Thai Gushu Black

Trying to focus on other things than I should, and that includes this tea. Can’t focus at all today and tomorrow an exam from Mathematics I and honestly… I have no idea. Thanks to derk and White Antlers for small pouch of 3 grams.

But as I am here, and writing this tasting note, I will write it down and hopefully will do again something more important like THAT studying.

I am not a fan of this tea too. It is somehow mixed woody + strongly malty, with hints of metallic or similar taste. I did again two steeps, 3 minutes long and 5 minutes long. Both western.

The first steep was indeed very strong in malty notes. A bit of fruity too, somehow woody. derk says it’s cherry wood, well, it could be that. The mouthfeel was okay, but overall somehow, unbalanced towards the malts.

The second steep was milder in malts. The woody notes stayed pretty much same, and thus it is a bit different but still pretty much strong in quite unfamiliar notes.

Overall, I find those cups too heavy for my stomach. They are bold, and I am lacking the light notes which are common (at least in small quantity) in many other black teas. It’s just not my favourite, but again, let me borrow words from derk — “Whether that’s due to the leaf not coming from ‘ancient’ trees, the processing, or my relative lack of familiarity with Thai terroir, I’m not sure.”

I agree; certainly I don’t have much experience in Thai blacks. Especially in loose leaf. I need to focus on this region for sure. It is a very interresting black tea, but I guess it’s too heavy for me. That’s actually interesting, as I prefer malty and full bodied teas, but for some reason I can’t explain well, this is a very different than others I have tried yet.

I’ve had a handful of Thai oolongs, but I believe this is my first Thai black tea. Thanks, Derk and White Antlers! Though the leaves look long and twisty enough to gongfu, I followed Derk’s recommendation and steeped them Western, using roughly 3.5 g in a 355 ml mug at boiling for 3.5, 4.5, and 8 minutes.

The dry aroma is of sour cherry, grain, and malt. The first steep has notes of cherry, raisins, molasses, barley, malt, wood, and tannins. There’s a slight floral hint that I wouldn’t have picked out if Derk hadn’t mentioned it. This tea is a little astringent, which suggests that I should have gone with a three-minute steep. Subsequent steeps emphasize the molasses, malt, and wood.

Partly due to user error, this tea didn’t seem that interesting to me. I’m glad I got to try it, but I don’t think it is one of the more memorable offerings from Whispering Pines.

Spring 2019 harvest.

Dry leaf has a wild look, large dark and craggly leaves interspersed with gold to beige glimmers of fuzzy leaf. They smell of wet grain, specifically malted barley mash for sippers with beer-brewing experience. Warmed leaf smells of Grape Nuts cereal, molasses, black cherry and wood with rose and orchid florality. The steeped leaf reveals the heavy red oxidation.

Western steeps can be adjusted to create a slightly different flavor profile and body. Brewed with the recommended parameters (I think it was a half tablespoon to 8oz boiling, 3/5 minutes), I found the flavors and body rather mild and unobtrusive with smooth notes of brown bread, molasses and a hint of cherry. Using 1g:100mL made a full-bodied brew with a similar, though more pronounced taste. Cherry wood-malt aroma.

Gongfu brewing was honestly a waste. Some fruitier notes popped out in the first steep like passionfruit-mango. It quickly developed a brisk and tannic-bitter quality which it retained through another 5 infusions.

This tea did have the trademark cherry taste which I’ve experienced in every Thai oolong I’ve tried (which isn’t many). I’d call this an above average daily drinker black tea; it did lack what I would consider ‘gushu’ qualities, at least in comparison to Chinese teas. Whether that’s due to the leaf not coming from ‘ancient’ trees, the processing, or my relative lack of familiarity with Thai terroir, I’m not sure.

Very quick fly-by note, with thanks to derk … my first experience with a Thai tea, I think. Mild and subtle; the flavor reminded me most of unsweet molasses. I was going to try the final steep iced, but oops - too late now! I chugged the last tumbler at my desk without realizing it!