2012 Huron Gold Needle Shou Pu-erh Cake

I received this in JakeB’s sale a while back — a whole cake! Thanks JakeB! I’m not sure if I tried this before because there is a piece missing, or if I just removed a piece to send to someone else. It would be surprising if I didn’t write a tasting note for a tea the first time I sipped it…. especially as this is the highest rated tea on Steepster at the moment (whoa!) Sadly nothing is special about it, so I probably had it before but didn’t write a note. My rating might drag it down from a 92 though, despite so many glowing reviews from other Steepsterers. I’m not sure if I’m steeping this wrong but this seems like your average ripe pu-erh… very smooth and dark but not as dark as I love my pu-erh to be. A smooth pu-erh seems like black tea to me (that somehow never gets astringent) but my favorite pu-erh needs something MORE there. Of course I’m very happy when none of those icky pu-erh flavors are there. All three steeps had relatively the same flavor, despite vast differences in steeping. I’m missing the magic that others see in this one though! Ah well, different tastes.
Steep #1 // 16 minutes after boiling // rinse // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3 1/2 minute steep
Steep #3 // just boiled // MANY minute steep

Edited to add: Honestly, I lowered the rating on this one until it was among the 90 rated teas and wasn’t the only tea as a 91! (Yesterday it was 92!) But my original rating would have been 80 anyway.

Great! Nice, smooth and soothing with a long-lasting session.

this good i love it

One of my favourite teas currently.

Very strong taste that is consistent for the entire steeping session.

I did a 5 second wash with ~3.5g, 90ml at 205F

This steeps extremely quick when it’s prepared enough. A proper wash lets it hydrate and open up. First steep takes a little longer, about 10 seconds for a proper cup, but the next 5-10 steeps after that can be done in as little as 5 seconds.

I recommend leaving a seed inbetween each steep session. Just a little bit of water left in the gaiwan (or whatever tea receptacle you prefer) that will absorb a healthy amount of tea. The seed will mix with the fresh water for each steep, which gives you a very quick but very rich taste. The seed will not affect longevity of the tea, so you don’t have to worry about having less infusions out of it. But on the plus side, each cup of tea will be incredibly rich and strong which is A+ in my book.

Flavours are pretty similar to what’s posted in the profile above. Cacao, cocoa, creamy (extremely creamy. This tea feels like it coats your very being in warmness and smoothness), roasted nuts, brandy, a tiny bit earthy. A hidden hint of cherry if you brew it strong (when it goes to dark dark red in color).

Drank a bit of this recently for the first time in a while. Very easy drinking, simple to enjoy. Nice, thick, smooth and soothing with a long-lasting session.

Thanks mtchyg for the sample! I have done no reading on this tea, but was intrigued that it is made from golden needles apparently. Surprisingly, after a rinse in my small gongfu tea pot, I am surprised it smells quite like most other shou puerh teas I’ve had, a bit musty with quiet notes of petrichor. Maybe I expected a lighter or sweeter smell from the golden needles. I will say the color of the liquor is really lovely, a deep garnet red-brown.

Maybe I was expecting something sweeter from the golden needles, I’m not sure, but I was definitely expecting smooth, and in that regard this tea does not disappoint. It definitely has a smooth texture and flavor. The flavor is hard to pin down. Cacao, mineral, and wood are noticeable, with a bit of bitterness. The aftertaste really lingers and is mostly woody.

The liquor of the second infusion gives off a common scent for me in shou that I really enjoy, which smells like pastry dough. Again, the flavor is quite smooth, and it rolls off nicely into a subtle bitterness similar to that of dark chocolate. The flavor of this tea is really dark. I think there is a subtle hint of prune as well. In some ways, I’m reminded of coffee.

The third infusion is really mineral and reminds me of petrichor scent when the rain starts. The tea is rather cooling on the mouth and throat, though this is after I have let some cool down nearly to just a bit above room temperature. I find it really enjoyable this way though. The cooling sensation is very quenching and the flavor is smooth.

The fourth infusion is more mellow and sweet, with similar flavors, maybe a touch of tobacco.

Overall a good shou, though not as peculiar as I had hoped for the fact it is made of golden needles.

Oh hello, 2012 Huron Gold Needle. It has been a while. A couple of years even. I’ve taken a pretty substantial leave of absence from puerh so this is me jumping back in. I have a decent supply of high quality stuff from a few years ago that I should really get back into so here we go!

205F, 5 second rinse, 10 second steep- A nice golden brown color emerges. Almost like a brown ale but a bit lighter perhaps. The flavor is lighter as well which I appreciate. I’d rather my puerh have a lighter nuance than a heavy, almost basement-esque quality to it.

Second steep, 10 seconds- Whoa, talk about a difference in steep color. As soon as the water hit the leaves it went to a dark tawny port color. Much darker in one second than in the entire 10 seconds of the last steep. This has a tang in the back of the throat when drinking. Kind of like a juicy sour fruit leaves but without the fruity flavor. It isn’t a negative for me as it gives it some interesting texture and flavor. Yeah, whereas I find some teas drying this one generates a juicy well rounded mouthfeel. Fairly light overall.

You will have to forgive me for ending the review short. Two reasons for that. One, I always have to monitor my caffeine intake so I’m usually not going to be doing 7, 8, 9 steeps of something. And two, today is the first day of Christmas break and I have 3 kids, the youngest being 13 months old. As you can imagine, I don’t have a lot of time to just sit and type at my leisure without him getting into things or needing something, usually my attention. So, with that being said, I bid you farewell until next time.

Heads up to anyone that goes for mainly strong shou puerh as this is a very light and delicate shou puerh. When using the vendors recommending gongfu brewging specs (and even with extra leaf) the puerh comes out as very light and delicate. The two main things about this tea that stand out to me is that is is both sweet and smooth. This tea also has a bit more complex flavor profile than most of the shou puerh. To me the “flavor notes” if you want to go there are more of of a little fruity and a little forest like which I think is what the vendor was talking about with the moss. The 3rd infusion does indeed have a bit of cocoa notes which to be quite honest I was quite skeptical of the claim in s shou puerh. Upon the 5th infusion I would say the tea had died and had produced “colored water” so one must really enjoy really really light tea to be able to get all 6 infusions out of this tea. Regardless I have to admit this is clearly a really high quality shou puerh even through it is much lighter than what I generally go for.

I finally have a cake of this in my cupboard! Yes! I enjoyed the loose leaf and was waiting to get one of these and finally the timing was perfect. This Shou is so yummy! Absolutely no funk, but thick and inky, and so creamy! This is definitely a Shou that could be a “go-to” Shou for me. I had it the other night and I wasn’t even in the mood for Shou and it was awesome. Oh, and did I mention how adorable the wrapper and cloth bag are? Love it!

I was positive I had written a note on one of my most beloved of shous but I don’t see one here…..

Simply EVERYTHING about this cake is beautiful – no surprise since it’s from Whispering Pines. It is presented in a gorgeous wrapper snuggled inside a handy storage envelope. As lovely as they are – the real beauty comes when you open the wrapper and see the abundance of golden leaves threaded throughout the cake.

After a very quick rinse, the first steep is a little light and carries notes of warm cocoa. This is one of the most accessible shous ever – there is zero funk and no barn or leather (not that barn and leather are bad things in shou – just not present here). This is probably the best shou to ease a new pu drinker into the dark side. It is the shou you give your best friend when you are trying to turn them into your pu drinking partner. It is sweet creamy deliciousness that wouldn’t be challenging for someone who might be a little hesitant – in other words – it’s a perfect “gateway drug” and it WILL get you hooked.

The following steeps are thick and syrupy with a mouth-coating sweetness and the cocoa note becomes stronger. As I steep through, brown sugar, caramel, dates, creamy vanilla and a little mineral background make welcome appearances.

In my distant past, I knew a very charming man I nicknamed Mr. Silk. That guy was smooooooth. I may nickname Huron Mr. Silk as well – it is super creamy-dreamy and almost slinky.

I got 8 or 9 delightful steeps and a nice laid back relaxation – a lovely ride.

This is a special shou and it needs a special song. I really like the Radiohead song “Reckoner”, but it is much better by Gnarls Barkley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUmmsMeHAaE

My session on Instagram: https://instagram.com/p/8yCfFTwx4T/

HIGHLY recommended!