Golden Monkey
Golden Monkey
Golden Monkey
Fujian · China

Golden Monkey

Golden Monkey

Golden tipped and fabulously fruity.

Regular price $24.00
Sale price $24.00 Regular price
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About

A rich and smooth tippy black tea that's steeped in history.

Golden Monkey, or Jin Hou, is a premium black tea from Fujian Province in southeastern China, the region that gave the world some of its earliest and most celebrated black teas. Its name comes from the leaf: long, downy buds that curl like a monkey's paw, picked and processed by hand so that each twist of dark leaf is shot through with golden tip.

That high proportion of golden buds is what defines it. Golden Monkey brews a bright red, clean liquor – smooth and rich yet remarkably low in tannin, with sweet notes of cocoa, malt and honey and none of the briskness of an everyday breakfast black. It belongs to the lineage of Fujian black teas that were prized by European traders through the Qing dynasty, and remains one of the province's most sought-after teas today.

This is a black tea to drink on its own. Its sweetness and delicacy are easily lost under milk, so brew it gently and drink it slowly – no additions needed.

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Golden Monkey

Golden Monkey

Tasting

Leaf

Long, wiry leaves curled like a monkey's paw – a shape that gives this tea its name – heavy with downy golden tips. Dark brown to black, shot through with orange-gold bud which is characteristic of this tippy, top-grade black tea.

Aroma

A sweet and rich scent of cocoa, malt and honey, with a soft dried-fruit note underneath. Warm and mellow, inviting and dessert-like.

Liquor

Bright red-amber, clear and clean. Smooth and full but notably low in tannin; sweet cocoa and honey with distinct malty depth, finishing long and gently sweet with no bitterness.

Profile
Tea Type Black
Processing Orthodox
Caffeine Medium
Perfect For Afternoon
Milk Option Perfect on its own, but a drop of milk can be added.
Preparation

How to brew Golden Monkey

Smooth and low in tannin, this tea resists bitterness even if you're generous with the steep. It prefers water just off the boil, around 90-95°C, which keeps it sweet and rounded.

Enjoy brewed in typical Western style for an easy cup, or gong fu, where the buds give several sweet, evolving steeps.

Temperature 100°C / 212°F
Measure 2.5g per 250ml
Steep Time 3-5 min
Infusions 1
Brewer's Note

A straightforward, forgiving brew. Strong enough to stand up to milk well, so adjust the steep as preferred: shorter for a smoother black cup, a touch longer if you're adding milk.

Temperature 95°C / 203°F
Measure 5g per 150ml
Steep Time 30s, +10s per steep
Infusions 4-5
Origin

Fujian

Elevation ▲ 300-1500m
Country China

Fujian sits on China's subtropical southeast coast, where a warm, humid climate and a mountainous, high-rainfall interior suit the tea plant well. Steep, mineral-rich hillsides are why the province grows such a range of styles and tea processing was mastered here long ago.

Fujian is home of white tea, grown mainly in the northern counties of Fuding and Zhenghe, where Silver Needle is made from unopened buds. As well as being home to two distinct schools of oolong: the heavily roasted rock oolongs (yancha) of the Wuyi Mountains in the north, and the greener, more floral Tie Guan Yin of Anxi in the south.

Fujian is also widely regarded as the birthplace of black tea – Lapsang Souchong, first made in the Wuyi area in the 1600s, was the original, and the model for the black teas later grown across India and Sri Lanka.