I'm mostly an oolong and green tea drinker, but last year I decided to
try out some plain black teas and ordered Golden Yunnan Imperial and
Keemun Hao Ya A from Upton Tea Imports. I really liked the strong
spicy/peppery tones that stood out from the smooth, sweetish body of
Golden Yunnan, while I didn't find the more subtle chocolatey-notes of
the Keemun to be interesting enough.

Do you have any recommendation for Congous (or other black teas)
similar to but still distinct from Golden Yunnan? I prefer to drink my
teas without milk and sugar. I've tried top-quality whole leaf Assam
but not found it to be of my taste. I also like true Lapsang Souchong
(and Darjeeling, but that's a different category).

Thanks,
Caroline

Hyllan > writes:

> [...]
> Do you have any recommendation for Congous (or other black teas)
> similar to but still distinct from Golden Yunnan? I prefer to drink my
> teas without milk and sugar. I've tried top-quality whole leaf Assam
> but not found it to be of my taste. I also like true Lapsang Souchong
> (and Darjeeling, but that's a different category).

There are some very good Fujian congous, including Golden Monkey and
Zhenghe (or Chingwo, depending on how it's transliterated.)

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

On Jan 12, 3:01*pm, Lewis Perin > wrote:
> Hyllan > writes:
> > [...]
> > Do you have any recommendation for Congous (or other black teas)
> > similar to but still distinct from Golden Yunnan? I prefer to drink my
> > teas without milk and sugar. I've tried top-quality whole leaf Assam
> > but not found it to be of my taste. *I also like true Lapsang Souchong
> > (and Darjeeling, but that's a different category).
>
> There are some very good Fujian congous, including Golden Monkey and
> Zhenghe (or Chingwo, depending on how it's transliterated.)
>
> /Lew
> ---
> Lew Perin /

I really like the Zheng from Chado in L.A. - just about the best I've
had.
Shen

Shen > writes:

> On Jan 12, 3:01*pm, Lewis Perin > wrote:
> > Hyllan > writes:
> > > [...]
> > > Do you have any recommendation for Congous (or other black teas)
> > > similar to but still distinct from Golden Yunnan? I prefer to
> > > drink my teas without milk and sugar. I've tried top-quality
> > > whole leaf Assam but not found it to be of my taste. *I also
> > > like true Lapsang Souchong (and Darjeeling, but that's a
> > > different category).
> >
> > There are some very good Fujian congous, including Golden Monkey
> > and Zhenghe (or Chingwo, depending on how it's transliterated.)
>
> I really like the Zheng from Chado in L.A. - just about the best
> I've had.

I haven't had it from that vendor, but it can be gorgeous, unusually
soft and delicate for a black/red. It's made from a cultivar mostly
used for white tea.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

> There are some very good Fujian congous, including Golden Monkey and
> Zhenghe (or Chingwo, depending on how it's transliterated.)
>

I have been drinking Golden Monkey from Harney & Sons for some months
now, and really enjoying it. I drink it without milk and suger.

Jonathan

"Hyllan" > wrote in message
...
> I'm mostly an oolong and green tea drinker, but last year I decided to
> try out some plain black teas and ordered Golden Yunnan Imperial and
> Keemun Hao Ya A from Upton Tea Imports. I really liked the strong
> spicy/peppery tones that stood out from the smooth, sweetish body of
> Golden Yunnan, while I didn't find the more subtle chocolatey-notes of
> the Keemun to be interesting enough.
>
> Do you have any recommendation for Congous (or other black teas)
> similar to but still distinct from Golden Yunnan? I prefer to drink my
> teas without milk and sugar. I've tried top-quality whole leaf Assam
> but not found it to be of my taste. I also like true Lapsang Souchong
> (and Darjeeling, but that's a different category).
>
> Thanks,
> Caroline

One of my Upton favorites is Organic China Congou Hong Tao #1. To my taste
it has lovely flowery notes over a wood/leather body. Not overly smoky,
either.

As Lew mentioned, Golden Monkey can be very good, but I've not tasted
Upton's current offerings.

I should note that I drink most blacks (and Darjeeling, especially second
flush) with a little sugar. IMO strong Indian blacks like Assam or Nilgiri
are almost undrinkable without it. As usual, YMMV.

Regards,
Dean

Thanks everyone! I've ordered some Golden Monkey from SpecialTeas now,
and I'll get back with my impressions.

> Thanks everyone! I've ordered some Golden Monkey from SpecialTeas now,
> and I'll get back with my impressions.

Don't remember whether I'd ever responded to your original post, but SpecialTeas used to have an *excellent* Keemun Hao Ya. Wonder if they still do. Very chocolate-like. And ages beautifully. Their Golden Monkey I remember as being quite good too. Looking forward to your impressions of it.
Michael

On 20 Jan, 14:48, Michael Plant > wrote:
> > Thanks everyone! I've ordered some Golden Monkey from SpecialTeas now,
> > and I'll get back with my impressions.
>
> Don't remember whether I'd ever responded to your original post, but SpecialTeas used to have an *excellent* Keemun Hao Ya. Wonder if they still do. Very chocolate-like. And ages beautifully. Their Golden Monkey I remember as being quite good too. Looking forward to your impressions of it.
> Michael

I've now received my teas from SpecialTeas. The handling (6 days until
it shipped) was somewhat longer than I deem should be necessary, but
the teas are so far excellent. The Golden Monkey is incredibly smooth
with a strong cocoa note that gets stronger as the tea cools. I've
gotten three flavorful infusions out of it; more than with any other
black tea I've tried. Thanks for the recommendation; it scores a
second place on my favorite black teas list.