Tea Collection: Golden Monkey Black Tea (Fujian, China)
Golden Monkey Black Tea is one of Fujian’s most elegant exports — a tea with curled, golden-tipped leaves that resemble the paws of a mythical monkey, and a flavour that moves between cocoa warmth, soft fruit, and gentle malt. Picked early in the spring when buds are still tender, each leaf is shaped by hand, preserving its downy tips and natural sweetness.
The aroma is deep yet inviting: chocolate, baked grain, and the faint sweetness of dried apricot. When the leaves meet water, the liquor turns bronze-gold, smooth and full, with a sweetness that settles softly across the palate.
Unlike the bold body of Assam — strong, malty, and brisk — Golden Monkey is refined, rounded, and silky, offering a black tea experience that is powerful without being harsh.
For those exploring black teas across cultures, comparisons with floral infusions like Rose Tea reveal how aroma transforms character, while earthy blends such as Chrysanthemum Pu-erh (if you ever publish that one) highlight how depth can move in a different direction entirely. And for drinkers expanding their palate across floral-scented teas, the delicacy of Jasmine Silver Needle offers a beautiful contrast to Golden Monkey’s darker, rounder tone.
Understanding Golden Monkey’s craftsmanship becomes easier when viewed through guides such as The Modern Tea Lover’s Guide, which map how oxidation, plucking standard, and terroir shape the complexity of finished teas. With its balance of sweetness and depth, Golden Monkey is often featured in curated tasting menus at refined venues like Yugen Tea Bar (South Yarra), where its expressive profile is allowed to shine.
Golden Monkey is a reminder that black tea can be subtle, layered, and unexpectedly gentle — a cup that rewards slow sipping and careful attention.
Ingredients
2–3 g Golden Monkey Black Tea
200 ml water (90–95°C)
Equipment Needed
Teapot or gaiwan
Kettle
Strainer
Tasting cup
Method
Heat water to 90–95°C.
Rinse your teapot or gaiwan and discard the water.
Add the Golden Monkey leaves.
Pour hot water gently over them.
Steep for 2–3 minutes.
Strain and enjoy while warm and aromatic.
Notes
Golden Monkey’s sweetness emerges most clearly in the first two infusions.
A slightly longer steep enhances cocoa depth but avoids bitterness.
If you enjoy this tea’s warm, chocolatey tone, you may also appreciate the gentle roasted edge of Tie Guan Yin — a different category, but a similarly satisfying complexity.
For a fruitier black-tea experience, the honeyed qualities of Oriental Beauty (Bai Hao Oolong) offer a natural bridge.
Golden Monkey is more than a morning tea — it is a quiet luxury, steeped in Fujian’s long, elegant tea-making heritage.
