Organic Golden Yunnan

I'm continuing my search for manly teas. Since I have recently renewed my friendship with tea, I have been savoring a variety of teas and other infused beverages that are not teas in the true sense. I'm having a lot of fun with my quest and am delighting my taste buds at the same time. It's great to be able to sample so many varieties of a beverage that has so many health benefits. As I started this odyssey a few weeks ago, I didn't really have any expectations; I simply plunged myself into the tea world and began experimenting. This series of updates on the manly teas shares some of the highlights of my adventures.

One of the teas that I really like is the Golden Yunnan black tea. My friend Michaeljohn recommended this tea to me and I have been enjoying it. The Golden Yunnan I have is from Rishi Tea and it's an organic black tea. According to the can containing this tea, these tea leaves come from the Yunnan province in China. This is also a fair trade certified tea. Therefore, I'm happy to know that it's providing a better life for Yunnan's ethnic minority families and offering fair prices, direct trade, community development, education, and environmental stewardship.

I've also learned that the trees that produce this tea were planted by the people's ancestors in 696 A.D.

Here's a link to some information about the tea itself.

http://www.rishi-tea.com/store/product.php?productid=5031&cat=1&page=1

For more information about the fair trade certification, both generally and with respect to this tea in particular, see these sites:

http://www.transfairusa.org/

http://www.rishi-tea.com/travelogue/Fair_Trade_Organic_Tea/index.php
(this one features an engaging slide show about the area in which the tea is grown)

The can also tells us that the Golden Yunnan is "robust, smooth and malty with a sweet caramel finish." The tea lives up to the statement on the can. I have found that this tea has a strong, firm flavor and utterly qualifies as a manly tea for that reason alone. You probably have noticed that I still have not defined any objective criteria for what I consider to be a manly tea. I may do that at some point. For now, I'm having too much fun enjoying the teas to become too analytical about them.

However, in addition to the bold flavor of the tea, one thing helps me believe fairly strongly that this particular Yunnan black tea is a manly tea. That is the fact that the tea is supporting people and helping them improve their lives. Thus, I believe that this tea expresses one of the best qualities of manhood: strength that allows us to be kind and compassionate to others. I'll have more to say about various teas and manliness in general, but for now I hope you'll enjoy a nice hot cup of tea. Thanks.