Fujian Golden Buds Tan Yang Gongfu

I have such a love-hate relationship with packing, I really do. There is a part of me that dreads it (mostly because it never fails that I pack a thing up and then an hour later realize I need said thing again) and a large part of me that loves it. It is my favorite part of moving, the nostalgic feeling towards the place you are living as it slowly reverts back to the form you first saw it in, a bare house/apartment/room. Plus you can find a lot of things you just don’t need anymore stuffed in storage, in the back of a closet, and so forth, it is freeing. This will be the fifteenth or sixteenth time I have moved in my (almost) thirty years of life, I look forward to the adventure!

Now that I have my Das Uber 80s Pop Pandora station blaring on my speakers, it is time to put aside the boxes and have a look at What-Cha’s Fujian Golden Buds Tan Yang Gongfu Black Tea! I am kicking myself for not covering this one earlier since it seems Alistair is out of stock on the larger size, I hope that more comes in because I am going to want more. I love What-Cha (like you all couldn’t tell by this point) but trying to decide which teas to get at what order is an intense process! This tea is named for its appearance (Golden Buds) where it was grown (Tanyang Village in Fujian, China) and the artistry which created it (Gongfu) and of course the kind of tea (Black Tea!) The aroma of these delicate needles is something else, intense notes of sweet potatoes and acorn squash. There are also notes of roasted peanuts and lesser notes of raisins with a pinch of smoke. Quite the delicious smelling tea, but I have a serious weakness for black teas with sweet potato and roasted peanut notes.

Into my sexy tall gaiwan the leaves go, I mostly got this tea-set with its tall lines because it works for steeping needly teas, would be an utter fail with oolongs! Brewing the leaves makes the tea area I was stationed at smell super rich and delicious, I could practically taste the tea in the air above the gaiwan, I consider that a good sign! There are notes of sweet potatoes and also delicate sweet notes of flowers and fruit, hard to distinguish which ones since it is pretty light, but it is certainly there. The liquid is some good old fashioned sweet taters cooked in a fire, you know, even though they are wrapped super tight with foil, you still get a hint of smoke. Add in a distant hint of sweet stone fruit and you have yourself a yummy smelling tea.

I took the photos and tasting notes for this tea when I was visiting my mom for Christmas, so she got to try it with me, and seeing the pair of cups in the photos makes me homesick. Luckily for the internet and texting I can talk to her while I am typing this up, yay for technology! The first steep is nice and mellow, with a very well rounded mouthfeel, not too thick, but certainly has a presence. The taste starts off with a hint of malt and a rich sweet potato note, it is yamtastic! Actually the taste is more like yams since it is on the sweet side. The taste moves right along to roasted peanuts and a delightful aftertaste of stewed dark cherries.

Oh man, the aroma this steep is intense! It starts with sweet potatoes and roasted peanuts, and then adds in some definite cherry notes and a cocoa rich finish. The mouthfeel is bright this steep, has a bit of a zinginess with a slightly drying, tingly finish. The taste starts out with the smoked yams, there is a definite smokiness, but it is more distant fire or things cooked on a fire rather than char or eating fire (like Lapsang Souchong can be) the finish is a blend of peanuts and cocoa, like a richer version of a peanut-butter cup.

Third steeping is like a flashback to the first, a gentle smoked sweet potato and definitely cherries with a hint of cocoa at the finish. The mouthfeel has gone back to being well rounded, no more drying, just smooth and slightly thick. The taste is sweet potatoes and cocoa, with a touch of smoke at the finish. This last steep was a little meh, but it was still tasty, just greatly overshadowed by the previous steep. I did a fourth steeping which was mild and sweet, by the fifth steeping I could tell it was done so I traveled no further. As per usual I (almost) never meet a Chinese Black/Red tea I did not enjoy, and this was no exception!

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/05/what-cha-fujian-golden-buds-tan-yang.html

This is a nice breakfast / morning tea-tea! Its got nice malt, sweet potato and plum flavors and is going very well with my avocado on toast!

This is quite nice. The dry scent is deeply straw and horse. The taste is lightly smoky but not objectionably so – the scent of smoke in the steeped liquor is stronger than the taste. The horse is still there – like the scent of a horse that has been running. Also a smooth, buttery richness. Very nice. Not sure I’d keep it on hand, but a very good cup.

No…Just no. xD
I don’t know why this one tastes like horse manure…but it does to me. Maybe I have been in the country way too long. I already hate living by horses, and I hate when I taste those smells in my tea.
not for me!

Mmm the smell of the dry leaf is quite heady – full of malt and almost boozy. The leaves are black and gold, small, twisty and dusted with orange dust.

Steeped, this smells delicious – lots of sweet potato. The flavour is more interesting than I was anticipating. Sweet potato, malt, sweetness and a hint of smoke that melds with the sweetness to create a rich fruity taste, reminiscent of dates and very ripe plums.

The mouth feel is quite smooth, only the faintest drying sensation that appears about half way through the cup. Medium heavy body.

Sipping this one fairly cool too.

God, I love Chinese black teas. So so good.

mmmmm this is another tea from cookies who was generous enough to send me a few teas from a couple companies that i haven’t yet had the chance to order from, but want to.

this is a lovely tea. Something i’ll be picking up when i get to place my what-cha order. It’s smooth with a slight malty taste, with honey notes that come peaking through. I’m out of practice with drinking tea, so i’m not doing it justice..but this is really lovely. thanks so much for sharing cookies!

I couldn’t find a listing for this one by searching or sorting through What-Cha’s page so I went ahead and added it. Hope I didn’t just miss it!

This one is super interesting. I’ve been wanting to try a Tan Yang for ages and for whatever reason just haven’t gotten around to it. I’m so glad I started with this one! It’s like nothing I’ve ever tasted before. Pure smoothness with a strong… something. I can’t really figure out what I’m tasting. What-Cha’s website says light honey and malt. And I certainly taste that, with the honey being especially prominent on the swallow, but there’s something else here… like wet grain. Is that a flavor?
I wish I could describe it more accurately because it definitely deserves a detailed rating.

Edit – Ah ha! I figured it out. It reminds me of Soba Cha.