My Overall Impression (Score of 90.0%)

Drinking tea for me has two important aspects:

• It wakes me up each day with two lovely cups of whatever I’m in the mood for, and
• To explore tea to learn more and experience something extraordinary.

Increasingly, I’m finding the second point to become difficult.  Tea to me is like wine:

• If they are not faulted, they all are good with their own personality.

However, finding a tea that makes you actually stop and take notice of it (like a wine) is a treasure trove for me.  Seriously, when you have something that is at another level, it makes you stop and really think about it.  Picture your favorite food and you understand what I’m getting at. 

Today’s review of Pure Gold Jin Jun Mei from Yunnan is like this.  YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER GETTING THIS TEA!!  Done.  I’m a huge fan of Jin Jun Mei (I have reviewed one previously and another one is coming soon) as it’s something to behold.  It’s my version of Opus One in the tea world.  Now that’s a bold statement but it’s true.  When you drink this brew, it’s every changing profile that seems to dance on each sip.  Just simply amazing and I gave it one of my highest scores to date. 

What do I think this Tea’s Personality is?

• Hey…having a dreadful day? Brew some of this tea, place on some Jazz and have Earl Grey Milano Cookies on the side equals you being able to see the positivity in life as someone created this gem for you to consume.

The Price

The price on 5/8/2024 is $9.50 for 50 grams.

Broken down:

• 50 gm / 3 gm for steeping = 16 brews
• 16 brews from package = app. 59 cents per brew

Typically, I double steep all my teas (use the tea twice) so I can get 36 cups or approximately 30 cents per cup.  I can’t stress that I find this is a steal for a quality tea like this.

Aromas

• Opening the package revealed a toasted malt with toffee / brown sugar / molasses notes that seemed to keep changing among each of them.
• It showed hints of cigarette tobacco, sawdust (like walking through a home store’s wood section), low resin notes, hazelnuts, walnuts and whisps of smoke.
• Once brewed, the tea was loaded with orange toffee mixed with toasted malt, deep molasses aromas and lots of Tres leches.
• It also showed hints of beeswax, Brazil nuts, decaying matter, mace, and sandalwood.

Flavors

• One of the unique characteristics is its ever-changing depth of flavors. It’s simply a treasure trove for the palate.
• This tea has ever-changing flavors of toffee, toasted corn flakes, toasted malt all dusted with orange zest.
• It then shows hints of tobacco, leather, sea salt, toasted almonds, golden syrup, British biscuits, and a mix of Honey nut Cheerios and Grape Nuts.
• It has a delectable mouthfeel (that’s creamy with hints of dust, smoothness, and rich undertones)
• It’s slightly off dry but shows similar notes of sweetness like a navel orange.

Scores

• Aromas (4.6/5)
• Flavors (8.8/10)
• Overall impression (4.6/5)
  • Total score = 90 percent (18.0/20)

Foods to Pair and Why

• The first match of course must be Pepperidge Farm Milano Cookies. If you can purchase the London Fog variety (infused with Earl Grey tea), even better.  Sometimes in life, we all just need one of these cookies to just sigh and be content.
• I do not know why this one came to me. Since we are in citrus season, an orange cake drizzled with dark chocolate seems to me to be a great match.  It can’t be too sweet as that would mask the brew. 
• Yes, I’m going to say this. Smoked Beef ribs or Smoked Prime Rib over Post Oak from the Hill Country in Texas served with this would be magical.  It’s not that I’m craving smoked beef (I always am), but this tea has so much depth that I really believe that it will stand up and make the beef better.  I’m hoping my friends at the Texas Beef Council see this and start sending me care packages of wood.
• Typical Michigan weather means gorgeous days followed by dreary days of rain in May. That just sings Beef Pho to me.  This tea just has the tiniest notes of Asian 5 Spice but its tannins a depth would stand up to a good bowl.
• Does anyone else crave a good potato? Like small ‘C’ sized potatoes that are cooked, smashed, covered with herbs and parmesan and deep fried until they get these crispy edges that cut your gums?  Serve these with a tea infused dipping sauce of cream (maybe a touch of ricotta, golden syrup and toasted nuts thrown in).  Just saying it must be me, but I could eat pounds of these with a tea like this.
• My last suggestion….just drink and enjoy!!