Golden Orchid

Holy chocolate, Batman!

I was teaching some 4th and 5th graders today when I took the first sip of this. Apparently…I made a face. I know this to be true because my normally rambunctious students stopped dead in their tracks and stared at me.

“Miss O….what’s wrong?!?!?!”
“Chocolate….there’s…it’s….there’s chocolate in my tea!”
“Chocolate tea????” (At this point, they commenced their usual frolicking around the classroom, only now they were chanting “chocolate tea” in a really creepy but funny way.)

So, yeah. I actually couldn’t remember what this one was supposed to taste like when I grabbed it. I just knew I had really been excited to try it when I got samples from both Ost and Beorhthraefn almost back to back. Thanks you guys!

I think I’m in love. Oh dear.

So, now that I have worked down on some blends club blends and I am actually at 100 teas in my cupboard (not counting the samples from Cameron), I feel like I can finally start trying those WP samples that Cameron B. so generously sent me. You might have heard that WP is kind of a big deal around on Steepster lately, so eventually I decided I should probably give them a try. The only WP tea I’ve had before now is North Winds, which I understand is the base for this tea (?).

I followed the steeping parameters exactly for this one; it was convenient because they happen to be my default black tea steeping parameters. It left me kind of… what’s the big deal? This tea has just a little crapton of hype about it, so I guess I was expecting nothing short of heaven on earth. For most of my cup, it tasted pretty much exactly like North Winds, which is to say bittersweet-chocolatey, not unlike some Fengqing pearls I’ve tried in the past. I had no vanilla or related flavors (creaminess, etc) until I got down to the very bottom of the cup and it was pretty much stone cold. Then the last couple of sips were vanilla bombs, no doubt thanks to the little vanilla seeds swimming at the bottom. It was a tasty cup, but it was not liquefied fudge or a chocolate sundae or any of the other superlatives people use for it. I have another small serving of it, so I will happily try it again, and I could even imagine getting another sample of it sometime just to give it another shot. I could always order some North Winds at the lower price and cut some of the roughly 1 kilos worth of Madagascar vanilla beans I have in my cupboard into it (a perk of doing fieldwork in Madagascar). :)

I will say that I feel like my tastes in teas are diverging from a lot of the Steepster crowd these days, so I guess you can take my note with a grain of salt. Thanks again to Cameron for the sample! This is why I wanted a sample first. :)

Marco Polo TTB

Yay, My first taste of Whispering Pines! I was so excited when I found out this would be in the box. It’s such a special tea I would not expect to find it in just an ordinary TTB. I’m very grateful to have a chance to try it. I already planned on getting some the next time I’m allowed to buy more tea (November), this sample just helped make the amount I would buy go up.

Yummy, Yummy, Vanilla bread tea. I read I should try it with shortbread, so I did and although it was delicious I felt like I was wasting the tea and think I will drink and savor each sip on its own for special days in the future.

My son wanted to dip his cookie in his tea but could not because it was in a large mason jar and his tea was almost gone so I let him use my tea, I did not think about how it would ruin my cup and turn it salty with cookie crumbs on the bottom I was just thinking it would be a nice way to share the special tea with him. I will look for the chocolate next time and not let my son stick his cookie in it.

Bonus* I was lazy and left the leaf in the steeper over night and just rinsed it out before adding black tea in the morning. Pleasantly surprised to find leftover vanilla flavor in the first two steeps of morning tea :)

So I got this as one of the three samples in the WP sample offer. And while I’ve tried the other two already, this one I was saving for something special, since it seemed like that sort of tea. I figured nursing a cup while watching my brand new Winter Soldier bluray after work was as good a time as any. XD
I may have under leafed this simply because I couldn’t really get 1 1/2 tsp out of it and still have enough for another cup. (Sorry Brendan, but my tbsp just wasn’t a full tbsp. Lol.)
So onto the brew. It’s cocoa-y and vanilla and oh so tasty smelling. Actual taste wise….I’m getting something similar to cocoa puff milk only with water used instead of milk. Watered down bitter-ish chocolate. Kinda ugh to be honest (/avoids the incoming stones/). Yes yes I know that this one is practically everyone’s baby here, but that’s just what my tastebuds are telling me. I added some truvia because it wasn’t sweet to me and I’m not sure if I just didn’t add enough or what, but it didn’t seem to make too much of a difference honestly. But then, I was afraid of over-sweetening it and then being unable to even drink it, so I ended up playing it safe.
I did get a tart cherry sort of taste to it, which was what I ended up focusing on after awhile. I probly should’ve added more sweetener at that point, but I kinda didn’t want to get off the couch at that point since it was just getting to the helicarriers. Sooooo. XD The very end of the cup was rather gritty but I think that was just the bits of vanilla bean or something? I dunno.
I still have another cup’s worth left and maybe I’ll try a lower temp? Or longer steep? Or shorter? Who knows. I’m even debating doing a steep in warm milk because why the heck not? Lol!

Edit – So I did a second steeping @ 5 min that was better than the first steep, in my opinion. It was more chocolate-y and vanilla without the tart cherries note or any bitterness that I could tell. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to finish the cup before bed/it got cold. But when I tried it cold it tasted like very similar to hot cocoa, though made with water. So I wonder how this would be cold brewed. Not that I’d actually want to drink this as a cold tea, but it makes me wonder nonetheless. XD

Okay, I got a problem. I had this tea yesterday and didn’t leave a review because I had mixed feelings about it. It started off okay. I could smell the vanilla and pick up the vanilla notes. Yes, very good but after having Cocoa Amore, all I could think of was I liked that base better. Very bad of me to have Cocoa Amore first. Then as the cup cooled down it became more chocolate vanilla fudge. Sweet too! So I held off rating until I had a second cup which I am having this morning. My problem? I only have enough leaves left after this cup for one more cup!!! :-(
This morning, I could smell the chocolate right away. Heavenly. All through the cup I was thinking it was like having a cup of chocolate fudge in the morning. Soooo good but actually better. No milk (I hate milk) and no sugar. Yes, I get the vanilla and I get the chocolate. Amazing tea! I can’t imagine having this everyday because it’s too decadent but for those week-end mornings when I have time to relax. Mmmmmm. I’ve been sitting here sipping this thinking what a great Christmas gift it would make even for non-tea drinkers. Actually for anyone who loves chocolate. Would it be improper to put a note with the gift saying “If you don’t like this tea, please give it back and I will find a good home for it.” (like YEAH MY HOME) ? LOL

I will have to give the Cocoa Amore another try this week-end. Thanks to Brenden for such a fine tea and to all those who left reviews. I’m not a black tea drinker – CORRECTION – I wasn’t a black tea drinker until I was converted by these teas (plus a couple more I’ve tried in the last few months). I wouldn’t have bought these otherwise. Another thing amazing about this and CA is that I don’t get jittery. I find so many black teas are very high in caffeine but these don’t seem to be.

Excellent!

The notes seem to change quite significantly depending on the steeping parameters though. Made it a few times with slightly differing temperatures, timing and vessels (yixing teapot, ceramic teapot and infuser flask) and each cup has been really quite different. Varies from choc-vanilla French pastry to malty dark cocoa cracker to slightly peppery cherry fudge.

I can’t quite remember what parameters yield which results so it’s almost like a new experience every time. One time though, it was a cold day and for a few hours there was a bit of liquid left amongst the leaves in my yixing from an earlier brew. Not wanting to waste it, I drank it and wow, it was like a cold super concentrated vanilla liquor with zero bitterness at all.

I find myself coming back for cup after cup of this multiple times a day, and while it’s not entirely obsession-level love, there are twelve other Whispering Pines teas I have yet to try and I’m sure at least one of them will inspire that enduring, unending tea love I’ve been searching for.

I got a sample of this today from MzPriss

I really wanted to love this tea, I really did.

I liked it a lot, but I didn’t love it. It smelled amazing, but the tea itself was just very good and not amazing. It was cocoa and vanilla and something else. But it wasn’t amazing.

I prefer Cocoa Amore over GO.

Who knew? I wasn’t expecting that after all the love this tea gets. But it is what it is and I’m honest about it.

I’m really glad I got to try it. It helped me decide what to order tonight, because after the day I had, I needed more of the River Rain. And I’m still good on the CA, so I didn’t have to order that, but I did order more Arbor Mist, because I’d like to try aging that.

So after a good dinner, and a successful order placed, totally breaking my tea buying hiatus, I’m going to have some gelato, a mug of tea and head to bed.

I went back to one of my staples this morning and it was delicious, as always. I honestly don’t think I will ever find a more tasty vanilla tea. It is so perfectly REAL with a lovely black base that nothing else can compare. It is my favorite flavored tea and also helps to satisfy my sweet tooth when I have one. Thus, it can never be discontinued. Never. EVAR! :D

Getting mail is usually my favorite part of the day, I get packages of tea from all over the world, I get books from Goodread’s First Read program which is usually awesome, and sometimes I get presents from my friends and family on the other side of the country. But there are some days when the mail betrays me and brings me an unexpected and gut wrenching medical bill that I have no idea how I will afford. So much for doing anything fun for the next couple months, so lame, I clearly need a tea that will cheer me up!

Today’s tea fits that description perfectly, Golden Orchid by Whispering Pines Tea Co is one of the few teas that not only puts me in a good mood, it makes me feel better. A blend of their North Winds tea (which is a blend of Chinese Yunnan Dian Hong and Chinese Fujian Black Tea) and hand-chopped Grade A Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Beans. If that sounds incredibly decadent to you, well, I am certainly not going to say you are wrong. The aroma is so intensely rich and so incredibly sweet, it is a blend of sweet vanilla (real vanilla, not vanilla extract smell) with a warm cocoa, a touch of honey, a pinch of cream, and a finish of sweet dried cherries. I admit when I first sniffed this teas I just kinda sat there in awe, I do not say this very often, but the aroma blend was perfection.

Before I get too much farther into reviewing this tea, if you have not, you should read Whispering Pine’s tea descriptions! They are inspired by the creator’s experiences in Northern Michigan (and occasional Middle Earth) and they might be the most transportive descriptions I have had the pleasure of reading, even though they are about Michigan, they remind me of my time in the North Woods of Minnesota, so it touches a very special place in my heart. The now soggy leaves are a swirling sweet blend of creamy sweet vanilla and cocoa, it wafts out of my gaiwan and seems to coat the entire tea area in sweetness. Sniffing further into the leaves I can detect notes of cocoa, sweet potatoes, pepper, and of course vanilla. The liquid is intensely creamy with notes of vanilla, cocoa, a touch of cherries, and a tiny bit of pepper at the finish.

When I sip this tea, I feel the need to go Greek and lounge, or at the very least slouch in my chair, because this tea makes my head spin. When I brew it I use a pseudo-gongfu, I use my gaiwan set (because I want tiny sips) but I brew it similar to Western style using less leaf than I usually would and letting it steep longer. The taste starts out rich with notes of cocoa mixing cocoa butter creaminess and rich dark chocolate, this is accompanied by sweet caramelized sugar. At the beginning there is a hint of rich vanilla that builds around the mid-taste, this explodes into a sweet, creamy crescendo at the end which blends perfectly with the finishing notes of malt and pepper. The aftertaste is vanilla, and it lingers for quite a while. A fun thing about this tea that makes me giggle is the slightly tingly mouthfeel from the golden tea’s fuzzies, teas with fuzzy trichomes make me immensely happy.

The second steep’s aroma has even more of a vanilla presence than the first, it almost smells like creamy vanilla icecream…you know, the good stuff that has bits of vanilla bean in it, that was always my favorite vanilla. The taste takes a cue from the aroma and starts off with a strong vanilla presence, it is joined in the mid-taste by notes of roasted peanuts, sweet potatoes, caramel, and of course a strong cocoa finish. The cocoa and vanilla have a gentle finish together and both linger into the aftertaste. This tea very much so double features as a dessert tea and a feel good decadent tea, it has become my new morning wake up sip, and I jokingly told the proprietor that it cured my Fibromyalgia. It is wonderful to find teas that taste good, I have found hundreds that I enjoy and certainly dozens that I love, but I have only found a few that make me feel good physically, spiritually, and mentally…this tea joins that lofty few.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/08/whispering-pines-tea-co-golden-orchid.html

Sooo…yes, I had to get this tea after review after review praising its amazingness. And I confess – I’ve drank at least 3 cups before logging this tea. And might as well get it out now – I am ALSO on the GO fan club train!!!!!! :D

I first had this tea last weekend at the lake, where i have zero internets most of the time so I couldn’t log the awesomeness of this blend. But I am finally taking the time to write a review instead of downing the cup and sighing with happiness lol. So here we go!

The dry smell of this tea is HEAVENLY. It smells like pure fudge. When I first smelled it I exclaimed in excitement and immediately shoved the bag under various people’s noses for them to enjoy it as well (my mom..my dad..they know I’m a bit crazy about tea at least lol). And having it today, it still smells just as amazing.

I followed the brewing instructions – ~.5 TBSP in 200 degree water for 3 mins. The resulting tea is a deep rich brown and smells like an amazing Yunnan black tea with added sweet notes – honeyed, malty, rich.

As for the flavor…mmmmm. This is GOOD TEA. The base is an excellent quality, I picture a lovely Yunnan black bursting with honey and malt notes..then add in vanilla beans. Folks, this is by far the best vanilla tea I have had in my life. The main notes are honey, vanilla and yes…when they all meld together, you get fudge. The sweet notes come out more as the tea cools, and is is just wonderful. I also found I didn’t get a crazy caffeine buzz or have my anxiety act up from this tea – major plus in my books! Oh and this also tasted great, maybe even BETTER, up at the lake with non-filtered water…might have to try that! Or the water is just better up there haha.

So overall, this is a masterpiece. I have told Brenden on FB that this tea is a masterpiece, and I will tell all of Steepster too haha. If you like fudge, vanilla and good black tea, try this. I can’t even imagine how good Cocoa Amore is haha since it also has vanilla and different black teas lol. But this one is a win and a half for me. I am going through my ounce at an alarming rate, and with all the teas I have in my cupboard, I really shouldn’t order any more until Black Friday. But this one might make me…oh how I wish it was free shipping to Canada too! I applaud the maker of this blend! SUPERB TEA.