Organic Emperor's Gold

additional notes: So basically Nicole sent me a random package of mostly amazing black teas YEARS ago that I’m still in love with. They are some of the absolute best black teas I still have in my collection. When I want a solid favorite black, my go to is anything from Nicole’s ziplock bag of tea. So I’m still very thankful for these teas, Nicole, if you’re out there and if you ever have any more black tea castoffs, I will probably love them so let me know and they will find a good home! So so good.

From Nicole with love! That girl must have quite the Yunnan collection considering the number she’s sent to me. :P This one is almost all black leaves with just a few scant golden tips. The dry leaf smells rather earthy with some sweetness. I’m thinking this is going to be another “dark” Yunnan, which are not my favorites. Oh well, for science! ;)

The aroma is quite earthy with that smoky edge, but there’s also sweetness and a bit of raisin or dried fruit. Whew, very earthy in taste! It’s times like these that I wish I had real maple syrup so I could try these slightly smoky teas “Terri-style”. I’ll have to pick some up the next time I go to a real grocery store (there’s a small one on the bottom floor of our apartment that we generally use, convenient but they don’t have everything and some of it’s more expensive).

Welp, I don’t really have much else to say about this tea. It’s just not my style! :P

Not sure about this one. I got some while at Gong Fu this past Saturday but I don’t know that I’ll quickly make my way through the 2 ounces. It was okay, somewhat roasty and heavy. But there was an off putting undertone to the cup that I’m not sure I liked. Will try again before rating or trying to rehome. :)

I received a sample of this from Charissa. Thank you for sharing one of your favorites from the winter.

This one I would say is the heaviest of all three of the samples Charissa sent. My first cup of this I used the word “chewy” to describe this tea. and possibly “meaty.” This cup I am getting a roasted, slightly smokey accent to the sweet and dry mouthful. I have enjoyed a few cups of this and it has been a great warming evening tea., despite the caffeine. It hits the spot on this late March snowy evening.

I really enjoy this one, but I am not sure it is one I would repurchase from Gong Fu Tea. I enjoyed the Organic Ceylon and Nilgire a bit more.

This Yunnan has been a favorite of mine all winter, although I realized I hadn’t written a review of it yet! Time to get a note done before it’s all gone…which, as I only have a few teaspoonfuls left, is a likely to be soon.

I really like Yunnan black teas—they tend to be so smooth and tasty—and this Emporer’s Gold is a good one. The dry leaf smells sweet and chocolatey. The liquor is a lovely, a rich golden brown, with a fragrance that makes my mouth water before I even take a sip. It has a very nice flavor: smooth, lightly malty (but not a ‘thick’ malt taste) with a few chocolate and caramel notes and also a very slight but pleasant peppery bite. Mmmm!

Having ‘gold’ in the name is highly appropriate, not only because it literally describes some of the leaf color and also the golden brown liquor, but also in a sort of metaphorical sense too: like pure gold, which is bright and beautiful but very malleable, this is a brilliant and malleable black tea; solid but also soft and smooth on the palate. It doesn’t have the super bold strength of an Assam (which could be equated with Iron, to carry the metal analogy further, haha). And, as the description states, just like gold this tea is highly valuable and fit for an emperor! So I feel like royalty (or should I say royalTEA) every time I take a sip. Yum!