This is the last of the Pu-erh samples from Whispering Pines. I’ll go to sampling their black teas again after this. I received a nice size sample of 18g and used 6g of it.
It is a thick mouthfeel and it is active in my mouth as the description says. It tingles my tongue. There is quite a bit of minerality, wet rocks note. I didn’t notice any bitterness throughout the infusions, nor did I get a lot of astringency. It’s very smooth, warming. The fermentation flavors are there, the rich earthiness, wet earth, some mushroom notes.
It’s a nice blend of “Bulang Mountain material from 2007 and Menghai area material from 2012” and was fermented in cloth bags versus pile-fermented. Some other notes were of bittersweetness, brown sugar sweetness, some spices and did detect a little of the fruitiness, the tart cherries and dark chocolate. The finish is the brown sugar sweetness, not the bittersweet or tartness.
Their site mention that it is very reactive to humidity changes “so let it settle out for at least a week once it’s arrived at your house” which I did. I think this is a good daily drinker type, very rich and mellow. I enjoyed it after a good lunch.
Yixing gaiwan, 6g, 212°F, 110ml, rinse, 11 steeps: 5s, 10s, 15s, 20s, 25s, 35s, 45s, 55s, 65s, 75s, 120s
Flavors: Brown Sugar, Cherry, Dark Chocolate, Earth, Mushrooms, Smooth, Spices, Sweet, Tart, Wet Earth