Our Golden Monkey, First Pick comes from a tea garden on Jiulong Hill, in the eastern part of the Wuyi Mountain range. The area sees abundant rainfall, the climate is moist, the environment pure and the resulting tea leaves and its craftsmanship, exquisite.

Picked in mid-March, it is the first harvest of the season. Only the top buds with one or two leaves are used, each bud and leaf combination carefully hand-picked then just as carefully withered, rolled, oxidized, roasted, shaped and then dried.

The resulting tea is as beautiful as it is delicious, more than half of the dry tea is comprised of golden leaf buds – hand twisted and curled to resemble the silhouette of a golden monkey. Both buds and leaves are whole and distinct, each slender twist no longer than a finger nail. Once infused, the orange colored liquor of the tea is no less exquisite, with a sensuously buttery and captivating sweet flavor and an aroma that carries notes of caramel, cocoa nibs and molasses.

This is our favorite way to brew most black teas, since the moderate water temperature and brew time increase sweetness and texture while limiting astringency. If you prefer a more intense brew, try increasing your water temperature. To further highlight sweetness (particularly with our mi xiang crops), reduce water temperature while increasing brew time.

Learn the fundamentals of tea brewing and master your technique .