Golden Tips Yunnan Organic Red (Black) Tea

Golden Tips Yunnan Organic Red Tea ‘s main characteristic is that it consists of relatively small leaves. This factor, due to earlier harvesting, allows the flavors to be extracted more quickly during infusion, resulting in an intense flavor in less time. In addition, smaller leaves tend to develop fewer tannic-tasting components during the total oxidation process expected for red teas, giving a sweeter, softer liquor on the palate.

Given this background, we can understand why Golden Tips Yunnan tea presents a lovable taste right away, in this case mainly characterized by sweetness and slight floral notes, with a fresh, citrusy finish.

Tasting – Sight and smell

Golden Tips Yunnan organic red tea has small, whole, rolled leaves that are anthracite black with mahogany highlights and lots of golden buds. Once infused, they release aromas of wood and cocoa, with a floral and slightly fruity finish reminiscent of the sweetness of yellow fruits, such as peach and apricot. The liquor in the cup is between red and dark amber, clear and bright.

Tasting Notes

GONG FU CHA

The first infusion of Golden Tips Yunnan organic red tea opens with notes of sweet pipe tobacco, delicate wood and a hint of honey. Very light floral notes are also noticeable. With the second infusion, a citrusy acidity emerges that is reminiscent of chinotto and is particularly fresh and pleasant. This is followed by notes of fragrant wood and again light floral scents. The third infusion, on the other hand, has a component reminiscent of mountain herbs and gentian, though without a pronounced bitterness. Wood and citrus notes remain on the finish.

WESTERN

Golden Tips Yunnan organic tea is a rather delicate red tea: it has fresh, citrusy notes reminiscent of cedar and chinotto in the opening, followed by mild hints of sweet tobacco and fragrant wood. There is also an elusive sweetness of wildflower honey, which evolves into barely noticeable notes of wildflowers. These gentle floral notes linger briefly, confirming the delicacy of a tea with a light and smooth body, almost entirely devoid of astringency.

Place of origin

Yunnan, China

Production

After harvesting, the leaves of Golden Tips Yunnan tea are left to wither in the sun for some time, depending on the producer, before moving on to the folding stage. The leaves are then folded and rolled so that the juices inside are stirred and the oxidation process can begin. For this tea, the leaves are exposed to a progressive increase in temperature during oxidation and, once the leaf reaches its typical brown colour, the residual internal moisture is removed. After a few days’ rest, the tea is ready for consumption.

How to prepare

We highly recommend infusing Golden Tips Yunnan tea by the traditional Chinese method (gong fu cha) to best enjoy these leaves. Following this preparation, 5.5 grams of leaves (about 4 teaspoons) can be used in a gaiwan of about 100 ml to make several infusions with different tastes. After a quick rinse of the leaves in water at 90°C, an initial infusion of 10 seconds can be made, and after that, keeping the water at the same temperature, the time can be increased each time by 10 seconds from the previous infusion (10 – 20 – 30…).

This tea has a longevity of about 6 brewings.

For a classic preparation according to the Western style, we recommend 3 grams of leaves (about 2 teaspoons) in a 150-mL cup with water at 90°C for an infusion time of one and a half minutes.

The tea can be filtered for greater ease at the moment of tasting, and also the infusion times indicated above are intended to be purely indicative, so you can also adjust according to your personal taste.

Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.