Yunnan Gold Tips

Sipdown. 8oz, 3,5 and 8 min.
Overleafed and under watered the first cup so it was strong and slightly tannic. Fixed the later steeps with more water.
Malt, cocoa, sweet. Solid black tea

This definitely gets better as it starts to cool down! Initially i couldn’t taste any of the chocolate notes everyone keeps mentioning but then suddenly, around 15 minutes after brewing, BAM, there’s that delicious chocolate note! I brewed this western style as I’m feeling super lazy today (probably because its another day of sorting, cleaning and throwing in preparation for, our now pretty much guaranteed move… the only thing still unconfirmed is where??). The tea has a great creamy mouthfeel, elevated by a splash of milk, and there are some great malt, chocolate and honey notes once the tea has cooled down to just above luke warm…. yum! Glad I have a little more of this stashed away to enjoy.

BREWING STYLE: Western

I will do two reviews of this tea in both Western and Gongfu style. Unfortunately, I don’t have anything necessary for Gongfu-style steeping — gasp — but I do have the standard stuff needed for Western style.

First Infusion — 3 Minutes

What a lovely, woody scent. It reminds me of a wet forest, in a perfectly good way. I’m in love with the scent, and my expectations for the taste were pretty high too. And boy did it live up to those expectations.

The flavors are simply amazing. I must say that this is, so far in my novice tea-tasting, the best I have ever had. It’s creamy and, like the scent, woody. I also taste a bit of a chocolate-y flavor. I am very impressed as a first-time customer of Whispering Pines. There is just this overwhelmingly good flavor I can’t describe. It’s slightly flowery, woody, mossy, chocolate-y. Very creamy, silky feel. This tea is not bitter or astringent at all.

Overall: Silky, creamy feeling with an intense and complex flavor, which I may or may not think for being a novice. Chocolate hints and sweet notes, but also very woody and flowery. Very impressed.

Second Infusion — Five Minutes

The scent is similar to the first infusion, though it somehow leaves a cooling sensation in my throat. I was intensely curious about how the flavor would change, but I was feeling slightly full from the first 8oz of water.

The tea takes on a more subtle flavor, reminding me more of malt this time around. Slightly milky too, and just as creamy. It’s not as pleasurable as the first infusion, but it is definitely tasty and palatable, very good. More of a tea flavor this time too.

Overall: Still silky, creamy, with a more subdued flavor that is slightly malty and milky but not quite as pleasurable, for me anyway, as the first infusion.

I was too full to do a third infusion, though! I’d love to have tried it again, but my stomach wasn’t cooperating nearing the end of the second cup. However, I’d have to say that this was an awesome experience and a very good first buy from Whispering Pines. I will definitely be a returning customer.

This tea has it all. The dry leaf is fuzzy, soft, and velvet. A smooth milk chocolate aroma and spring scent filled my tea room upon opening the package. The long black and gold strands carry such an aesthetic appearance. I placed a generous amount in my warmed gaiwan and gave it a shake. The aroma burst from the vessel, and I didn’t even lift the lid. My session was filled with sweet and malt scents. This brew, I knew would be a treat. I love the aromas of a good tea. The sweet diverse scents enhance a tea session drastically. I took a minute to sniff the lid and devour these sensations. I was catching drifts of honey, cocoa, and a dark smooth milky malt. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The leaf instantly bronzed and softened. The aromas went into more rigid and malt. I was catching soft wood tones mixed with a barley aroma. The liquor was dark. This was a blood ruby dark drink. The liquid itself emitted a tantalizing scent. This session was focused on the tastes in the air. Although, I knew I had to delve into my cup. The flavor was incredible. The brew was thick, sweet, and incredibly smooth. I could taste a rich chocolate with a light floral tone. This had a creamy malt aftertaste. This brew fills the throat and gives a hearty depth of taste. The liquor became darker with each steeping. I brewed this heavy, and I am so glad that I did. The steeped leaves were beautiful. I could spot a continuous ocean of whole small tippy leaves inside my gaiwan. I was impressed. This is a prime Yunnan red tea. I loved this session. The brew lasted well into a great many steeping sessions. I could smell the sweet malt and light wildflowers long after brewing. This is a lovely brew. I am ever grateful for being able to try this.

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Steeping this one gong-fu style today. 4g in the 4oz gaiwan. water around 95C. First three steeps were about 15 seconds.

First steep is very creamy. Like, if I closed my eyes I could almost believe milk had been added. Smooth, malty, with a honey sweetness. Second steep brings a richer, slightly woody malt flavour with an almost citrusy fruitiness. Still very smooth, but no longer milky. Third steep is like the second, very fresh and clean tasting with a tiny bit of astringency. I’m definitely going to keep steeping this, but I’m running out of patience for this note so I’m going to end it here. :)

This isn’t always the kind of black tea I crave, but it’s definitely high quality and an excellent example of the type.

Not liking this as much as the first time I bought it. It is strong with a note of malt. I might be better with milk.

I brewed this one time with 3 tsp leaf in a 16oz Teavana Glass Perfect Tea Maker/Gravity Steeper with 200 degree water for 3 minutes.

Included as a sample in my last order. Thanks Brenden. (:

This tea opens with notes of wildflower, fruit, and mild chocolate. The chocolate notes intensify mid-sip, joined by cream, malt, and a light grain flavor. There is fruit again in the finish—apricot or golden raisins, maybe—along with notes of wood. The mouthfeel is silky and clean with no astringency. It doesn’t feel heavy in the mouth. It’s light, mellow, and “fresh” feeling. It’s perfect for this time of day, because I think something heavier would unsettle my stomach. The second steep brought out some thick honey notes that reminded me a bit of WPT’s Golden Snail. I think I prefer Golden Snail, to be honest. It’s a bit thicker tastes more like buttery bread. This is certainly a good tea, and very high quality—just not my favorite from WPT!

Method:
~2tsp/10oz
Preboiling
First steep: 3min
Second steep: 5min

This is new. Thank you Tea Hobbit for letting me try it.

I know it’s a mission at Whispering Pines to search for the finest teas, the best among the best.

This tea represents just that. Mission acccomplised.

First sip and I’m in awe.

So sweet, it reminds me of barley sugar candies.

It’s a malty cup, creamy smooth with no astringency. It tastes a little bit like wheat to me.

It’s woody but not smokey at all wich I appriciate a lot.

It’s slightly fruity, I get stone fruit at the end of the sip.

It feels powdery and syrupy in the mouth, nice body.

It’s so good, I need to buy a shitload of it. Yes…more. Please and thank you.

Don’t be afraid to get this one dear tea lovers :-)

On a side note, a friend brought me to this amazing Chinese gift shop today and I found the most beautiful statue to decorate my tea table…she blessed my tea session today I think.

Pics:

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