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So…we decided to have this in case it was on that we needed to “get out of the way.” Got it from Haveteawilltravel’s stash. We rip open the 5g sample and it smells like…yard work. I say it smells like yard clippings, SO says it smells like yard clippings and sweaty man. I cannot entirely disagree. Keep in mind, neither of us has had ginseng before. The cat flees the room. There’s no turning back now.

The leaves are dark and rolled. I decide to treat this like any other oolong. Wash. 20 second steep. Slightly reddish, darker amber color. We sip. It basically tastes like it smells. It just leaves a weird, unidentifiable taste behind. Whether this is the taste of ginseng or aged oolong, I have no idea.

I refill the gaiwan with water. The SO asks why. This is our only sample. Gotta follow through!

The flavor is stronger in the next steep, and there is some bitterness. The following steeps just taste the same. This tea has been an experience, but it’s not one we feel a need to repeat.

Ordered this recently as part of my first Whispering Pines order. As many have stated, beautifully packaged, the cake breaks apart easily enough, and—in my opinion—it has a nice, earthy aroma.

I did a quick wash and then had to refill and reheat the kettle. A very quick first steep—5 seconds or so—yielded a dark red liquor with a nice mushroom aroma. It pours with a noticeable viscosity, and the first sip does not disappoint.

Smooth. Sweet. Creamy thick. Rich. I do get mossy earthiness and clay, finishing up with cacao that lingers in the aftertaste.

Another quick steep, less than 10 seconds. I get mineral, more wood and a hint of petrichor, plus a hint of a mushroom underneath it all.

I have to wait a while before I can get to the third steep, but it also comes through sweet and smooth and tastes a bit like coffee. This steep carries me through an underwhelming phone interview.

About 45 minutes after that interview ends I remember that I’ve still got these leaves sitting, waiting for a resteep. The liquor comes out dark and smooth again, with a light taste and an almost buttery finish.

The following steeps make for easy drinking that carries me throughout the rest of the day. All-in-all, really enjoy this one and would definitely get it again!

Rolled green leaves expand quickly in the first steep. Floral scent with a hint of roastedness.

Very light, clear yellow liquor. Looks quite viscous and it goes down smooth. First steep is quite floral, as is the aftertaste. I get a slight bit of roast in the first sip but none after that.

Water is a few degrees cooler for the second steep. This steep also comes through very floral. I know that it is often described as osmanthus, but I am not familiar with what osmanthus smells like. Following steeps taste, more or less, the same. As the liquor cools the mouthfeel thickens up and becomes more of a creamy smooth than a fluid smooth.

This is a good tea, I think it just may be too floral for me without having enough of any other kinds of notes to balance it out. I will give it another chance, but I think it is probably just not for me.

The SO’s request for the morning. Didn’t have time for gongfu before she has to be at work, so we did western, following WP’s recommendations.

The dry leaves are dark and twisted, once wet they expand to reveal an even light brown color. The liquor is a nice amber, much lighter in color than I expected.

I sip. The texture is smooth, and I’m getting cocoa notes and some woodiness with a stone fruit aftertaste.

I’m enjoying this. Time for a resteep. 4.5 minutes.

It’s sweet! I’m getting a light sugary taste behind the cocoa and wood, and it’s still mostly smooth. The aftertaste is still stone fruit. And the qi hit me during the resteep, totally taking me by surprise.

Overall, quite enjoyable for me, so I’m very glad we decided to give this a shot.

So I decided to make this again this morning, and used a bit more water than I believe I did yesterday. The first sip is mostly bitter, and a couple sips later the creamy texture manifests as a bit of a creamy aftertaste. I try to take several small sips I take in a row, which prevents the bitterness from standing out, in hopes of getting a better sense of the other flavors, but I don’t really succeed. I feel like there are some distinct vegetal notes hiding under the bitterness, something in addition to generic “matcha” taste, but I can’t really pull them out.

Got 17g of this from Haveteawilltravel’s stash.
The dry leaves have a faint smoky smell that carries over to the wet leaf, when some earthy aromas start to emerge. It steeps to a nice amber color.

Super smooth, a little smoky, definitely a light flavor to start. Faintest hint of some buttery notes at the very end. After a couple of the early steeps some dryness settles in and I start to feel the qi.

Around steep four or five the texture starts to thicken up, and I start to get that fluffy mouthfeel I’ve seen people talking about. It feels even thicker and fluffier if I let it cool.

This tea carried me through most of the day—from late morning through lunch with the SO and into the afternoon. I didn’t really get any sweet or fruity notes, but I enjoyed this and I am glad I have enough left for a couple more sessions.

Frustrating meetings call for tea. I had to wait about 30-45 minutes between the first and second steep on this one. The flavor of the second steep ended up noticeably weaker than it usually would, so now I know to try to get to the resteep as quickly as possible in the future.

Made this today to give myself some energy, and made it properly this time, so I guess I just needed to warm back up to the process. Nice smooth taste with some bitterness, which may partially be because I also was eating a pretty sweet persimmon and neri youkan to make sure I didn’t get nauseous. I will try to make it with a cleaner palate soon so I can appreciate and evaluate the taste more, but I got the energy boost I needed, so I’m satisfied!

Enjoyed this to unwind tonight after driving home from an overnight trip. Glad I received more while I was gone!

Haveteawilltravel threw this in with the other stuff I bought from their stash. Used all 3g of this. The rolled leaves are varying shades of brown and have a sweet but somewhat roasted aroma. I fill the 100 ml gaiwan about halfway up with water for a quick rinse, and then refill it the same amount for the first steep.

The leaves expand pretty quickly. They are brown, mostly whole and have a very roasted smell. The liquor is a nice amber color. This is a fairly oxidized oolong, but it has a nice mellowness that I can enjoy.

We open up some castella-style dorayaki to eat as we drink. The taste of the tea reveals some faint sweet and bitter notes as we drink. All-in-all, it doesn’t blow us away, but we’re glad we got to give it a try!