90
drank Golden Fleece by Verdant Tea
1578 tasting notes

This was sent to me by the generous MzPriss. It wasn’t even a swap, she just sent it out of the kindness of her heart, aww… Sorry it took me so long to try it! :P It’s been a while since I had one of these giant golden fuzzbud (™?) Yunnans. This tea is composed entirely of huge, fat, golden buds that are super fuzzy. Dry scent is very sweet with a ton of honey and apricot and a little hint of cinnamon. The recommended steep was 1 minute but I found it too light for my tastes and let it go for an extra minute.

Mm, it smells like pastry with honey and golden raisins! The taste… Definitely a lot of fluffy, buttery pastry. There’s an inherent creaminess that, combined with the slight grain note, reminds me of soy milk. I also get a very mild sweet potato flavor, definitely with a little bit of butter and honey mixed in. I’m actually a little bit sad that I don’t get that interesting cinnamon scent in the taste… I did a second steep at 4 minutes and it came out very similar to the first with a little bit of a stronger grain note.

Overall, yes this tea is good. However, the price is way too steep in my opinion. I have had very similar teas from Yunnan Sourcing, and they have several other fuzzbud™ Yunnan teas that I haven’t tried yet. And the price is less than half of this tea! So it seems a bit excessive to me, but to each their own. :P

Flavors: Butter, Creamy, Honey, Pastries, Sweet Potatoes

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 2 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
Stephanie

Fuzzbud… I love it! And you are right about the yumminess of the Yunnan fuzzbud genre :)

Cameron B.

Yeah, I really need to make a Yunnan Sourcing order… Eventually… XD

boychik

I checked this current sale only on their own YS puerh:(. I got too excited because I wanted to get wild purple ye sheng Dehong. Next time then

Christina / BooksandTea

I’ve never made any orders from YS. What teas of theirs are similar to GF here?

Cameron B.

Christina, the two that I’ve had are the Imperial Gold Needle and Imperial Mojiang Gold Bud. They have a couple other pure bud varieties if you look under Yunnan Black Teas. I actually find Tan Yang from Teavivre tastes very pastry-like if you steep it for 2 minutes also. :)

Stephanie

Also the Jinggu Golden Strand from YS

Cameron B.

Stephanie, when I do make an order, I will try all of the fuzzbuds™! :D

Christina / BooksandTea

Awesome guys, thanks! I’ve added those to my wishlist so I won’t forget them. I really hope they have a sale at the beginning of September, when I plan to break my tea purchasing hiatus.

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Comments

Stephanie

Fuzzbud… I love it! And you are right about the yumminess of the Yunnan fuzzbud genre :)

Cameron B.

Yeah, I really need to make a Yunnan Sourcing order… Eventually… XD

boychik

I checked this current sale only on their own YS puerh:(. I got too excited because I wanted to get wild purple ye sheng Dehong. Next time then

Christina / BooksandTea

I’ve never made any orders from YS. What teas of theirs are similar to GF here?

Cameron B.

Christina, the two that I’ve had are the Imperial Gold Needle and Imperial Mojiang Gold Bud. They have a couple other pure bud varieties if you look under Yunnan Black Teas. I actually find Tan Yang from Teavivre tastes very pastry-like if you steep it for 2 minutes also. :)

Stephanie

Also the Jinggu Golden Strand from YS

Cameron B.

Stephanie, when I do make an order, I will try all of the fuzzbuds™! :D

Christina / BooksandTea

Awesome guys, thanks! I’ve added those to my wishlist so I won’t forget them. I really hope they have a sale at the beginning of September, when I plan to break my tea purchasing hiatus.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Profile

Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron! I’m a 30-year-old software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, bento, baking, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is collecting hobby related-things… ;)

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I will often sweeten iced tea. I brew Western style, and fluctuate between using mugs or teapots with small cups depending on the season. Occasionally I’ll brew Gongfu style when I’m in the mood. I also use a kyusu for Japanese teas.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Current Subscriptions:
52teas
Bird & Blend
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Sips By

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, and oolong varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however.

Fruit: All of them! My ‘go-to’s tend to be in the red fruits, stonefruit, or citrus spectra. I also really love apple, banana, berry, fig, lychee, melon, pear, and rhubarb flavors. Tropical fruits aren’t among my favorites, but I still enjoy them once in a while – especially mango and pineapple. I am not generally a fan of coconut in tea, though there are some exceptions.

Dessert: I love creamy vanilla and marshmallow flavors, along with anything in the caramel family such as butterscotch, toffee, or maple. Chocolate is also a favorite, though I’m often disappointed by it in tea. And don’t forget anything buttery, cakey, or cookie-y!

Floral: I’m a little bit more particular in this category. I very much enjoy jasmine, even strong jasmine, along with sakura and chamomile. But I’m not crazy about rose or lavender flavors, and I prefer hibiscus in moderation only.

Spices: I don’t generally find myself drawn to masala chai, but I do enjoy spices combined with other flavors. My favorite spices are the warm ones, especially cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, and cardamom. A bit of heat from black pepper or chili is okay too, as long as it’s not overwhelming! Ginger can be a lovely accent, but I find it difficult to drink as a starring flavor.

Aromatics: I’m obsessed with Earl Grey! I also love cooling flavors such as mint (especially spearmint), pine, juniper, and eucalyptus. I am not a fan of strong rosemary or sage in tea.

Favorite Purveyors:
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Kusmi
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre
Yunnan Sourcing

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age.

Location

Austin, Texas

Website

https://www.instagram.com/cam...

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