This is the last sample I chose from Whispering Pines. I was feeling brave today! What I mean is, the smell of this tea is very intimidating and I was nervous to try it the first time I opened it to take a whiff. It’s like sniffing a campfire. There is such an extreme smoke aroma to the dry tea, along with a hint of pine and herbs. It’s very lovely to look at – a mix of black tea leaves, cloves, a little bit of rooibos, and these lovely straw-colored dried stalks that I can only assume are cedar leaves. I brewed 1.5 tsp for 5 minutes.
The brewed tea also smelled very smoky, although less so than the dry leaf. There was also an aroma of black tea, cedar, and a little bit of clove. I was getting more and more excited to try this unique tea. I was surprised to find that I really enjoy this tea – it is quite smoky but in a lovely way. At the beginning of the sip I get mostly smoke and earth. In the middle it transformed into woody cedar and pine notes, and at the end of the sip I caught hints of clove and a light cooling sensation from the pine. There is definitely a lingering smokiness that stays on the palate long after drinking. It doesn’t sound that pleasant, but it is. Two thumbs up for such a unique and tasty blend! I really can’t wait to try their S’mores tea, I was sad that it wasn’t on the sample list. Soon! :)
Flavors: Cedar, Clove, Earth, Pine, Smoke
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Your review made me less afraid of this tea….I don’t like smoky notes at all, but if it’s subtle and not like a bloody forest fire, perhaps I will be able to try it!
I don’t know about subtle, but it does blend very well with the other flavors. Definitely worth a try.
Your review made me less afraid of this tea….I don’t like smoky notes at all, but if it’s subtle and not like a bloody forest fire, perhaps I will be able to try it!
I don’t know about subtle, but it does blend very well with the other flavors. Definitely worth a try.