2013 Ontario 1357 Shou Pu-erh

Tea type
Pu'erh Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Dirt, Leather, Tobacco, Artichoke, Bread, Brown Sugar, Camphor, Caramel, Cocoa, Creamy, Dark Wood, Mocha, Molasses, Musty, Roasted, Smooth, Dark Chocolate, Raisins, Stonefruit, Wood, Cream, Earth, Sweet, Vegetal, Nuts, Vanilla, Wet Earth, Dates, Walnut, Wet wood
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Loose Leaf
Caffeine
High
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Whispering Pines Tea Company
Average preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 2 min, 30 sec 5 g 11 oz / 314 ml

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36 Tasting Notes View all

  • “This is not as “creamy” smooth a Pu-erh as I have had in other places, but it’s nice. It does have much more smoothness than a normal black tea; Pretty nice but not exceptional.” Read full tasting note
    70
  • “Thought I would give this another go today. Mostly leather and dirt. I didn’t notice the tobacco that I did previously. I’m just not sure I’m going to be able to develop an appreciation for pu’erh...” Read full tasting note
  • “Sipdown (1336)! I’m pretty sure this sample was from TheWeekendSessions, so thank you Micah for the tea sample! I always feel bad finishing off straight tea samples Western style, but I just didn’t...” Read full tasting note
    79
  • “A shou for coffee drinkers, I found this one to be pretty bitter a few short steeps in and pleasantly bitter. After 4-5 steepings the bitterness gives way to a very deeply creamy, almost chocolate...” Read full tasting note
    80

From Whispering Pines Tea Company

Our 2013 Ontario 1357 is a loose shou pu-erh harvested in 2012 and fermented from December ’12 through January ’13. It was produced from the best Yongde county spring ’12 material and blended using grades 1, 3, 5, 7 and golden gong ting for complexity. Sweet, smooth, and highly aromatic, Ontario 1357 delivers a mouthfeel somewhat between a lightly fermented shou and an old raw pu-erh. Notes of brown sugar and walnut are at the forefront, with vanilla and cream balancing it out. A gorgeous vanilla finish lingers with cooling camphor on the tip of the tongue and lips. This tea has a very strong yet calming qi and is a favorite of mine for rainy days and pre-yoga. A fantastic loose shou for drinking now or further aging!

About Whispering Pines Tea Company View company

Whispering Pines Tea Company is dedicated to bringing you the most original, pure, beautiful tea blends. We use only the highest quality ingredients available to create additive-free teas teas inspired by the pristine wilderness of Northern Michigan. Our main focus is on customer satisfaction and quality.

36 Tasting Notes

70
111 tasting notes

This is not as “creamy” smooth a Pu-erh as I have had in other places, but it’s nice. It does have much more smoothness than a normal black tea; Pretty nice but not exceptional.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 2 min, 45 sec 1 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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216 tasting notes

Thought I would give this another go today.

Mostly leather and dirt. I didn’t notice the tobacco that I did previously.
I’m just not sure I’m going to be able to develop an appreciation for pu’erh teas.

ashmanra

I find I love shu best when it has cooled a lot.

Random

For me the flavor is too strong as it gets colder. I’m not going to stop trying yet, but I just don’t feel confident that I’ll be able to develop a taste for it.

But then, 15 years ago, I would have sworn up and down that others things I now enjoy were amazingly gross. So who knows. :)

ashmanra

You might enjoy it more with super short steeps at first! That’s part of the fun, playing with parameters until we find our favorite way. But also, there is no pressure to like everything! And that’s nice, too.

ashmanra

Oh, I adore cold steeped shu. Just pop a little in a carafe with cold water, even some that you have already steeped once, and let it sit maybe a few hours to overnight. It tastes so fresh and clean. Just maybe another way to try it!

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79
15575 tasting notes

Sipdown (1336)!

I’m pretty sure this sample was from TheWeekendSessions, so thank you Micah for the tea sample! I always feel bad finishing off straight tea samples Western style, but I just didn’t have the energy to make this one Gongfu – I did resteep it a few times though, because that made me feel less guilty…

It was tasty though; pretty robust and earthy with this really enjoyable thickness to the liquor. Like drinking a sweet and petrichor rich broth. I felt calm and relaxed afterwards, and though I had this “warm glow” about me, the finish itself after each sip was cooling and camphorous. Also just a really smooth and clean tasting shou overall.

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80
10 tasting notes

A shou for coffee drinkers, I found this one to be pretty bitter a few short steeps in and pleasantly bitter. After 4-5 steepings the bitterness gives way to a very deeply creamy, almost chocolate richness that is very satisfying. This one can go the distance.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 15 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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25 tasting notes

i bought two cakes of this tea just based on the hope that it was similar to the mirkwood blend.. and it is. its very smooth and easy to drink lots of i find- its my favorite shou ive tried so far. even without the mushroom morsels its very “mushroomy.” i think i could have brewed it longer than 4 min to get a richer, darker brew, that would help me pick up flavours in its true form. its almost syrupy with some coco/caramel stuff going on. im also drinking this out of my new mug i got for xmas- it looks sort of rustic with white lining the inside so i can see the teas colors better. good qi to if i m not mistaken, even though i havnt drunk much yet.
anyways thanks for reading and happy teaing and happy new year.

-nycoma

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3294 tasting notes

I came across a sample of this from Sil, and since I’m still working on clearing out all my samples and smaller quantities, it was a good day for this one, going with short steepings.
The early steeps were wood, with a matte finish (don’t ask me what that means)
Then wood and earth melded, and the color was a rich mahogany.
I didn’t take extensive notes, but I can say that this tea developed a satisfying depth, mildly bitter & almost coffee like in depth, though not in taste.
That’s all I got! Sipdown!

Sil

i miss my puerh….

Rasseru

did you give up? :shockedface:

Sil

no..just haven’t had time to actually sit and focus on it. Hoping that maybe i can start setting aside time every sunday or something… now that our life is starting to settle down….been a bit of a crazy time with the wedding, the dog, work etc… starting to slow down heh

Rasseru

ah ok, I thought it might be one of those stomach aches people sometimes get from puerh

Sil

that would be the worst! heh

Terri HarpLady

I hear what you’re saying. it’s so hard to find time to JUST drink tea, and some teas really require that, at least in my life.

John Grebe

I agree, any teas that are high enough quality to be beyond a certain price point require focused attention when drinking. Whispering Pines teas are really good but it is rare for me to be able to create the space needed for them.

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90
31 tasting notes

This was my first Shu Pureh and I quite enjoyed it. Of course It was unlike other teas, but I can say now I prefer ripe to raw, but I still have to experiment with other raws, and ripes for that matter. I have lots of stuff from other vendors. but this one I liked. dont remember brewing specifics but i assume everyone here knows how.

Flavors: Artichoke, Bread, Brown Sugar, Camphor, Caramel, Cocoa, Creamy, Dark Wood, Mocha, Molasses, Musty, Roasted, Smooth

Preparation
Boiling
AllanK

This is one of the better recent ripe puerhs out there as far as loose ripe goes. The fermentation flavor is a bit muted on this one.

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82
4169 tasting notes

Thank you for sending a sample of this one a while back, NayLynn! I’ve had this one before but it wasn’t distinct enough for me to write a tasting note. This is the last of my sample, but I’m still not finding much to note. I think suddenly ripe pu-erh just tastes like ripe pu-erh to me. Its good, but it’s hard to distinguish from other pu-erh. That’s a shame. For a pu-erh, it is of medium depth and darkness. No offensive fragrance or flavors. But not unique enough for me to love it compared to other pu-erhs. Basically this is just a tasting note to remind myself that I tried this. I will have another pu-erh favorite soon to see if all pu-erh is so plain tasting now.
Steep #1 // 2 teaspoons for a full mug// 9 minutes after boiling // rinse // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // few minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #3 // just boiled // 3-4 minute steep

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97
266 tasting notes

Gongfu brewed in a shiboridashi. This is a lighter shou puerh which is smooth with forest notes. As in it is nowhere close to what most people would call earthy but has just enough to give it a subtle complexity.

Preparation
Boiling

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83
306 tasting notes

Brewing this in a small gongfu teapot, the rinsed leaves have a sweet, musty smell with hints of wood and pastry dough.

The tea is a deep reddish brown, and tastes considerably less sweet than I imagined it would, but it is incredibly smooth. The taste is a little musty and earthy with hints of mineral and maybe a touch of dark chocolate. This isn’t meant to be a reference for flavor, but have you ever brewed fresh turmeric root to drink? It’s really got a smooth texture and flavor, and the quality of this shou reminds me of that smoothness (but not of the turmeric flavor).

The second infusion is the color of cola. The second infusion has more sweetness than the first, and this may sound crazy but cola comes to mind not only in the color but subtly in the flavor as well. Maybe there’s something a little dark-fruit like about it (plum, fig?) that reminds me of Dr. Pepper… Don’t hold me to this or you’ll probably be disappointed. Haha, it’s a stretch but it was an immediate impression. The flavors are a little more developed in this infusion though and raisin comes to mind, as well as a bit of chocolate. The texture is still really smooth. There’s no bitterness. There’s a nice cooling sensation in the mouth after a sip.

Third infusion I’m getting some cocoa and coffee notes. I had some fruit juice with my dinner then came back to this tea, so it may be tasting less sweet because of the juice I was just drinking. The fourth infusion tastes a bit more mellow and sweet again.

I think this is a really smooth tea. The flavor is nice. A good everyday shou!

Flavors: Dark Chocolate, Musty, Raisins, Stonefruit, Wood

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec

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