After having a very mellow, Wizard of Oz Poppy field, type of tea (China Fujian Anxi ‘Tie Guan Yin’ Oolong Tea by What-Cha which I enjoyed very much). I really needed a pickup. Decided to try another Whispering Pines black tea. It did the trick… I’m awake again.
O_O
The dry leaves smelled like dark chocolate, had an absolute yummy aroma. I had a salty dinner and sweet after salty is always good, and vice versa. The wet leaves had sweet potatoes, stronger chocolate, and caramel aroma. Heavenly. The taste although good did not have the intensity of the aroma of the wet leaves. It was good but something was missing from a top tier Dian Hong (for me). Where’s that thick malt that I love so much? Is that what is missing? Well no… It’s there. Not strong, but it’s there. In fact, as I progressed through the infusions, the malt came out more and more. Nice. Check. The next infusions I got more cocoa notes, nice chocolate notes are here. Nice notes of cream, chocolate, spices… Peppercorns, spiciness, a touch of floral (I really suck at guessing what type of flower btw), some more sweet potatoes, some minerals, caramel, honey, a splash of citrus. Pretty tasty.
It’s medium-bodied, smooth, has a nice slick, oily mouthfeel and a nice finish. I think I would’ve loved some baked bread notes as I felt there needed to be something more to get this to the 90 range… But, all in all, it is still a good cup of tea, a daily sipper, reasonably priced and a clean tea (wildcrafted). I’ll have to try their parameters next time.
6g, 212°F, 110ml, rinse, 8 steeps: 25s, 35s, 45s, 55s, 65s, 75s, 85s, 120s
Flavors: Caramel, Chocolate, Citrus, Citrus Zest, Cocoa, Creamy, Floral, Honey, Malt, Peppercorn, Smooth, Spices, Spicy
