Name: Yunnan Golden Monkey Imperial
Brand: Tealyra
SKU: 130-50-P
Price: 9.44 EUR
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.7 (19 reviews)

Origin

China

Asia

Caffeine Level (mg/1g)

0

1-10

11-20

21-30

31-40

41+

Description

Yunnan Golden Monkey Imperial – Smooth, Sweet Golden-Tip Black Tea

Just one glance at the gorgeous golden leaves of Yunnan Golden Monkey Imperial tells you you're about to enjoy something truly special. This imperial-grade black tea was produced in China's Yunnan Province by tea-farming families with generations upon generations of craft experience.

Golden Monkey is named for its downy golden buds, which are said to resemble a monkey's golden paws. Our Imperial grade is rich in these precious tips, producing a gorgeous amber, reddish-brown infusion that's naturally sweet, super smooth and rich tasting — with absolutely zero astringency.

Tasting Notes

Dry leaf: gorgeous, downy golden tips
Liquor: amber, reddish brown
Flavor: naturally sweet, with notes of hay and clover honey
Character: reminiscent of roasted sweet potato
Finish: super smooth with zero astringency

Why You'll Love It

Golden Monkey Imperial is proof that a black tea can be both rich and incredibly gentle. Its honeyed sweetness and silky smoothness make it easy to enjoy plain, and its high bud content means it holds up beautifully to multiple infusions.

Imperial-grade Yunnan black tea
Crafted by generations of tea-farming families
Clover honey, hay and sweet potato notes
Zero astringency — super smooth

How to Enjoy

Enjoy it plain to appreciate its natural sweetness, or with a small splash of milk for a creamy morning cup. It shines in a gaiwan or small teapot over several short infusions and pairs beautifully with pastries, nuts and fruit.

Golden, sweet and wonderfully smooth — enjoy our lovely Golden Monkey Imperial!

Make it your kind of cup

ready, set, steep.

A great starting point. Adjust the strength to suit your taste.

011 TSP or 1 BAGScoop your leavesAdd tea to a roomy infuser or teapot.
0295°C200mlJust add waterPour water over the leaves at the suggested temperature.
032 - 3 minGive it a momentLet the tea steep, then remove the leaves.
04Your perfect cupSip and enjoyTaste it plain first, then make it your own.

A little steeping tipUse freshly boiled water and keep an eye on the clock: steeping past the suggested time brings out a drier, more astringent cup.

Preparation:

Use 1 TSP or 1 BAG per 200ml of water at 95°C and steep for 2-3 min.

Ingredients:

Black tea

Write your own Review

Linda

March 2026

Wow, what a great tea! It has a very smooth taste, slightly sweet, no bitterness! I love this tea - I keep buying more. I like it best with just a splash of milk, but it's also great without.

Bob

November 2025

The description is perfect !!!. What a great tasting tea !

Ben Hizak

July 2025

A very special tea. It has the aroma of dried Apricot.

Yuliya

January 2025

Extremely happy with the purchase! Ordering tea from the new place is always tricky but not this time, fast shipping and quality didn’t disappoint. So far the best Golden Monkey I tried.

See all 19 reviews

Kim Cousineau

January 2025

A treat in a cup

Joan Cestaro

November 2021

A few years ago, I ordered samples everywhere and tried dozens of different teas. I don't like sweet and many mixes are just that. I didn't care for Oolong, green teas or matcha. I prefer black tea (and some white). This Golden Monkey is by far my favorite. And I've ordered it from other sites and it's NOT THE SAME. Nutty flavor with no bitterness and not sweet. Rich, high end flavor. My favorite.

Tom Loughin

March 2021

One of the best teas I've had. I love a tippy tea, this this one is wonderfully tippy. Fragrant, naturally gently sweet. I keep coming back to it.

Myriame T.

February 2021

This is really lovely, so smooth, no bitterness. I usually use milk and sugar but in this just tiny bit of sugar. I steeped twice and I’m sure i could do a third. It is very expensive though and I find the Yunnen Golden Special equally as good for less money. Love Tealyra! Have encouraged my daughters and friends to have a look.

Jack O

November 2020

Really delicious. I don't have the vocab to describe it well, but it's very light with some subtle hints... very smooth, totally relaxing.

Tony Song

October 2020

Warm, smooth, a hint of roasted sweet potato, still good after steep mutiple times, my cup of tea!

Lily

July 2020

I have been drinking this tea for a few years. It is one of my favorite. To be fair, this tea does taste better than the Yunnan Golden Special. I tried both of them at the beginning with 50g each and chose to stay with this one for a few years. This one is winner for sure.

Commandodude

August 2018

My favorite tea, has a rich but not overpowering taste. Good enough to convince me to buy an 8oz bulk bag.

Roman

February 2018

Excellent tea, one of the best indeed. Extremely high quality, wonderful flavor, pleasant aftertaste. Excellent service and communication as well. Tealyra sent the tea promptly, it was correctly packed and we enjoyed our cup the same evening!

Ricki B

December 2017

Took me a while to find this type of tea, once I did I was hooked. This would be up there with my favourite tea. Tealyra version is very nice and very well priced as well which is great for a high-quality tea like this. If you have never tried this type of tea you must give it a go now, you wont be disappointed.

Kimsueplzak

August 2015

This is delicious! The flavor is smooth and my favorite black tea ever. The aroma of the tea is terrific and I can steep three times with great flavor each time. Just a touch of stevia, steeped at 190 for 3 minutes. Perfect cup of tea.

Generalchad

June 2015

This is a great tea. My favorite black tea so far. Floral fragrance and taste. I sometimes blend this with Milk Jin Xuan Taiwanese Oolong. I call the blend "Monkey Butter" ;)

Alexander

July 2024

Light aroma of hay and honey. This tea has a nice golden orange colour. The flavour really opens up after the second steep; it's flavour reminds me of berries.

Sascha Uncia

April 2024

Really does have a character reminiscent of roasted sweet potato! I think it also has some similarities to Hojicha, but fruitier and more full-bodied, less 'roasted' flavours. Honestly it's not my favorite flavour profile, but not for lack of quality. I prefer the "Yunnan Golden Special" which Tealyra carries, it produces a darker infusion that tastes less like sweet potato and more like ripe stonefruits.

Lidia Liu

March 2019

Nothing really special for this price. This tea is just like any other black tea. However, the Organic Yunnan Golden Special is so much tasty for a cheaper price. I won’t buy it again.

Yunnan Golden Monkey Imperial