I'm new to drinking fine tea. After a lifetime of dust-in-the-bag Lipton, Little Red's Golden Monkey created an awareness of tea's calming effect that I didn't know was possible. It did take a bit of journey to appreciate Golden Monkey, but I feel I have arrived.
After decades of grandma's budget tea with evaporated milk and 2 teaspoons of sugar, the idea of drinking black pekoe straight was a first step. I couldnt do it at first, so tried supermarket Earl Grey and parted ways with milk and sugar. My son advised trying a Harney & Son blend using a cup strainer and I parted ways with the ittle paper bag. The blend was enjoyable but still seemed a like candy-like. The bewed tea leaves were mash-like so I tried Little Red's Yunnan Black and was surprised to see the brewed leaves unfurl.
The experience was like discovering that milk comes from cows. My cuppa went to two cups and I made the great leap of digging out a gift tea pot. To my good fortune, the pot was well designed with strainer holes in the spout so the unfurled Yunnan leaves never ended up in my cup. A cheaper tea, even the Harney & Son, would have clogged either the spout or choked me on tiny bits.
I bought a bag of the Golden Monkey and two other teas with the advise of Little Red's Mike. I also did some tea pot shopping on eBay and found each pot uniquely affects the tea.
Of all the teas I've now tried, Golden Monkey seems to have it's own calming effect at the end of a stressful day. It finds a balance between the dark teas and the very light green teas. Mike was right.
