Heavenly Tea Leaves Golden Monkey, Loose Leaf Black Tea Canister, 1.66 Oz.

Since being introduced to golden monkey tea, I've been on a seemingly endless quest to find a quality brand. Each type I've tried, it seems like there's not a whole lot of golden tips in the tea, and that includes companies who claim their tea is made with a "large quantity of tips." Well, I've finally found a tea that is nothing but tips. I opened the tin for the first time and marveled at the nice golden color and sweet aroma, and then prepared for my first cup, ready to be disappointed. I figured since I'd finally found what I was looking for, it would end up tasting bland. Thank goodness I was wrong! This is a fantastic tea, replete with chocolate undertones and the aftertaste of honey that got me hooked on golden monkey tea in the first place. It steeps to a brilliant golden amber color, so it's got a wonderful visual element to complement the flavor. If you're tired of being burned by so-called quality golden monkey, give Heavenly Teas offering a try.

I purchased this tea based on a review that it was better than Teavana Golden Monkey (GM). That review couldn't be further from the truth and I suspect the reviewer has a bone to pick with Teavana. The sole reason I purchase this tea was to find a cost savings over Teavana's Golden Monkey as they set the standard for this marque. Sadly, this is not that tea. The aroma is amazing but the seep is weaker in flavor as most of the tips are golden with very little hint of charcoal roasting. I would grade this tea 5 as its not all tips, there are broken leaves and stems in this mix.Flavor: With 1.5 tablespoons and 10oz of water this makes a fine cup of tea. But there lies the problem, you have to use more tea to get the same flavor of other GM teas. This is not cost effective and the sole reason I was looking for a less expensive GM tea.I also purchased "The Tao of Tea, Golden Monkey Black Tea" at the same time of this purchase. That tea is outstanding and a better grade than Teavana Golden Monkey and similar flavors. Teavivre also makes an outstanding GM tea.

I purchased this after also purchasing the Teavana 2oz Golden Monkey to compare this to. When brewed side by side, I was able to use half of the amount of tea leaves for the same flavor strength when compared with Teavana's. The color, flavor and aroma was also notably better. The color of Heavenly's tea was of a more "golden" color as well. Teavana's was more darkIt's also worth noting that both Heavenly and Teavana's Golden Monkey came in fully sealed air-tight bags, but Teavana's tasted a little moldy.

Pretty good Golden Monkey tea. Good strong flavor.

Great Tasting Tea.