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Art of Darkness is an all time favorite of mine. I don’t know why, but I fell in love with it as soon as I tasted it. Then, I heard about this tea, and I had to give it a shot. I am not one for flavored teas or blends, but Whispering Pines hits these right on the nose, and they are delicious! This leaf is a long slender leafed shou with a distinct scent of Jordan almonds. Also, the small black and dusty gold tendrils smell intensely of a sweet, creamy, nuttiness, with some fluffy tones on top. I warmed my teapot and scooped some inside. The scent opens up into a whipped crème atop dry cacao with some earth woodiness mixed in. A quick wash, and its off to paradise. The brew is thick in the mouth with a flourishing marshmallow flavor. The drink is like milk chocolate hot cocoa with vanilla syrup drizzled atop. The brew continues with each steep developing into a dense chocolate with a lightly fading marshmallow. The brew lasts for an extensive amount of steeps, and it is fantastic! This leaf is a lot like Art of Darkness except more direct, smooth, and long lasting. The brew is not overly complex, and that’s fine. I am not drinking a cocoa nib imbued tea for the complexities. The taste is great; however, I do wish it was a tad bit cheaper…

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Hou de carries some killer tea, so I expected no less from this. The leaf is very dark and somewhat crumbly. A nice note of oak barrel, raisin, and spice emit from the leaves. I warmed my gaiwan and slipped some inside. The aroma expanded into some interesting tobacco, leather, and barley notes. I could pick up some tangy buckwheat honey and possible green apple (?) along with a floral background of gardenias. I washed the leaves and prepared for brewing. The taste begins very sweet and very thick. A prominent note of vanilla and crème greets my tongue along with a sturdy woody base. The next steeping brings about fresh honeycomb and a dark fruity background. The brew is quite complex and changing, for the next steeping leaves me with some spice in the aftertaste. The soup brings a nice huigan and is an easy drinker. The storage is crisp and clean, and the tea goes down rather quickly. The qi is restricted to the chest and acts as a coolant and pressurizer. I have no complaints with this tea. It was really good, but for some reason it didn’t leave a memorable impression with me. I’m not sure why; I guess we just weren’t compatible, haha.

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It took me two sessions and some time to put my notes in order. I desperately wanted to understand this tea. I heard a boom of commotion when this tea was released. Inquisitive label. Zero info. Insane price. Buzz-word vendor. Least to say, my interest was piqued. I managed to get my hands on a fair amount, and I made sure to let it settle for a bit before trying it. I planned out the session with my fancy teaware, spring water (personally harvested from the aquifer in hills), an empty schedule, the whole nine yards. I wasn’t gonna miss out on anything. I took my time, I breathed in the tea, I sipped long and slow, I gave it the attention it deserved. Now, if you want the notes on what it tastes like, skip to the bottom. If you want to hear me ramble on my thoughts and feeeelings, then you should read on. I look back of the lessons that tea has taught me, so that I can mold what my feelings are towards this leaf. I’ve experienced that when tea has a big hype, it can largely influence my thoughts. I try my best to disregard that “hype”. In doing so, I remember that high price=high material is not always true. Sometimes, it is largely due to the difficulty in acquiring the material. For instance, if I walk 10 miles for a penny, that doesn’t mean that the penny turns into gold; its still a penny. However, this tea is in no way, shape, or form comparable to the value of a penny. On that thought then, what makes this tea so high priced? I can imagine the fantastic trees of some unknown location that makes this tea magical. Logically, my mind instantly shoots to aged puerh. A semi-aged factory cake is around this price, and it is larger, so I see it as more valuable than this tea. However, the common response to this is that the material used now is far greater than before. The fact that we can drink fresh tea, and it still can carry the full texture sensation on the tongue provides that. Therefore, this tea will age immensely better than how factory tea has over the years. On the contrary, I have no way of knowing this. Honestly, I can run myself into circles with the “ageing potential” question of new boutique tea, so I digress. The next lesson I point to is to ignore marketing. This tea is marketing. The wrapper stands upright as a middle finger directed towards the “label effect”, in which this acts as a marketing tactic inclining us to want it. However, the answer to this argument is fairly simple: Stop bitching and let the tea speak for itself. After I ran myself into a maze, I decided to do just that.

I drank twice. I drank once in October and again in December. The steeping in December really solidified my thoughts towards this tea. Here is a quick synopsis:
Dry: Sweet. Mineral. Fig.
Warm: Odd. Herbaceous. Light cream? Never smelled something like. reminded of 54-46.
Steeped: Fresh greens. Milk?. Green tea chai.
Taste/Liquor: Subtle. Pale jade. Astringently sweet. Cream finish. Thick (fuck all thick).

Now, right of the bat, you do not spend this kind of money for tastes. For a poor example, I wouldn’t buy cocaine for its numbing effects when I can drink $8.95 Pharmacy Benzocaine. With that being said, this tea gives a sensation that is unusual. I wouldn’t call it the strongest, drowsing, or energizing. I have had better in those categories. Instead, I would call this the cleanest. I define clean as something that runs so in line with how my body is already functioning that I don’t feel intoxicated; rather, I would describe it as being complimented. The taste was poor (little aggressive of a word); I read a review that said “artichoke water”. I agree with that term; it does have a runny characteristic. However, the feeling was a compliment to me. I drank steep after steep, and I couldn’t really notice much. I had my pen in hand, jotting down every thought and sensation, and I couldn’t say much on qi. I would sit back and fold my arms behind my head pondering on this brew; I took in the steady vibes of my music playing in the background. Then, my friend came in and began to strike up a conversation with me. That’s when it happened; I stood up from tea table and all the time I spent sitting caught up with me. I was aligned. I forgot my friend was even there; I was in my own little world. I excused myself, and I walked outside. The frigid east coast December air felt nice on my skin. I then realized I had been sweating quite a bit. The setting sunlight seemed brighter, the breeze felt softer, the trees seemed prettier. This is the best way I can describe being complimented by tea. This is why I can understand the high price tag. To continue, I ended wandering back inside and getting back into my session. The tea lasted all day with good vibes and pleasant enough taste. I enjoyed my time with this brew. Now, to get to the bottom line. I want more info. I don’t like the idea of mystery tea that costs a pretty penny; I have trust issues. Also, to go off my trust issues, I don’t know how this will age. A factory recipe that is aged well enough can hit the $800 mark prior to reaching 15 years old. This tea is not even a year old, and it is not only smaller, but it is already halfway to that mark. I need evidence that it ages. Personally, I couldn’t spend that on a fresh tea. I may be kicking myself when this ages beautifully, and it is worth 2k in 5 years. That’s my shit, so I’ll deal. I don’t have an issue frivolously spending on a drinking hobby, but I can’t do it for this. To those that own this, enjoy the compliment; its a beautiful experience.

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I bought three of these to see how the differed, and I never posted the review.
If ya care enough for a long read, go ahead!:

Ball 1:
The balls are super tightly compressed, so I can’t get much aroma of this one. I think I smell dry wood or hay, with a dash of spice. I warmed up my gaiwan and plopped the pebble inside. The aroma opens up to vegetal, sage, and other herbaceous scents. I washed this twice and prepped for brewing. The taste is odd but sweet, heavy, and full. The aftertaste has a pepper kuwei bitterness. I described this one as “muted”, “overpowered”, or “blocked”. The taste was sweet with some tang, and it was very vegetal and peppery. However, the leaves give off an intense fruity scent. The taste was nothing to write home about. Honestly, I had trouble differentiating between the flavors. They didn’t meld well. On the other hand, the qi was incredibly heavy! It’s a definiete stoner tea; I actually almost passed out.

Ball 2:
Same case as before, but I picked up some silky greens (?) from a sniff. I warmed the brewer up and popped this inside. The character was sweet with some smoke. The leaves are darker and have a mahogany aroma. I washed them twice and brewed away. The taste was bright and airy with bitter greens and a lot of sweet fruit. The astringency was present, but it wasn’t too overwhelming. A cooling sensation appeared and it was a nice feeling at the back of my throat, and it followed down to my chest. However, a direct lemon note appeared, and the brief citrus wiped clean all flavors. The brew went dull, and a overwhelming bad qi feeling took over. The feeling was crippling, and it hurt my stomach.

Ball 3:
Same as Ball 1, except I got cooked greens as well. Again, warm pot place ball inside. The scent is sweet like an yiwu, but it also has a few flat tones. I swooshed the ball around and gave it another sniff, and I picked up an odd plain tone; it smelled off clean plastic. Another swoosh, and I picked up some dark honey, and bitter prune. Odd. I washed the ball twice and scorched away. The taste was bittersweet with a nice huigan. I could hint at some mouth dryning, but it was otherwise smooth. The taste reminded of lincang material. The brew becomes grassy and begetal bitter. The sweetness would be comparable to a green melon. The brew fades with an oak drying bitter. I didn’t hint at any qi with this one.

All and all, I didn’t care too much for these; however, they make good travel buddies.

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I got some bits of this cake (I don’t remember how), so I gave it a steep. I like CNNP, and I like aged sheng, so what the heck. The leaves are curled and frail; a good amount of darkness has grown. They give off a nice woody, spice, and cedar aroma. The leaves are very aromatic, and the scent is nice and smooth. I warmed up my pot tossed them in. The age is mellowing and dry wood tones appear. I can hint at a slight eucalyptus aroma along with the same cedar note mixed with tobacco. I washed the puppies once and prepared to steep. The taste is sweet and clean. A prominent note of oak aged whisky appears right from the start. The astringency is mild and tends to linger in the aftertaste. A smoky wisp makes itself comfortable at the tip of my tongue. The tea calms down a bit after a few steeps and gives a bassy cranberry throatiness. The aggressive tones seem to wipe away after four steepings and the tea becomes quite soft and sweet with a base of oats. The huigan becomes thicker is quite nice. The qi is very powerful with heavy chest pressure and a top heavy feeling. I was sweating like pig towards to end of the session. I liked this tea, and it was a good drinker.

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This is the pinnacle of sweet puerh. I’ve tasted a few that blend well into the “dessert” category, but this tea wins the game with longevity, qi, and thickness. The leaves are slightly darkened and loosely compressed. They give off a nice aroma of strong wood, subtle honey, and spicy musk in the background. I warmed up my pot and placed some inside. The becomes much stronger with a good heavy musk of fruits, tobacco, and cherry. A few sweeter notes of brown sugar and vanilla bean rise to the surface after a few sniffs. I washed the leaves and prepared for brewing. The taste is strong, full, and direct. I experience of whirl of flavors. The brew begins with a layer of resonated sugarcane, oak wood, and a crisp base of wildflowers. The next steep yields maple brown sugar, molasses, and a smooth honey aftertaste. A flourish of marshmallow rises from the tongue on the exhale. After that, I am greeted with a full bodied cedar taste that is wrapped in these same desert tones. The brew is potent. The soup continues darkened and filled with great flavors and tones that are mostly sweet and incredibly syrupy. The qi begins very aggressive and unstable, but it soothes out if you ease the session on. The sensation balances out to full body hum with powerful yet smooth waves. The feeling compliments the last steep which yields subtle floral qualities and sugar water. This is a tea I couldn’t drink fast enough. I really enjoy it, and it is one of my favorites. This is great example of the feminine qualities in yiwu tea. I don’t always reach for something sweet, but this makes a good desert tea, and its an instant crowd pleaser.

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This not a very pretty tea. The leaves are stout and heavily compressed; A gray sheen covers the surface of the tea. The chunk smells of brief char and wet grass. The compression was fairly tight to get any other scents. I warmed up my pot and placed a bit inside. I lift the lid to meet oak barrel, strong pipe tobacco, wet leather, and sweet plum musk. This is a burly kind of tea. I washed the tea for a bit and then prepared for brewing. The taste begins sweet and thick with a pleasant aftertaste. The base of the brew is of maple wood with chestnut. Later steeping brings tobacco, red fruits, and maple syrup. The tea takes about six steeps to finally break away from one solid mass. The taste is fairly decent with good complexity and sweet/bitter mix. However, the qi is what’s so unique about this brew. When I look back at my notes, I can tell how strong a tea was by how much profanity I tend to use. Lets just say that there was good vocabulary in my journal. The sensation begins slow and creeps behind you. The qi becomes powerful and heavy (a bit too much). The feeling acts as a ton of bricks and it slowly presses down on you. I took a few breaks away from my tea table. Personally, it was a bit too aggressive for me, but I think some others would enjoy this.

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I’m not one for Autumn tea, but I found this sample and decided to give it a go. The leaf is dark green and loosely compressed with very sweet scents of winter honey, apricot, and candy with soft floral snap dragon quality. I warmed up my gaiwan and placed a bit inside. The scent opens into roasted marshmallow, caramel, crème, and cool whip. This was such a treat. I washed the little dessert leaves and prepared for brewing. The taste is sweet and with a creamy thickness. A warm vanilla pops up along with some vegetal tones. The huigan is thick and dripping. The aftertaste is like honey nut cheerios. The second steeping brought a cooling sensation that lingered in the back of the throat. On an exhale I’m greeted with stonefruit and peaches. However, the brew suddenly becomes extremely bitter and “rusted”. The astringency grew tremendously, and it dominated the sweet silky tones. The dessert tones and mild floral qualities vanished, and they did not appear again. The qi was moderate with a nice prickling of the neck. The session ended with a decent head buzz and a confusing search for the succulent sweetness.

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I am not one for black teas, but this leaf has quite an aroma. The leaves consist of long dark tendrils with sweet dry cocoa powder and malt emitting from them. I brought this along with me on a road trip this past summer and everyone loved it. I warmed up my gaiwan and placed the sample inside. The cocoa became even stronger with some slight smoke. I sniffed some more and picked up some dark bittersweet fruits, burnt sugar, and black cherries. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The drink is a nice solid malt. A pronounced mahogany tone pops ups and is backed by char, oats, and honey. The body is thick and full and it has a slight brisk dryness. This brew reminds me of black cherry soda. Its a nice burly tea with good longevity. I enjoyed it, as did everyone with me!

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I am not one for shou puerh. I usually drink it in phases, so my palate is by no means accustomed to these teas. However, this was a very nice tea. The leaves are heavily compressed and crumbly. They carry a heavy earth scent with some cedar, mushrooms, and a very light fruitiness. I warmed my gaiwan up and placed the rock inside. I shook the pebble about and opened the lid to be created with some smoke and earthy spices. The classic damp wood tone was present, but it was in the background behind bell peppers. The brew is thick and dark with smooth clean notes. I like shu; because, it’s so warming. The drink is filled with sweet earthy mineral tones. A nice clean aftertaste coats the tongue. The drink is nice and relaxing. Later steeping brought on a sharp cherry tone and some root flavors. Oddly, I picked up on some herbaceous notes on the next steeping. The sweetness in the mouth is incredibly long lasting with molasses sweetness. The qi is heavy and warming with a nice massaging relaxation. I really liked this tea, and I thought it to be very good!

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