Tea type
Pu'erh Tea
Ingredients
Pu Erh Tea
Flavors
Cedar, Honeysuckle, Honey, Butter, Citrus Zest, Cream, Creamy, Eucalyptus, Floral, Forest Floor, Green, Hay, Herbaceous, Honeydew, Lime, Melon, Pine, Tangy, Wood
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
High
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Whispering Pines Tea Company
Average preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 2 min, 0 sec 3 g 9 oz / 276 ml

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18 Tasting Notes View all

  • “From the Sheng and Shou TTB. Blech. This one is just not for me. The dry leaf was really pretty…twisty sheng leaf with a nice sheng smell. The brewed liquor, however, tastes like a really vegetal...” Read full tasting note
  • “mmmm thanks for sending this my way kimquat (along with the grasshopper cheesecake and coffee & cigarettes, since i may forget to thank you for adding to my stash of those later.) This one is...” Read full tasting note
  • “I cracked this out again, yesterday (which lasted me into today) – my goodness does this tea have some staying power! By the end of 12 infusions, it was still going pretty strong! I’m still not...” Read full tasting note
  • “Brewed this western style this morning not even remembering it was a loose puerh. It is quite tasty and very slightly bitter. This would be excellent brewed Asian style but I mistakenly thought it...” Read full tasting note
    86

From Whispering Pines Tea Company

An incredibly intriguing offering, Arbor Mist is composed of 100% wild-arbor leaves from the high mountains of western Yunnan, China. This particular tea is made with a unique varietal of wild tea called Ye Sheng that has naturally developed UV resistance by evolving purple leaves. The taste is smooth and incredibly sweet with the foremost notes being tangy lime, miso broth, warm cedar, and a sweet, tingling camphor spice. The middle of the sip hints at honey and oakmoss, and the finish is lingering sweet wood, camphor, and salted cashew.

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.

18 Tasting Notes

818 tasting notes

From the Sheng and Shou TTB.

Blech. This one is just not for me. The dry leaf was really pretty…twisty sheng leaf with a nice sheng smell. The brewed liquor, however, tastes like a really vegetal green tea, with some smokiness and bitterness. I’m not a fan of this kind of green tea flavor. So weird. Oh well, now I know! That’s what TTB’s are for, right?

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15386 tasting notes

mmmm thanks for sending this my way kimquat (along with the grasshopper cheesecake and coffee & cigarettes, since i may forget to thank you for adding to my stash of those later.)

This one is not for me. something in the way that this one tastes is too reminescent of roasty oolongs. I went through a few steepings to see if it ever turned into something i’d enjoy and it never quite landed anywhere i was in love with. However, that’s all good, since that’s the point of swaps! not to mention that i likely would have picked this one up myself someday so now i don’t have to! woot woot!

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121 tasting notes

I cracked this out again, yesterday (which lasted me into today) – my goodness does this tea have some staying power! By the end of 12 infusions, it was still going pretty strong!

I’m still not sure this one is a favourite, yet. The savory, vegetal flavour are really intense – it’s not unpleasant, for sure. It is very much drinkable and I kept coming back for more. But, at the moment, it isn’t one I reach for with the same keenness as some other teas in my cupboard.

I read somewhere that sheng puerh mellows, and becomes smoother, with age. If that’s the case, perhaps I ought to let a little bit of air get to this and just try it again in a few months (I also read that loose puerh, such as this, ages faster so maybe this’ll be a nice one to “test” such things out on).

Either way, I did enjoy this tea and will continue to enjoy the rest of my bag!

M

This is one that I would love to try some time. My first order from Whispering Pines is on its way as of yesterday!

Red Fennekin

Ah, excellent :D What did you order?

I could always send you a little sample, if you wanted! I’m sure it wouldn’t cost me too much (right??)?

M

I ordered some of the Golden Orchid, because it had such great reviews across the board and I’m a sucker for vanilla. I probably could have browsed that site all day and ordered 100 different teas, but I restrained myself. Who knew that trying to control my tea buying habit would be so hard?

I would love to do a sample swap of sorts, but I just noticed that you’re in the UK. I’m in Canada. I don’t know anything about international shipping costs, but I imagine that would be quite steep.

Red Fennekin

Mmm, I have a bag of Golden Orchid that I just can’t wait to try :D I’m only just managing to put if off on the basis of the number of open bags I already have going on :P

Ah, that’s true… :( Well, it’s one that I imagine Brenden will regularly keep in good stock, so hopefully you’ll get to try it at some point :D

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86
1758 tasting notes

Brewed this western style this morning not even remembering it was a loose puerh. It is quite tasty and very slightly bitter. This would be excellent brewed Asian style but I mistakenly thought it a green. I forgot what I had. I am getting the note of cedar mentioned in the tea write up. I am also getting the note of honeysuckle. Overall this is an excellent tea.

I brewed this once in an 18oz teapot with 4 tsp leaf and 190 degree water for 1 min.

Flavors: Cedar, Honeysuckle

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 1 min, 0 sec 4 tsp 18 OZ / 532 ML

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87
687 tasting notes

My first tea of the day, and the last of samples (mj) sent me. The dry leaves smell pretty foresty. After I brew, I get some more floral scents. There is a tangy, and kinda creamy flavour. Not really what I was excepting, but good on a rainy afternoon.

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278 tasting notes

Thanks to ost for this sample!

This one is pretty smokey, but it does have some lovely fruity flavors and no bitterness. I guess I didn’t realize it wasn’t a blend, and just a straight sheng, or I would have done it gongfu. I still have enough for another round, so yay!

I’ll do a gongfu session later with more notes!

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 2 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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1113 tasting notes

This is interesting sheng. Nice woody qualities. I am getting a little bitterness/sourness, but it could just be me. I never seem to do as well with mao cha as I do with sheng cakes. Perhaps I just prefer cakes? Or I haven’t got the brewing down on mao cha yet. Either way, not bad, but with as many other shengs I have found that I REALLY love, I probably won’t seek this one out again. I will definitely re-steep this a few more times and see if anything else interesting comes into play flavor wise. I do really prefer ones with a little sweetness/fruitiness!

Thanks for the opportunity to taste some of it, Cheri! I really appreciate it :)

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100
557 tasting notes

I’ve drank this one quite a few times now since I received it and I just wasn’t sure about posting my review because it kinda differs from the others and the tasting notes on site, like the lime and cashew and i don’t think I even know what Miso is, not sure lol,
but hey we all taste things differently right?? :)

The dry leafe aroma is sweet and slightly smokey, wet leafe aroma is vegetal and hay-like, it smells like breakfast in the country.
The Tea flavor is nice and delicate with vegetal and woody notes, a little nutty and somewhat savory in general. At times the flavor has some smokey notes as well as an earthy kind of note like woodsy or mossy and a slight sweet pine/cedar type note with floral undertones.
This one also has a nice creamy almost buttery mouth-feel with a slight cooling sensation on the end that is very nice.
This one is quite pleasant to drink and it makes me feel pretty good, i think it has good energy.
I also like this one cold, as it cools the smokey notes increase and a slight pleasant bitter is present, it has an almost completely different profile when cooled.
If you like raw puerhs or green teas or even smokey teas then you’d like this one.

I do think this one makes me high or tea-drunk, it gives me that nice funny, hapy, giddy almost spaced out feeling if i drink enough, hehehe (cloud 9)

TheTeaFairy

I loved it too Tommy! Great review :-)

Stephanie

I do love that feeling from sheng. I have a sample too, I should drink it tomorrow :)

SarsyPie

Awesome!!!

MzPriss

Great note Tommy!

Cheri

I got Miso, because I’ve had Miso soup. It’s was kind of nutty in a creamy sort of way that did make me think cashew when I saw other people describe it that way. I never got lime, which was disappointing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miso

And I wish I had this one with me at work today because I want that tea drunk feeling. Ah well. Maybe tomorrow.

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493 tasting notes

mj sent me a surprise sample of this tea. She is awesome.
Sample is super generous .

I decided to do gongfu. It works all the time.
But today i wasn’t lucky
4g 100ml 205F
rinse/5/5/5/10sec, its hay, mellow, some sweet paprika. some bitterness, nothing major. no sweetness (hui gan) . bummer

i thought that maybe i should try WP parameters
1tbsp 8oz 190F 3min ( i did rinse it, i always do)
Nope. Very bitter for my taste.

Came back to my gaiwan. read some previous notes. TTF made it with low temp like 175F and short steeps. Tried that and i think its my favorite parameters. as it cools completely i notice some slight sweetness.

Thank you so much, mj. you gave me big sample to play.

mj

You’re welcome! I had to put some tea in there, right? It felt wrong not to! It looked like you like sheng and this was my only sheng, so I was happy to share :)

SarsyPie

Oh super!!! I am really wanting to try this one!

Blodeuyn

Now I am curious! I’ve got this one on the way.

mj

Sarsonator, I’d be happy to send you some :)

SarsyPie

Thanks so much, mj! I just arranged a trade with ost for some Arbor Mist LOL

boychik

You are so sweet mj!

TheTeaFairy

Yes, I have noticed that some are getting astringency. I really don’t get any out of this one. I even drank it laoshan style yesterday and it was as smooth as silk. I hope your next time will be better, thanks to lovely mj’s giant sample, you get to experiment :-)

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92
359 tasting notes

I love to drink sheng. I’m a fa-sheng-ista!

But sheng is not my favourite tea to review cause I always get taken by it, in the moment. It’s hard for me to analyze and think about anything…Just want to let the tea take me to wherever it wants to…

I love Mao Cha, what cakes are made of…

I won’t comment on each steep cause that’s not the way I review my tea. But because some have requested I write details on the way I brewed it (cause apparently it can be a little finicky) here are my parameters. I actually counted the seconds this time :-)

7g, 5oz gaiwan, water temp. 175F

Steep 1) 20 sec.
Steep 2) 30 sec.
Steep 3) 40 sec.
Steep 4) 60 sec.
Steep 5) 90 sec.
Steep 6) 90 sec.
Steep 7) 120 sec.

This type of tea is light in weight and takes a lot of room. The leaves are so long, they barely fit in the gaiwan. First, the dry scent. Smells like some kind of smoked lemonade. Yes, smokey and citrusy. Interesting. When I say smoke, let’s be clear: it’s very subtle.

Oh, the first few steeps are very sweet and “melony” juicy with a fresh mouthfeel. I find some echo of yesterday’s campfire wood if that makes senses. You know, that scent you get in the air the next morning when you camp? It renders a light smoked dampness in the mouth.

It’s creamy and a little salty and nutty. In some ways, it does remind me of high mountain oolong.

I must talk about the fragrance exuding from the wet leaves. It triggers memories of late August summer nights after a hot afternoon…when the warmth of the day collides with the coolness of the night. Yes, this tea smells like August, and it leaves an imprint of late summer nights as I drink it. I do realize it must sound plain weird to you,but it means a lot to me…that’s how cha qi kicks in for me. Memories.

The later steeps are not as sweet, a nice light astringency is building up. I say nice, cause to me, the right dose of astringency in sheng is a good thing. It’s bright and awakening.

What I identified as being melon earlier is now morphing into grapefruit. I also get more saltiness, a “brothy” feel, umami.

Cedar and camphor are present at the end of the sip.

I’ll be stopping here, cause I just want to enjoy the rest peacefully and stop taking notes.

This is a special one. It made me feel something…that’s what I seek when I drink sheng.

Tommy Toadman

Nice review :)

TheTeaFairy

Thank you tommy…i loved this tea.

Tommy Toadman

I’m looking forward to having some really soon :) i can’t wait!!

TheTeaFairy

I’ll be interested to read what you think of it.

Cheri

I really enjoyed it, too. :)

hippiechick 42

Sounds good, but not sure about camphor taste in a tea?

Cwyn

Mountain tea trees often have camphora trees in the same area and their odor can get into tea leaves, and hence into the cake. It is really more of a mouth/throat cool feel.

boychik

I really like camphor notes in sheng

Cheri

Ah! That’s what that mouthfeel is. Thanks!

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