359 Tasting Notes
Breaking a puerh cake is always exciting…breaking one from the first series of cakes in the history of Whispering Pines is beyond exciting!!!
Yes, Huron Gold is the first cake pressed under the Great Lakes Label, awesome concept from WP.
First, those little 100g goodies were filled with love and it shows. Brenden the owner made sure we would notice. They come in those very practical and cute rustic envelopes, made of 100% recycled brown paper, perfect for storage, allowing proper breathability. How cool is that? Very innovative.
The cake’s artwork is beautiful…a map of the five Great Lakes.
Love the golden color of the dry leaf. Smells almost like sweet caramel. The pressing is pretty loose, making it very easy to break into.
The taste is remarkably smooth and silky. No sign of heavy earthiness or leather here.
Think light moss with rich cocoa notes.
There’s a faint sweetness to it, reminiscent of ripe figs. It feels syrupy and round in the mouth.
It’s very accessible and mellow. It provides a nice warming feeling, it’s such a cozy tea.
Another excellent product from WP. No wonder I’m such a fan, they never disappoint me!
And I’m so happy I got two of those babies :-)
Pics:
http://instagram.com/p/whmkn1whxx/
So how do you even describe what the sky tastes like?
Well if I had to, I’d say it tastes just like Autumn Jade Tieguanyin… New tea from WP!!!
Yes, this tea is heavenly good.
The greenest of the greens, it wears its name really well.
The taste is pure and ethereal…
Feels like a light fluffy cloud in the mouth.
Sweet and delicate with a buttery mouthfeel.
It’s floral, lilac lovers you will love this!
The smell is intoxicating…
Imagine being in one of China’s most luxuriant garden in the springtime. Never been to China, but that’s how I imagine it would smell like.
I get a hint of spice that translates as nutmeg for me. I often get that from good quality green high mountain oolongs. There’s a minty fresh finish to the sip that just makes my mouth feels so clean.
This tea will give you angel breath!
I highly recommend it to all green oolong lovers…
I’m still floating on my oolong cloud after 6 excellent steeps. Get this. It has all the noms you need.
Here’s some pics:
This sounds…so incredible. Just amazing. Man, I gotta try it sometime! I’ve been on an oolong kick lately :P
what a beautiful review, I find that really good Tieguanyins remind me of springtime in China (where I have been) as well!
Wow, the colour of that tea alone is magnificent.
Another WP-inspired poetic review – Well done TheTeaFairy!
Ooh sounds delicious! May have to try this sometime
@Ost: oolongs kicks rock!!
@Fjellrev: yes, it’s good AND beautiful :-)
@Mikumofo: thank you so much, I’m so happy you agree with me ;-)
@looseTman: Thank you for such nice words :-)
@Krystal: You can try in confidence, it’s a great tea!
(Backlog from last night)
This week, an Instagram tea friend gifted me with one of the nicest care package I have ever received. Teas, teawares, gemstones, silk pouches….I was overwhelmed.
This person is a wonderful being…
Most of his teas are pu’erh, unique and very special cause you can’t just go and purchase them…they are for the most part private reserves.
Among all those puerh teas, there was a pouch that just caught my attention. Flowers!! Chrysanthemum buds that he blends himself with rose petals.
Not only is this blend the prettiest thing I have ever seen, but it also tastes like heaven. IF you like florals of course.
I am a notorious insomniac. He told me this might help me relax at night. I was skeptical, cause really, no infusion ever helped me before.
Well guess what…it did help! After quite a few steeps, my eyes became heavy and a soothing wave of relaxation started to flow inside of me.
I brewed it in a small glass gaiwan, and it steeped forever… I had to stop and go to bed.
This is such a nice discovery…Tea people are just the best peeps I know!
Pics:
Finally you will have some rest. He had to send it to you long time ago ;). Amazing pics dear <3
glad you were able to find something that helps you sleep.
what kinds of pu’erh did he send you? i saw the shou on IG.
I’m so glad it helped you ! lovely pics as always.
@boychik: thank you for all the love, right back at ya! For the sleep, now we have to see if it works every time, haha!
@apt: thank you…so do I!! And for the pu, if I knew I would tell you…but I don’t, lol. I got a few shengs but mostly shou. Total mystery except that some are from 1000 year old trees. Some are made exclusively for certain families in China, and he happens to be friends with one of them. The beauty is I don’t really feel I need to know…I just feel very lucky and greateful that I get to experience them :-)
@Ysaurella: merci ma très chère amie ;-)
Follow me Please.
Well hello good Steepster people!
So I needed warmth…what better tea than this beautiful golden Dian Hong?
First, the look. I mean, have you had a close look at those buds? PURE GOLD!!
So soft and fury, I want to pet them ( ok, I admit…I did pet them…I am a first class TeaGeekette after all, why hide in shame?)
The brew is all glitters and gold, a beautiful sunny light in the glass pitcher.
I forget how good this is…I rarely have it cause, well, I just have so many teas!!
It qualifies for my “pudding-like” tea list, cause of how sweet and thick it feels in my mouth. Unlike any other Yunnan I have had.
The sweetness reminds me of barley sugar candies. I also get cocoa and sweet potato notes.
It’s very fragrant, I find a certain floral quality to it.
Not as damp and earthy as one might expect, but a little “mossy” and yeasty.
Full of beautiful nuances and complexity, this tea screams for gongfu brewing. And it’s so forgiving, you can’t mess it up, it never gets astringent or bitter.
I had a lovely session earlier…another wonderful tea from Whispering Pines :-)
Here are some pics:
http://instagram.com/p/vuBJInQh24/
i love dian hong teas! never gets bitter for me. :D awesome pics :) love the cat :)
Hehe, thank you :-)
Welcome back TTF!
Hi Tea Fairy! I got an insight when reading about petting the furry tea. Now I know why mr. mopar has the Chairman, she keeps him from tea petting.
Thank you my dear Boychik xox
Nice to see you Cwyn!! Hahaha!! I wish there was a “like” feature for this comment!! :-)
Your photos are always so beautiful! And I love this tea. Your description of it is perfect. :)
What are your experiences with Whispering Pines? I’ve never had their teas, but I’ve seen their name come up a lot. Should I try them?
@katBender: you are so sweet, thank you!! This tea is truly a gem…
@TeaKlutz: OMG! you must place an order!!! Just read my tealog, lol, you’ll understand why I’m saying this…most of my reviews are for their teas cause well…I drink them 75% of the time!! And I drink LOTS of teas believe me…I have tried MANY sellers…and I’m a total WP addict cause not only do they sell some of the best tea I have ever had, but they also have a work ethic and philosopihy I fully endorse and agree with. “Breathe life, sip inspiration” is a slogan that speaks to me greatly.
And I promise: I DON’T GET PAID A PENNY TO SAY ALL THIS, all true :-)
I know I have professed my love for this tea many times…but what can I say? I just can’t get enough of it.
So friggin good.
Sweet dried fruits with big caramel notes, I always want moarrrr!!!
Gongfu this baby, and you have a whole new dimension of flavors.
This was my first tea of the day, using my brand new little cutie pot.
Have a lovely teatime everyone :-)
A wonderful tea friend spoiled me by sending me a beautiful mystic crystal. I like to honor my tea with such good vibes and energy…
Pics of the session:
Instead of sleeping tonight I’m having my favorite sheng.
Trippy qi, this gives me the happy warming feeling I seek when drinking sheng pu’erh.
Exquisite and remarkable. It’s such a wow tea.
Beautiful golden elixir, it heals all wounds.
Slightly smokey, super sweet with notes of apricots, mossy and earthy with a fresh minty finish. Capture of nature in the form of tea.
I think that’s why I love it so much…it reminds me of the pure moments of joy I feel when exploring and hiking in my forest.
I feel safe right now, cause I still have two unwrapped cakes besides this one. Yay me!
Pics of the session:
Hello sweet Fairy !
mmmm i have 2 cakes of this one left as well..and one from 2014 heh
That sounds wonderful – I cannot wait to try the bit of this I have in my cupboard.
Beautiful photos!!
@ysaurella: Hello sweet French cousin ;-)
@sil: good on you my dear!
@spencer: it is so special, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do…
Thank you Tealizzy, beautiful tea as well :-)
It sounds amazing – I can’t wait until I’ve saved enough for a Mandala order :D Out of interest, where did you get your little Yixing pot from?
@red fennekin: You can’t go wrong with a Mandala order dear…and the pot is from there as well ;-) one of my favorite pot out of my entire collection! Perfect for sheng, beautiful color, and very good quality clay for the price.
Ah, thanks :D Yeah – everyone says such wonderful things about their teas! I’ll probably put a huge order in after Christmas :-)
@la fée du thé…j’essaie avec difficulté de rejoindre Instagram mais ils ne m’envoient pas le mot de passe pour valider l’inscription…
@ysaurella: Oh non!! Jai tellement hâte de t’y voir, c’est si amusant!
As always, your photos are gorgeous. Hope the tea helped you sleep. :)
C’est le meme toujour et demaim! c’est tres bien. If my Francais is remembered from many years ago. I am glad you have rejoined instagram an I see a subscription ahead. Sorry many years since I have had to translate. Pardon any errors..
Mrmo thank you :-) You are full of surprises, aren’t you? Your Français is Fantastique!!!
And yo! We desperatly need you on Instagram, come on over ;-)
Thank you so much lovely Sweedish Chef ;-)
Hey Steepster! Long time no see…
Having this succulent tea makes my life better. Devine spider leg tea. Boozy and bready with chocolate covered raisins.
That’s all I have to say for now.
Cheers people :-)
Pics:
you are so creative ;)
We missed you.
smiles & hugs :)
Marzi, come to Instagram. Our lovely TTF has awesome pics ;)
I run out of bandwidth and can’t pay attention to it all :(. Personal bandwidth I mean.
love the photo’s :)
<3
Bout time you get back on here! now where’s that Priss hiding at…..
:)
Aww!!! You guys!!! You are all so amazing, thank you….missing you much!
Mrmo, Priss is awfully busy, I miss her too!!!
Ee!! I love the spider legs!! I found the most adorable spider today in a drawer living under a shortbread mold, it looked like a little ghost spider
So I know that I haven’t posted much lately, but I do miss my Steepster peeps greately :-)
My friend boychik asked me on Instagram to post this pic on Steepstser. She also inspired me to drink my beloved PTA tonight, so here’s a quick review of a tea I have reviewed many times, cause well I just can’t get enough of it.
One of my favourite black tea. It’s rich and malty, bready and sweet. Fruity with hints of spiciness, cinnamon. I don’t know how I will live without this one. I might have to blackmail Stacy for the name of her supplier!!
I haven’t responded yet to the big news today but did see it. I love Stacy and Butiki and will miss her and her teas greatly. But I understand that life calls for new challenges sometimes and I can only applaud her for making such a hard decision and wish her good luck with everything.
(And Yo kiddo, if you read this, go get that capybara!!! ;-)
Pic of tonight’s session (made a huge pot!)
<3 all of this :)
Awww! I so want a capybara. Seriously. I might continue to purchase the PTA since I drink about a kilo a month. We will see. I can definitely see trading you for something. :) I’m gonna miss ya guys but I’ll be here on Steepster.
Thank you Stephanie :-)
Stacy, you MUST let me know the day you get one!!! Cause i know you will :-)
Also, trading with you will be the coolest thing ever, glad to hear you plan on still being on Steepster xox
Oh, I will. If I ever get a capybara, I will post pics everywhere :D Would love to trade with you. I’ll switch over my Butiki Teas id to probably just Stacy and will be sure to post a bit. :)
But… Taiwanese Wild Mountain Black! :D
I think this is the next one I have to purchase! I’m a big fan of Assam teas, and the love for this one on Steepster seems unanimous! Thanks for the review!
Mike, thanks for your commemt…unfortunatly for all of us, Butiki is closing soon and Stacy will correct me if I’m wrong, but I think this wonderful tea is no longer available :-(
She still has some other fantastic teas in inventory though and I strongly recommend you order some before she closes!! :-)
Thanks, I’m definitely going to get some teas from Butiki before they close! All of them sounds great…they’re very popular on Steepster! :)
Talk about craftsmanship… it looks beautiful. Sounds like it taste beautiful, too!
I need to try some of WP’s pu’erhs! Haha if I can ever get my cupboard to a manageable level…this is on the list!
I purchased this shou. It’s my very first puerh cake!