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drank Thai Gushu Black by Whispering Pines Tea Company
1615 tasting notes

Spring 2019 harvest.

Dry leaf has a wild look, large dark and craggly leaves interspersed with gold to beige glimmers of fuzzy leaf. They smell of wet grain, specifically malted barley mash for sippers with beer-brewing experience. Warmed leaf smells of Grape Nuts cereal, molasses, black cherry and wood with rose and orchid florality. The steeped leaf reveals the heavy red oxidation.

Western steeps can be adjusted to create a slightly different flavor profile and body. Brewed with the recommended parameters (I think it was a half tablespoon to 8oz boiling, 3/5 minutes), I found the flavors and body rather mild and unobtrusive with smooth notes of brown bread, molasses and a hint of cherry. Using 1g:100mL made a full-bodied brew with a similar, though more pronounced taste. Cherry wood-malt aroma.

Gongfu brewing was honestly a waste. Some fruitier notes popped out in the first steep like passionfruit-mango. It quickly developed a brisk and tannic-bitter quality which it retained through another 5 infusions.

This tea did have the trademark cherry taste which I’ve experienced in every Thai oolong I’ve tried (which isn’t many). I’d call this an above average daily drinker black tea; it did lack what I would consider ‘gushu’ qualities, at least in comparison to Chinese teas. Whether that’s due to the leaf not coming from ‘ancient’ trees, the processing, or my relative lack of familiarity with Thai terroir, I’m not sure.

Flavors: Bitter, Bread, Cherry, Cherry Wood, Grain, Malt, Mango, Molasses, Orchid, Passion Fruit, Rose, Round, Smooth, Tannin, Wheat, Wood

2 comments
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gmathis
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I really liked this one.

gmathis
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I know you have some trouble accessing PM’s, so briefly, the mail came! DUN-a-weg to the locals.

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gmathis
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I really liked this one.

gmathis
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I know you have some trouble accessing PM’s, so briefly, the mail came! DUN-a-weg to the locals.

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This place, like the rest of the internet, is dead and overrun with bots. Yet I persist.

Eventual tea farmer. If you are a tea grower, want to grow your own plants or are simply curious, please follow me so we can chat.

I most enjoy loose-leaf, unflavored teas and tisanes. Teabags have their place. Some of my favorite teas have a profound effect on mind and body rather than having a specific flavor profile.

Favorite teas generally come from China (all provinces), Taiwan, India (Nilgiri and Manipur). Frequently enjoyed though less sipped are teas from Georgia, Japan, and Nepal. While I’m not actively on the hunt, a goal of mine is to try tea from every country that makes it available to the North American market. This is to gain a vague understanding of how Camellia sinensis performs in different climates. I realize that borders are arbitrary and some countries are huge with many climates and tea-growing regions.

I’m convinced European countries make the best herbal teas.

Personal Rating Scale:

100-90: A tea I can lose myself into. Something about it makes me slow down and appreciate not only the tea but all of life or a moment in time. If it’s a bagged or herbal tea, it’s of standout quality in comparison to similar items.

89-80: Fits my profile well enough to buy again.

79-70: Not a preferred tea. I might buy more or try a different harvest. Would gladly have a cup if offered.

69-60: Not necessarily a bad tea but one that I won’t buy again. Would have a cup if offered.

59-1: Lacking several elements, strangely clunky, possesses off flavor/aroma/texture or something about it makes me not want to finish.

Unrated: Haven’t made up my mind or some other reason. If it’s puerh, I likely think it needs more age.

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