Mar 25
Review: Golden Moon Tea Pu-erh Chai
Cardamom Tea, Chai Tea, Cinnamon Tea, Golden Moon Tea, Pu'er Tea Add commentsDan’s Teaview Snapshot
 | "A blend of Pu-erh and two simple spices, the flavors play off each other in a perfect balance."
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9.3/10
About 10-15 years ago, when I was really getting into "better" teas, a friend of mine from Seattle recommended that I try Pu-erh tea, as it was the best type of tea he had ever tried. I searched high and low for it for several weeks, but had no luck. I had pretty much forgotten about it, except once every two years I would think about it half-heartedly, and wonder where I could find any. Obviously, I hadn't mustered much effort into it, in this age of the internet and ever-growing numbers of tea shops. Sad to say, this is the first time I have ever tried a Pu-erh. However, I'm very pleased to report that it was worth the wait.Golden Moon is a fairly popular company in the tea world -- just Googling "tea", it pulls up in the top 20 links. Taking cues from the old Baskin Robbins slogan, the company offers a fairly modest "31 flavors" of tea.
It's fun to behold the dried leaves of this blend. The Pu-erh leaves are small and tightly rolled quite neatly. Mixed throughout are some fair-sized green cardamom pods and generous chunks of cinnamon stick. In its brewed state, the liquor's appearance is a deep brown, every indication of the richness and bold flavors contained within.
A mellow tea, this is not. It is absolutely bursting with character - as you would expect from a chai spice tea. (Interestingly enough, I only recently found out that "chai" simply means "tea" -- in the US it is commonly mistaken to broadly represent a "spiced chai" or masala chai.) As chais go, this is one of my favorites. Elegant in its simplicity, it only utilizes two spices to impart its flavor. Traditionally, chais are dominant with cardamom, but here it is quite the opposite -- the cinnamon takes the driver's seat, but still allows the cardamom to bleed through in the finish. The Pu-erh is a unique experience on its own. Everything you may know or have read about Pu-erh tea rings true here -- the tea is covered in a fine dust, and "earthy" and "wooden" tones dominate, but in an incredibly intriguing manner. Generally, "earthy" or "dirt" or "wood" are not appealing when describing a beverage, but here that is exactly the point. Almost like a fine wine aged in oak casks, the Pu-erh imparts a similar effect on the palette. What works magically with this tea is the cinnamon from the chai spices. A gentle, natural sweetening ties the whole thing together, and the flavors play off each other in a perfect balance.
This may be one of my top 5 favorite tea discoveries from the past few years. I grow more and more fond of it with each cup, and would not hesitate to stock it full-time in my tea cupboard. It is not a tea to suit every mood, but when the mood is right, it is mighty fine indeed.
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