GOLDEN MONKEY TEA | Jin Hou Tea

INGREDIENTS: Golden Monkey Tea

CAFFEINE LEVEL: High

STEEP at 212° for 3 minutes

What is Golden Monkey Tea?

Also known as Jin Hou tea, Golden Monkey tea is a full-bodied black tea grown in the Fujian province of China. Golden Monkey tea is considered to be one of the finest black teas. With the hairy golden tips and the shape of the leaves, it was rightly named for its resemblance to monkey claws. 

Each spring, the loose tea is hand-processed by carefully picking one tea leaf and one bud off the tea plant (as opposed to the standard of picking the top two tea leaves and one bud.) Due to the high concentration of tips or leaf buds, this tea tends to be more expensive than a typical black tea.

What does Golden Monkey tea taste like?

Golden Monkey tea is a complex black tea. The first sip starts with a malty aroma and flavor profile with a light honey sweetness. As you allow the tea to cool, the flavor opens up with the taste of roasted apples, walnuts, cocoa, and spice notes giving it a sweet and savory aroma with a rich, coating texture and a smooth, delicate mouthfeel with a hint of smoke. 

Only the buds that have reached the fullest stage before opening to a leaf are picked for Golden Monkey tea as they contain more sugar at this point. (The sugar is stored in the bud to help grow the full leaf). This results in a tea that tends to be sweeter and less astringent than most black teas, because of its lower tannin content. 

Because of the concentration of tips or buds, it tends to have more caffeine than other similar black teas, as the tips have a higher content of caffeine.

How to brew Golden Monkey Tea

Every tea is different when it comes to brewing time. Vary the steeping time based on your own personal taste to discover its unique character on subsequent infusions. This tea is a complex black tea that can be enjoyed for multiple infusions.