China Yunnan Simao Golden Needle Black Tea

Absolutely wonderful. I think I’m going to be come a big fan of Yunnan teas as the two I’ve had have been wonderful.

Chocolate malt might become a bit of a morning tradition.

Ok guys, tomorrow is the big day, I go to see a Neurologist, something I should have done a long time ago. With luck they can do something about my seizures and headaches tomorrow, if not, well, life carries on and I shall adapt, as I always have. I just realized that made me sound quite deep and introspective, oops! Bah, enough of that, last night while playing Terraria I killed Plantera three times, I am quite pleased with myself. Tonight I am taking a break from Terraria to work on something else, maybe, the siren’s call of gaming might overwhelm me.

Before my last What-Cha order, I noticed that Alistair had added a bunch of Yunnan teas, especially those oh so tempting fuzzy golden ones, so I got a bunch of samples to try. Also China Yunnan Simao Golden Needle Black Tea, I took a gamble and bought a full sized pouch, something I very rarely ever do, I learned earl on in my tea loving life that samples are the best way to go (except with Puerh, that is a very rocky road there!) because sometimes you buy a larger pile of tea and end up stuck with something you don’t like. I would have been very shocked to be disappointed by this tea, I have had Simao black/red teas before, and it was sublime, Simao has a certain something that makes for a happy me. The aroma of the fuzzy golden needles is rich and sweet, ah, so distinctly ‘Yunnan’ to me, notes of molasses, yams, roasted peanuts, caramelized sugar, cocoa and a fun finishing note of plum. I love how these different Yunnan red teas have similarities and yet each one has its own unique flair, this one makes itself standout using stronger roasted peanuts and plum.

You know, there is a reason that the fuzzy teas from Yunnan are my go to morning tea…and occasionally afternoon tea, they are just so yummy! I only ever had one I didn’t like and that was because there was something wrong with it, but that is a different story. This is story of some needles that have been thoroughly steeped! The aroma of the soggy needles is intensely rich, like whoa I need to sit down that is rich, strong notes of yams and malt blend with cocoa and caramel. It is very sweet, mouthwateringly so. The liquid is rich with notes of cocoa, roasted peanuts, honey and malt, I am filled with anticipatory glee.

Ok, now that I am mostly done drooling, it is time to enjoy the fruits of my steeping. The opening steep is smooth and sweet, and a touch gentle. This is not a first steep that is a bold intro, this is a gentle beginning to a story, like the difference between Mass Effect 1 & 2’s opening. It starts out very sweet, like honey and a touch of caramelized sugar, this moves to toasted peanuts and molasses, and finishes off with lingering yams.

The aroma of the second steep is a blend of malt and caramel, a touch of distant smoke joins in as well. It is still a very smooth tea, but it is less gentle this time around, I would go as far as to say this tea is now full bodied. It starts with sweet honey and toasted peanuts, then it moves to rich malt and molasses. Like before the finish is lingering yams with just a hint of smoke.

Third steep! The aroma is less sweet, more like yams and squash with a touch of smoke and peanuts. The taste is surprisingly (or not so, really) not as sweet, full on robust and rich, strong notes of yam and roasted peanuts, with acorn squash and a touch of molasses. The finish is malty and honey sweet, that sweetness lingers for a while. This is what I want as a wake up tea, it starts gentle and finishes with an oomph, by the time the robust mouth explosion starts I am fully awake and ready to enjoy the intense tastes rather than the light nuances of wakefullness. And now, to decide if I am going to work on my research project…or play Terraria.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/09/what-cha-china-yunnan-simao-golden.html