Republic of Tea - Golden Yunnan

For hardcore tea connoisseurs such as myself, Republic of Tea is not the ideal choice. Although I do drink it often at work (teabags—loose leaf tea is a pain in the ass to deal with in the break room), I don't typically drink it at home. I still don't, honestly, but this deserves special mention simply because it was my introduction to what is now my favorite black tea.

That's right, Golden Yunnan. This is a tea that catches most habitual black tea drinkers unaware upon the first sip, as most people are only familiar with Indian black teas, which tend to have a very strong taste and can go bitter easily if oversteeped. Even Darjeeling, which is considered to have a milder, more delicate taste, is pretty friggin' strong compared to most Chinese teas. But Yunnan teas are some of the very best. Yunnan province has some of the oldest tea bushes in the world and provides a number of the finest teas you can get.



My first experience was heavenly. I bought this canister on a whim when I saw it in the clearance section (though it still cost more than most of the other Republic of Tea varieties). I took it home, and the honeymoon lasted about a week. It only ended because I ran out of tea, of course.

Basically, Golden Yunnan tea doesn't become bitter or astringent if you oversteep it, and I certainly did a few times. It has an unoffensive and complex flavor, and while I've read that it often has a slightly peppery taste to it, I've never gotten that. Maybe the crops from the last couple of years have been subpar or something. I have gotten a somewhat tangy, lively cup of tea, however, and Republic of Tea may be a little overpriced and overhyped, but it's still good tea. Just as a side note, this tea is also known as "Golden Needle Tea," and we all know how coveted Silver Needles white tea is... As a rule, if a tea has the word "needle" in its name anywhere, it's a pretty badass tea.

Now I have two very large canisters from Adagio: one of their Yunnan Jig, which is similar to what the Republic's Golden Yunnan is, and one of actual Golden Yunnan, which is made up entirely of the golden tips of the tea buds. Obviously that one fetches a premium over the former. The Jig has a stronger flavor more in line with that of stronger Chinese blacks, while the Golden is milder but more complex. They're still very similar, and it took me a while to really figure out the difference between them, but once I did I set the Jig aside for entertaining guests (or drinking first thing in the morning if I don't feel like Darjeeling).

So in conclusion, thank you, Republic of Tea, for introducing me to a tea I should never have gone without.

Good Earth Sweet Citrus White Tea

Okay, so Sweet Citrus White Tea by Good Earth is a bagged tea. I know I said teabags suck before, and these are not those pyramid bags, but again, loose leaf tea is usually too much trouble to deal with when I'm at work. Despite this, it is a pretty good tea.

Actually, it doesn't have much of a tea taste. White tea has a very delicate flavor that is easily overwhelmed, and this blend contains the following in addition to organic white tea:

Organic lemongrass
Organic chamomile
Organic rose petals
Organic rosehips
Organic lemon oil
Organic flavor
Organic jasmine
Organic orange oil

With all these more powerful flavors, the white tea is entirely masked, so white tea lovers should not expect a white tea taste here.

Despite all this, it really is a good tea. It produces a very relaxing brew (thanks to the chamomile and lemongrass) full of mild flavors and enough sweetness to make it pleasant, but not so much as to make it seem artificial or gross. The smell is very citrusy, almost perfumey, but the resulting brew only has a hint of oranges--the lemongrass and chamomile are definitely the dominant flavors. Because of this, it actually tastes like a tisane, but it does say there's white tea in this, so I'll just have to trust these Good Earth guys.

I like to have this tea in the late morning and mid-afternoon when I'm at work, though I think it would go best on a lazy sunday in mid-winter, curled up on the couch with a loved one while watching a Star Trek: The Next Generation marathon.

Coincidentally, I'm actually drinking some out of my Lt. Commander Data mug right now. First he reminds us of our humanity, and now I can drink tea out of him. What CAN'T that android do?

Iron Goddess of Mercy (Ti Kuan Yin)

Iron Goddess of Mercy. Pretty epic name for a tea, right? It's an oolong tea—one of the ten "China Famous Teas," actually, although what teas are among the ten seem to differ from source to source.

Anyhow, I bought this tea from the Oolong Tea House in Calgary about a year and a half ago. Had a cup tonight and decided it was a pretty awesome tea.

Many people say that an aged oolong can be a good thing. Normally, pu-erh tea is the only intentionally aged tea, but from what I understand some oolongs can change for the better with some aging as well. I'm not sure how I feel about this as I wasn't the tea connoisseur when I first bought this that I am today, but it certainly rocked my socks earlier tonight, while a year ago it didn't do much more than jiggle my shoelaces.



The liquor itself looks too light to have come from the leaves, yet here it is. It's actually a lot lighter than it looks in the picture. Seriously. But like good scotch, you can't judge its flavor by its color—if Iron Goddess of Mercy were an action movie (and it undoubtedly is), it would have Bruce Willis as John McClane playing the male lead, Linda Hamilton (Sarah Connor from the Terminator movies) as the Iron Goddess (of NO mercy), and Slash on guitars because it would be such a badass movie that it would need its own guitars.

But back to the flavor. It's good. Great, even. Somewhat fruity, doesn't come on too strong, and there's a slight smokiness, but it's definitely in the background. Reminds me of myself sometimes. This one is closer to a black tea than a green tea, as there is no grassy taste whatsoever, although don't expect a strong cup of tea—it's no bold Ceylon or kick-in-the-ass Assam (that's where the first syllable of the word comes from, you know).

If you can get ahold of some of this, at least try it. At the very worst you can get on your high horse about how you hate one of China's most famous teas, and at the best? Orgasmic bliss.

Personally, I do both.