Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Golden Moon Tea’

From the label: Top quality black tea with the sweet flavor of ripe fruit, and rich, smooth honey.

The smell of the tea leaves (dry and wet) is musty. Oh, I see pollen pieces on the ingredient list. That would explain the slight musty smell.

The taste is of pear. Greenish Pears that may have not been ready to pick The amber liquid does not need sweeteners. It is fine all by itself. This reminds me more of white tea than black. The pollen is probably responsible for the “flowery” taste emitting from my cup. As this cools, the taste is unforgiving for me. I cannot bear to finish this tea, the flowers, the pollen, the mustiness all came together in a bitter mess of a tea. I hope to have better luck on my next Golden Moon sample, but it is a wrap for this one.

You can purchase the Honey Pear directly from the Golden Moon Tea website.

This tea is confusing, and complex. When I first opened the packet I did a double take – bubble gum! But I was opening tea, not gum…? On a second sniff I could identify the vanilla and in the background found a subtle hidden jasmine note. But overall – bubble gum.

My first sip tasted odd… the flavors were complex and hard to pin down. My tongue was confused. I got some creaminess from the vanilla, but couldn’t really taste the jasmine. But I did get a cooling aftertaste in my mouth after the liquid had passed which I think may have been the jasmine. There was a fleeting overtone of “artificiality” in the brew. When I added a little sweetener, I tasted some of the “cream soda” flavor other tasters have reported. But it wasn’t a strong resemblance.

I then tried it cooled, and enjoyed it much more. The melded vanilla and jasmine each stand out as separate yet complimentary flavors.

As an iced tea, this was wonderful. I can very much see myself sitting outside on a warm night, drinking this tea, and being very content. As a warm tea, it wasn’t my favorite, however I know of many others who appreciate it very much. This is one of those teas you’ll have to try for yourself. But, if you do – make sure to try it iced.

You can purchase the Vanilla Jasmine directly from the Golden Moon Tea website.

For Sinharaja we use rich, dark loose leaf tea leaves that are nourished by fertile rain forest streams in the hills of Ceylon. …from the Golden Moon website.

This dark loose leaf tea has become my favorite tea. I drink it morning, noon and night. What makes it different from all the other teas that I have had the privilege of tasting? Sinharaja tastes like tea. The way tea should taste, not with a bunch of other flavors crowding out the tea taste. It is not bitter nor is it mouth puckering. According to the Golden Moon, you cannot over brew this tea. I have not personally tested this because when I make a pot of this tea, it is gone in a matter of minutes.

Brewing directions from the Golden Moon:
Brew 1 tsp of leaves per cup in boiling water 3-5 minutes. I brew this tea for 3 minutes. This tea stands up well to milk and sugar.

If you are looking for a good basic black tea, Sinharaja may be the answer.

You can purchase the Sinharaja directly from the Golden Moon Tea website.

For those of you that know me, the fact that I am reviewing an Earl Grey tea may seem a bit… strange. For those of you that do NOT know me, you should know that I do not like Earl Grey. I have tasted teas from all over the world, different cultures, countries and hundreds of different blended and flavoured tea, and I could just never get my head around one of the most well known teas, Earl Grey – until now.

I actually broke one of my own rules here on It’s All About The Leaf – the rule that says you can only review teas that you either like, or have never tried before. If you don’t like black teas, and know it, don’t review them.

When I received this tin of Tippy Earl Grey from Golden Moon, my first thought was “Who should get this to review? They should like Earl Greys – because it looks like a good one”. I made the mistake then of cracking the tin open for a sniff – and instantly I knew that I was the one reviewing this one! It smelled like Earl Grey – but not as flowery and had a sweetness about it.

Even with the great scent I was still approached it with a little trepidation – it IS Earl Grey after all, and I don’t LIKE Earl Grey! So I started with a little less than is was called for, and steeped it only for 3 minutes to keep the strength down.

First impressions, smooooooth. Subtle. NOT bitter! NOT flowery! What the heck am I drinking? I am so used to an extremely tannin’y brew that smells and tastes like flowers, that I was momentarily confused! I can smell the Bergamot, I can taste the Bergamot, but it is not like taking a sip of grandma’s perfume, which is my usual reaction to an Earl Grey! It tastes… good!

Golden Moon highlights that this tea is made with a high quality base – and by George they are right! Right from their site:

“How is the Golden Moon Tea Earl Grey better than most Earl Grey teas?

The tea base is of a much higher quality than most Earl Grey tea. Also, our flavor is a good deal more balanced. Most other Earl Grey teas use a very strong Bergamot to cover poor quality tea. Earl Grey tea connoisseurs love our Tippy Earl Grey because of its consistently good taste and high value per cup.”

That is it, that is exactly it. Well balanced with a high quality black tea base. That is what has been missing in my enjoyment of Earl Grey tea since I was a kid! I am really enjoying this tea – cup after cup. No milk required, no sugar required to mask the taste. Even as it cools, it stays balanced and enjoyable.

Bottom line – this is the tea that you want to get back to Earl Grey with. If you don’t like Earl Grey – try it. If you like Earl Grey – try it. The only people that may not enjoy it are ones that like bitter cups of flowers. This is not that, this is a sweet subtle and enjoyable cup of Earl Grey Flavoured Black Tea. Thank you Golden Moon – I cannot WAIT to try other teas from your collection, based on my enjoyment of this!

You can purchase the Tippy Earl Grey directly from the Golden Moon Tea website.

Click here to enter the Steepster Ultimate Holiday Tea Gift Contest

We are taking a brief break from reviews to help Steepster in getting the word out about this amazing contest! Why? Because in our opinion the tea community has never been hit with a contest of this magnitude before.

Steepster announced on Monday the Ultimate Holiday Tea Gift Contest – and I have to say, I have NEVER seen such a prize package for tea lovers as this!

Headlined with the much lauded Sorapot by Joey Roth, this prize package contains over $825 worth of tea and tea accessories from companies such as: Adagio, TeaFrog, Maeda-en, Golden Moon Tea, Art of Tea, Pearl Fine Teas, 52 Teas, Teas Etc, Earth Bound Tea, Tavalon, and Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea.

It is simple to enter, just visit the Ultimate Holiday Tea Gift Contest page, and follow the simple directions. No long winded essays to write, no video testimonials, just a simple tweet or discussion reply, and you are in.

Steepster is a site that “helps you keep an online log of the teas you drink”. You can keep track of your teas, rate them, make tasting notes, and share them with your friends and followers. It is a great place to discover new teas, and share your passion of tea.

I personally had a chance to speak with Jason Roos, one of the founders of Steepster, and they are excited to be offering not only this amazing contest, but specials and features of tea companies of all size and shape through their Steepster Select program – a daily showcase of deals and favorites, a new one posted every day.

So head on over and enter the Steepster Ultimate Holiday Tea Gift Contest.