2015 CLASSIC BAI LIN GONG FU BLACK TEA OF FUDING * GOLDEN MONKEY * SPRING 2015

noms. another from terri that i may need to add to my wishlist. this was a deliciously tasty cup this morning. Malty with a hint of smoke…so good.

Restraint is the key to this tea. Nothing overpowers or underwhelms…or overexceeds. Mild cocoa and malt aromas. fairly sweet red fruit entry with dusty tannins and and a touch of earthiness in the finish.
Later steeps bring out more dark cocoa aromas, touch of ash and even some pine.

Just tried this for the first time, and it’s my first “Golden Monkey” Tea. I was surprised by the complexity of this tea when brewed gongfu style. The first 3 or so steeps tasted of cocoa with fruit undertones. Around the 4th steep, the cocoa dropped off, and slightly tropical fruit flavors took the stage, with a pleasant malt finish. Later steeps (~6-8) had a light fruity sweetness, almost like bananas. The last couple steeps, which were kind of pushing the tea, yielded weak, sorta floral flavors. The body was strong through around 7 or 8 steeps, after which it dropped off to a more watery consistency.

I brewed 2.5-3g of leaf western style in about a 250ish ml cup with a basket strainer for 3min at 195f. Blacks don’t seem to give as many infusions so setting up the tea tray and gongfu set seems a bit overkill for only a couple of good infusions but has been known to happen on occasion especially with a new tea. (Gotta get that aroma kicked up!) I really like this tea and am a fan of “Golden Monkey” in general. I like the bread-like malty and slight roasted flavors and even the bit of sweetness (albeit very mild) on the back end. Has a nice wake me up kick as well. I’m not sure if its time to get the mineral build up out of my electric tea kettle or its the tea but I do detect a bit of slight mineral/yancha rockiness in the aftertaste towards the end of the cup. Over all its a good “Golden Monkey” and I would say grab some….Scott has it cheap!