Review: Yunnan Jinhao Golden Tip

About

Tea Name: Yunnan Jinhao Golden Tip

Seller: Koumechasou

Type: Black tea

Origin: Southern Yunnan Province, China

Season: Mingqian

Cultivar: Large leaf

5.36 grams steeped in a gaiwan for 30 seconds at 208.4°F (98℃)

Tasting Notes

Top: Cocoa, prune

Middle: Ink, resin

Last: Aloeswood, noble rot wine

Leaves

The tea is made up of only buds. When dry, they're on the large side, 3-4cm in size, and are a mix from vibrant oranges to deep browns. In the aroma, there is a note like dried foods and a sourness like umeboshi (pickled Japanese plums). Or perhaps it’s like the strong acidity of citrus fruits. Overall, the ripe impression and sour aroma are similar to tsukemono (Japanese pickled vegetables). There is an element reminiscent of shou puerh. After letting them sit in the warm gaiwan for a moment and then taking a sniff, a strongly acidic aroma pierces my nose, like something well-pickled. After steeping, they become a deep reddish brown. Compared with the liquor, their notes of bitter traditional Chinese medicine and dry prunes are strong.

Impressions

The liquor is between a deep orange and brown color. A smoky bitter-sweet aroma emanates from the liquor. I can sense a very dry fragrance, with notes of cocoa and resin, and within that a fruity prune-like element. Taking a sip and holding the tea in my mouth, there is the same dry, bitter aroma, which makes me think of ink. Again, there is also the resin-like smoky impression. As for the taste, the astringency is not strong, but the bitterness is distinct. The sharp bitterness mixes with the aroma, and I get the feeling that I’m drinking smoke. Although the sweet and sour notes are weak, it is rich and full-bodied, thanks to its strong umami and definite minerality.

After swallowing, the smoky impression continues, and there is a deep, sweet aroma reminiscent of aloeswood. And as I savor the flavors, I can sense a honey-like sweet aroma akin to noble rot wine. The after-taste is refreshing, and although a cocoa-like bitterness lingers in my mouth, the astringency is weak so it doesn’t feel dry. At the same time, the aroma is long-lasting, so each time I breathe in, the dry, sweet aroma rises up in the back of my nose again and again.

In the second steep, the smoky impression that I sensed at the beginning weakens, and the deeply bitter-sweet, dry aroma like aloeswood becomes stronger.

On the third steep, the smoky impression fades further, and I can strongly sense the honey-like aftertaste. The flavor has not greatly changed since the first steep: a distinct bitterness and satisfying quality, and a refreshing aftertaste.

I was worried I might not like the tea when I first smelled the leaves, because they gave a strong, distinctive impression, but when I took a sip it was surprisingly easy to drink. The thread that runs through the entirety of the tea is the bitter, smoky aroma. Within that, there is the ink-like note of the tea on the tongue, the aloeswood perceived immediately after swallowing, and the noble rot wine aroma that develops after waiting a short time. Because it has a shou puerh-like medicinal note it might not be for everyone, but the aroma has consistency and development, the flavor is graceful, and it was a good tea that makes me want to drink it again.

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