This is a Golden Monkey.
Golden Monkey (by Nigel Hicks)
And this is Golden Monkey Black Tea.
Golden Monkey by Tea Vivre
The similarities should be obvious. One is very scary looking, and the other … has eyes. This twisty black tea is covered in fine goldenamberyellow hairs. Pretty! But does it have teeth? Let’s find out!
First, it smells like a Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut chocolate bar. I smell cocoa, currants, blackberries, and nuts… peanuts or almonds. All in all, it smells sweet and rich.
I steep one teaspoon in a big mug (mesh basket) for about a minute. I don’t want it too strong. The first sip hits your mouth with a gorgeous rich dark fruity berry taste, and then in your mouth, it transforms into a sweet burnt almond, and it leaves a cocoa-y sweet-ish nutty-ish finish. It’s very much like eating dark chocolate covered almonds, or… or a dark chocolate Fruit and Nut bar! Really, it’s surprising! I don’t detect any bitterness, or smokiness. It’s just a nice rich, smooth, sweet black tea!
Golden Monkey in Grandma’s teacup
So, the final verdict… If you like monkeys, you’ll love this tea! If you like fruit/nut/chocolate combinations, you’ll love this tea! Don’t be scared… it won’t bite.
This tea was “purchased” from Tea Vivre… which really means that they gave away a whole bunch of samples for 1$ as part of their 3rd anniversary celebrations. So, THANK YOU for this ‘golden’ opportunity!
(Oh, my goodness… just had a look at the Tea Vivre site which says this tea has a “potato smell”! I’m glad I didn’t read that first. I did NOT detect any potatoes in this tea. Chocolate, yes… potato, no.)
teawithpolly 