!?!!
i just came from ItoEn store in NYC and this is what i got...
(spread out and 1st cup) and it tastes pretty... not good...
the 2 rightmost pics are Premium Yunnan Black Gold, then Yunnan Pure Small Bud Black Tea Gold Tips from YunnanSourcingLLC, very fabulous
It looks like you got a different batch from Ito En, the pic on the far left is clearly not the same as what I posted above. Are you sure they gave you Yunnan Gold and not a lesser Yunnan?
As for Yunnan black tea in general, I am not a huge fan of the lower non-tippy grades... I prefer the distinctive peppery malty taste of the mostly golden tippy Yunnans...
It is the astringency of the Indian and Ceylon teas that I particularly like but the Yunnan has a fullness that is different. While I do prefer the "pucker power" of the Assams, Darjeelings and Ceylons the Yunnan has opened a whole new world. Once I get used to this, I might grow an appreciation for the greens.Salsero wrote:It is amazing how much of a revelation Yunnan blacks are for people. I had the same reaction when I first tasted Adagio's, and I have heard that over and over again for others. I think its the reduced astringency compared to Indian and Ceylon teas.
(It figures that the tea that I fall in love with is spendy.
)
Does anyone know if there's a place where Yunnan gold is really common? I just got some, and my primary reaction is that it's really, really familiar. The smell of the leaves, the taste of the tea...I've had this somewhere before, and I don't know where. My family's always been English Breakfast in bags people, and until recently I mostly drank green tea, so I don't know where I would have had it. Ireland, maybe? I went on a trip there, and while you probably can get a meal without a pot of tea, I don't know why you would. I certainly didn't. I wish I could remember what the tea there tasted like. This is going to drive me nuts.
I think YG is produced from the Assamese variety of C. sinensis, so it will be reminiscent of some of the Indian teas. Seeing as the British are very fond of Indian teas and tend to use them in their more classic blends, that very well might be where you're getting the recognition from. YG has just enough in common with the more popular Western teas to seem familiar.
So indeed, Ito En's Yunnan Gold is now a quite different batch from the pic I posted above, more like a tippy yunnan than a real all-gold yunnan.silverneedles wrote:what the ?!?!!
i just came from ItoEn store in NYC and this is what i got...
(spread out and 1st cup) and it tastes pretty... not good...
That is the thing about tea, huh, sometimes the best of the best is a one-time find, small batch, and disappears quickly. Hopefully they will have that real-gold, super-malty Yunnan again at some point.
For now, from Ito En, their Keemun Spring Dawn is the black tea to get, if they still have any left.
Oh well! The search continues...