Tealyra - Imperial Golden Monkey - Yunnan Black Loose Leaf Tea - Best Chinese Black Tea - Bold Caffeine - 110g (4-ounce)

Very good tea for the money. I think that the description as a "black tea" is somewhat misleading; it's what most U.S. tea drinkers would consider an oolong. So, not black in color, brittle, with short lengths, but lighter in color (brownish yellow), with long somewhat soft and flexible leaves. "Fluffy, not stuffy" to borrow from a candybar ad campaign. In a "standard" 4 oz black tea container that would typically be only 3/4 full with 4 oz black tea, with this Imperial Golden Monkey tea the container is almost full with just 2 oz. Makes a nice, flavorful cup of mild tea with a good aroma. All that's the good news, so why the 2 star review? The bad news is that the weight was significantly under that advertised. When I buy an amount of a tea I'm not likely to use withing a month or two, I divide it in portions and have one "in use" portion readily available, while the other portions I vacuum seal and keep in a cool place. In this case I planned to divide the tea into four 2 oz portions, but when I got the last portion it only weighed 1.75 oz. That may sound insignificant (a quarter ounce low), but it IS significant for this tea -- and it's a degree of error I've never encountered in >10 years of portioning out teas. They're typically spot-on, within 0.05 oz of the advertised weight (within the resolution "error" associated with a good balance). Incidentally, this is NOT a problem in weighing; I was using a calibrated laboratory grade balance, and have >30 years of experience weighing quantities in this range as part of my profession. So, they shortchanged the order. If they routinely do this, then every 25-30 bags of tea they get one free that's all profit on their end. Most people in this business make sure they provide the advertised weight, and if they err, it's on the side of being a tiny bit generous, so they don't alienate their customers. Like this customer. So, even though I like the tea a good deal, I doubt I'll be buying it again.

This is a visually beautiful tea,. The long, curved leaves are a lovely gold and the aroma is magnificent: sweet, malty, and even a bit floral. I experimented with water temperature and infusion times, and found that the tastiest tea comes with traditional gongfu techniques: water at about 180 F (yes, I know, surprising for a black tea), about 5 g. of tea per 100 ml. water, and multiple short steeps. First was 20 secs, then 25, 30, 35, etc. The lower water temperature keeps the astringency low, and allows the layers of flavor to shine. Until I tried it this way, I had found the tea pleasant but ultimately disappointing after the promise of its aroma. Short steeps at low temps made all the difference.

We've been buying a nice golden needle tea from a Chinese supplier, but shipping is very slow now due to Covid-19. I began looking for in-country alternatives and tried this and a lower cost Amazon competitor. This product brews up and has the expected golden needles / golden eyebrow tea profile: subdued, malty, toasted marshmallows. It is also visually comparable with what we are used to from our high-end Chinese supplier. The competitor tea did not measure up and this is, by far, a superior product. Highly recommend to those who love golden needles / eyebrows tea. It looks exactly as pictured in the product photo.

This golden monkey is unusual for any tea I have purchased from Tealyra. It is quite flavorless and unlike any golden monkey I have purchased through the years from multiple vendors. Not happy at all with this particular one. I don't know if this is a one-off because I have had good luck with Tealyra for several years and many different Teas in the past. Will not order this one again...big disappointment.

No bitterness which is a main thing I look for in tea. Not even when oversteeped. I like this tea a lot when I make iced tea (I don't add sweetener). Not a dark color at all, so do not let this fool you. I am used to black tea and highly oxidized oolong tea so the color threw me off. I way over steeped my first cup and it was insanely strong but not bitter. Follow the steeping instructions and it will turn pout very good, even though the color is super light.

I am a huge tea drinker and drink many different types of tea. I drink golden monkey tea all the time and normally get it from a well-known tea company, who, unfortunately, has none available right now. I thought I'd try this instead. Bad choice! The tea is not finely chopped up and when steeped it has a musty, foul flavor. Disgusting. What a waste of $34.99! It arrived today and is already in the garbage.

I love this tea. I drink 1 - 3 cups every morning as I start my day. I have found that two to three cups seems optimum for tea strength vs steeping time. Beyond three cups you end up having to steep the tea for much longer.This tea tastes great and if you do over-steep it doesn't really get too bitter as this variety doesn't produce nearly as much tannic acid. It does have a fair amount of caffeine so I only drink it in the morning. It does make an amazing iced tea that I think it would be a true disservice to add any type of sweetener to.Well I can speak for hours about the flavors in beer and wine I'm relatively new to the tea drinking world but I think this stuff is absolutely delicious.

Wonderful!!! I could sip on the Imperial Golden Monkey all day long, especially in the early morning light before working or going to work. The aroma is very smooth, it does not bite and the richness is mild and tender. In fact, I have not drank a better tasting tea. I will need more time alone to investigate why this tea taste so go and I need to find out why this tea is very relaxing.The color is vibrant after it has been brewed and steeped. The golden color is throughout the entire body of the tea. The flavor is smooth throughout the cup of tea, the beauty and its sated taste remains from beginning to end . Thank You for this tea!

Boissons relaxantes.

I have had Golden Monkey Tea from another company and the taste was much richer and stronger

This tea is lovely, light and delicious! It’s perfect.