Whispering Pines Tea Company

Keep in mind I’m not an expert. :D

The first time I made it, I took a few BURNING sips, and tasted hints of vanilla with a fudgy, hoppy aftertaste. YUM! I let it cool off for a few moments, and… What?! What’s going on?! I think part of it is because I used too much water to too little leaves, because it became something different. It literally tasted like a beer tea. I honestly don’t mind, but where did the fudge and sweetness go? I also think the hardness of the tap water here has been effecting my tea. I used to use a water filter, because I hate the chlorine smell/taste of our local tap water. I had to play around with it a little more…

Second time around…
WOW WOWIEE! Now I know exactly what people are making a fuss about! This time I used almost exactly 1.5 tsp with 8oz of water. (First steep was 12-14oz to 1.4 tsp. Which didn’t turn out well for me.) I let it cool down and it tastes like chocolate malt tea. In my opinion its best this way! :)

I love the weird hoppy, nutty after taste. Its akin to the taste of a good stout. Yum! Any beer aficionados out there agree?

I’ve also read that it tastes like fresh baked bread, after sitting here for awhile, there is a subtle aftertaste of toasty baguette crust.

Definitely play around with this tea. I didn’t have good luck with it at first, but now I know where I went wrong.

So dynamic and interesting. Skipping out on this would be a mistake!!!

I’m finding this tea sinfully easy to drink.. scary, considering how it’s a luxury item in my cupboard. It has a misty autumnal vibe to it, but the eucalyptus and evergreen could be appealing in many scenarios.

With all the sharp, “green” elements, the vanilla is an interesting contrastive choice, but a nice one nonetheless. Whispering Pines seems to make a nice vanilla tea and that goes for this one too.

I love everything evergreen in my tea, and this one fully delivers. I’d previously pegged down White Wolf, from Bellocq, as my quintessential, super-expensive, cedar-vanilla tea but this one is really good too.

Port has a nice balance of flavours: cedar, smooth vanilla bean, and accents of salt and of something “nippy” that is distinctly eucalyptus. It’s a nice level of eucalyptus, and not at all like the time that I put a little too much eucalyptus oil on my hot hand towel and inhaled deeply- when hot, that stuff burns with righteous intensity. I probably won a Darwinian award somewhere in that story.

This is a “darker” tea than my other cedar-vanilla option, which has a white tea base. However, it also isn’t as cold, and so set in the dead of winter, as my other one. I can drink this at the lake camp in the midst of a broiling summer too, or on a foggy autumnal day.

I haven’t had a lot of exposure to saffron and I’m going to have to carefully budget it out, but I love this tea and I want it to be a part of my life! Also, the dry blend reminds me ever so slightly of marzipan. It also resteeps well, although the cedar is more pronounced in the second steep.

Hooray, more Whispering Pines! This sample came from the giant Yunnapalooza pack sent to me by the lovely and generous Nicole. I was pretty excited to try this for a couple reasons: 1 – it’s super cute!, and 2 – I ordered an ounce of this in the 4th of July sale this past weekend. The leaves are so cute and beautiful, and just looking at them makes me think of “wee snaily yums” and that makes me think of those adorable snail fairy land pictures provided by mj! Squee! When I opened the paper packet, I immediately smelled Fruit Loops. Huh? The scent is very honeyed and there’s a definite stonefruit note, which I am starting to find common in Yunnans, especially very tippy ones. I brewed this according to the package directions.

Mmm the aroma! Lovely yeasty bread and mild sweet potato! Tart stonefruit with honey and molasses! Exclamation point! Needless to say, waiting for it to cool was agony… #firstworldproblems. The taste is surprisingly light for a black tea! But it is definitely full of flavor, just without a lot of heaviness. My first impression is of lovely light, crispy toast with honey slathered over the top. There in the middle is that sweet potato, very creamy and smooth in texture. And in the back there’s molasses, adding a lovely richness and depth to the overall taste. And is that a little hint of floral near the end? According to the website description, it’s gardenia, and since I have no concept of that I will have to take their word for it! I was missing the stonefruit from the aroma, but then I got a nice pop of apricot in the aftertaste, which was unexpected but wonderful!

This is my favorite Yunnan yet, and I am very glad that I ordered an ounce! Can’t wait to try the Imperial Gold Bud, too! :)

I have to say, I don’t love this. I don’t hate it, but I’m just not a fan of eucalyptus. This infusion is about 2 tsp for 12 oz. I’m getting a minty taste for sure. And a little cedar, but that I can kind of handle. This is less dessert like than last time. I mean, it is still a little sweet, though I added a little bit of raw cane sugar.

I thank CrowKettle for allowing me to try this one. I feel like Golden Orchid resonates with me more though.

This one comes from the ever so lovely CrowKettle along with a few other WP teas and a few other odds and ends. This one caught my interest when she said recently that it tasted like marzipan, or somewhat dessert-like. Then today when she gave it to me, she also mentioned the cedar and eucalyptus notes. Colour me intrigued and confused.

So I went to look at steeping parameters, and it said to use 1 tablespoon for 8 oz, and I was like, huh? Thinking it was a typo and that it was 1 teaspoon, I opted to try the smaller amount. I’m not sure if it is in fact a typo, but that is how I made it.

The liquor is much paler than I was expecting. Which maybe is under leafing? I don’t know. I went into drinking this one with the hopes I got a more dessert-y feel, and I did, though I can kind of pick up that slightly minty-ishness of the eucalyptus. It is sold of like a coolish feeling going down, but not like peppermint or spearmint or anything really strong. I can kind of pick out the sweeter vanilla note, but not sure on the saffron or really what that should taste like.

I did use sugar for both of my steeps which makes it less woodsy to me. I’m not the hugest fan of woodsy, to be honest, and that part of the description is what threw me off on wanting to try this, until it was compared to marzipan. I can’t quite say it is like marzipan, but I can get a sort of dessert note, probably from the vanilla and saffron. Marzipan is a bit more almondy.

I’d have to say this feels like a masculine tea, playing a bit of dress up, and trying on a little bit of a feminine feel. I have to say I am a little confused and mystified about this one. I have enough for another serving, and I can probably get one more steep out of this. I might look at cold steeping the last bit, or a steeping from the last bit, as was suggested.

I can’t say whether I would recommend the to anyone because it is such a peculiar yet specific note that the person really has to like more woodsy notes in their tea. But that’s just not my thing. For what it is, I like it more than I thought I would based on the description alone. Thanks again to CrowKettle for sharing this with me, and pushing me out of my comfort zone.

I measured out a sample of this for my tea-drinking friend a few months ago. I’ve since run out of this blend, but while I was at her house today she offered me some.

She didn’t spoon out the leaves, she just dumped them into a cup and poured medium-warm water over them. (My internal dialogue: Did I measure several servings or just one? I wonder if she’s—oh, okay…I guess it’ll be a little strong.) Neither of us set a timer. I think it steeped for about five, six minutes, but the water temp was low enough to prevent it from getting bitter.

So. I liked this a lot more than I remembered liking it. I think I brewed through my entire ounce using Brenden’s parameters instead of tinkering. So my memories of this tea use descriptors like “bland, weak, too floral, unbalanced”. Kind of harsh, but I wasn’t impressed. It wasn’t my thing.

The long steep made the green tea base REALLY REALLY buttery, velvety and delicious. There was only a hint of jasmine in the background. It added more to the texture of the tea than the taste, in my opinion. Smoothed it over…made it a little creamier and sweeter. Just a little floral. The pine was barely present. In fact, I don’t remember if I could taste it or not. I wish I had taken notes while sipping. Oops! Anyway, the thick buttery sweet taste/texture is what got me. It was warm and comforting, like a soft blanket on a chilly night. It’s the kind of tea I’d love to have right before bed. Winding down, at the end of the day…

Not very outdoorsy, that cup. Not at all. That’s fine…it was an experiment of taste! Now I wish I had more of this to play around with. Next time!! shakes fist at sky

Sipdown!

This one most likely won’t be a repurchase for me. I do enjoy it while it’s hot, but there’s a certain floral note here, and if I let it cool just a little too long, it takes over and renders the cup nearly undrinkable as it becomes soapy extremely quickly. Obviously this is entirely my preference, as I tend to not enjoy floral teas. So farewell, Ailaoshan, it was nice to meet you!

Side-by-side comparison with Ai Lao Mountain Black Spring 2014 by Yunnan Sourcing

I remembered that at one point, boychik had mentioned that she’d like to see a side-by-side comparison of this tea and Ai Lao Mountain Black, so I thought why not? The Ai Lao was a single-serving sample, so I figured it’s now or never!

Visually, these two are nearly identical. The leaves are nearly black and they remind me of a smaller version of the “spider leg” Taiwanese Assam leaves. Same size leaves in both of these teas. I can’t comment on the dry scent, because my Ai Lao Mountain was in a zipper baggie and therefore lost most of its smell. Oh well! I brewed both teas in identical cups with identical infuser baskets. It was a 3 minute steep at 200 degrees with 3 grams of each tea (my sample of Ai Lao was 3 grams so I used the whole thing and matched the weight for Ailaoshan).

First, the smell-off! I found that both teas had strong dried fruit notes, but Ailaoshan’s were dark, syrupy fruits such as raisin, prune, and cherry, while Ai Lao had a lighter dried fruit profile (raisin still maybe, but paired with fig or golden raisin). Both teas had a strong molasses aroma, and an interesting herbal or spice hint that I couldn’t quite place. The biggest differences I noticed between the two: Ai Lao had a little wisp of floral dancing around which was absent from Ailaoshan. In contrast, Ailaoshan had an obvious dark caramelized sugar scent that was divine! So far, pretty similar but each with its own flair.

On to the taste-off! There is also similarity here: both teas have a nice bready quality, although I would say it’s stronger in Ailaoshan. Also, both teas have strong molasses-ish rich flavor and that same dastardly unidentified herb/spice note! Does it bother anyone else when they can’t identify a flavor? Harumph! Both are fruity teas, but in quite different ways. The Ai Lao has a tangier dried fruit flavor – think prunes, maybe with a bit of something tangier, like tamarind maybe? Meanwhile, Ailaoshan has a much sweeter, almost jammy cherry and blackberry flavor, which was a surprise to me considering the aroma! Just like the aroma, the Ai Lao has a (fairly strong) floral element, which unfortunately translates into a slightly soapy aftertaste for me. Ailaoshan retains that lovely dark caramelized sugar that I noticed in scent form, and it goes very nicely with the dark bread notes and the fruit. I noticed as Ailaoshan cooled, it developed a woody taste that was not at all unpleasant. The Ai Lao tastes almost the same cool as it did hot, maybe with a bit more of that soapiness at the end.

In conclusion… These two teas are far more different in flavor than I would expect. Yes, they have several similar notes, but the ones that are different affect those similar notes in a way that makes them taste dissimilar in the end. I would almost describe these as being the corporeal and the ethereal form of the same tea. The Ailaoshan Black would be the corporeal version, with its earthier dark sugar, wood, and dark bread flavors. Therefore, the Ai Lao Mountain becomes its ethereal counterpart, with its lighter and whimsical floral element combined with the mild tang of the fruits.

Hah, that probably makes no sense, but I’m sticking with it! Overall, my preference is for the Ailaoshan Black, but considering I’m not a fan of floral, I consider myself to be biased in that regard. :P

This is my second time trying this one, after not loving it the first time. Thankfully, a lot of people here on Steepster gave me advice and hints so hopefully I can have a better experience with this one. I’m doing the TheTeaFairy and Dexter method, which is basically low and slow. :P 5 minutes at 190 degrees, and with bottled water instead of tap (thanks Brenden).

Well, it definitely tastes different. This time I’m getting a ton of sweet potato and almost butternut squash taste. Very creamy, but almost savory. It’s definitely fruity as well, but mostly dark fruits like plums and raisins. I’m not sure on the whole salted caramel idea, I think what I taste is probably closer to molasses. And I still definitely am getting a slight floral aftertaste.

Overall, it’s good but I’m not “in love” with it. Maybe this one just isn’t totally for me… I would be curious to try tap water with the same brewing time and temperature, maybe in a few days when I’ve gotten through part of my humongous Nicole Yunnan collection. :P Thanks again for all the advice, everyone.

I got a sample of this from Nicole (I also have a sample from Whispering Pines and I have another ounce coming on Wednesday). I’m kind of anxious to try it since it seems to have quite a following around here. The leaves are very dark and spindly – like a miniature version of Taiwanese black leaves. They smell of raisins and cocoa, with some malt, tobacco, and honey notes. Brewed according to the package directions.

The brewed tea smells strongly of sweet potatoes, with a malty edge. There’s a deep molasses scent, and a lighter raisin note that makes me think of golden raisins. The taste is pretty similar to the aroma. Lots of sweet potato with strong malt taste. There’s a fruitiness that reminds me of plums and raisins. I don’t get any chocolate from this at all. And there’s a floral aftertaste that kind of seems soapy to me? The body is lighter than a lot of other Chinese blacks I’ve tried, maybe a little bit thin.

Now I know that this will probably get me pelted with rotten vegetables, but I don’t love this tea. And I’m unhappy because I feel like I didn’t get the flavors that a lot of other people mentioned, like chocolate and caramel, and it makes me feel like I’m at fault somehow in my tasting of this. Frustrating…

Holding off on the rating until I give it a couple more tries.

So what varietal of tea is this. Is this a Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong, I think I have seen it referred to as a non smokey Lapsong Souchong? I love this tea. I have been pulling it out when I have been craving a cup of hot chocolate lately. I could seriously drink this all day long. I am down to my last cup. I know that this year the rains have effected this type of tea, but hoping to find something that somewhat replaces it for a little while.

This is almost gone. It is simple and delicious. So what type of tea/tree is this?

oh my num num num num num……. I can’t even think to type to busy drinking.. Delicious.

Having GO at the end of the day is as satisfying as having GO in the morning.

I wasn’t planning on having it now, but a tea friend invited me to have a cup with her, so I did :-)

And let me tell you that it made a very satisfied fairy out of me.

It’s such a comfort tea, no matter what the season is. I drank it all summer long, and we’re about to spend our first autumn season together.

A pure vanilla dream it is, with plenty of chocolate gooeyness. If someone can’t get the chocolate in this well…sorry but I am totally judging you!!!

My pic:

http://instagram.com/p/slJDrDQh3p/

Like pretty much every Sunday mornings, I’m drinking GO in bed, “giant mug style”.

That’s right….Sunday mornings are not for tiny Vanilla Dreams pot. No. On Sunday, big is better.

Cause I just can’t get enough of this liquid chocolate tea. Yes, gooey fudgy vanilla tea of my dreams. GIMME MORE!!

Miaow cup for a miaow tea :

http://instagram.com/p/rzQ_x-Qh-N/

There’s a saying that goes like this:

«In doubt, go for GO» … That’s what I did. And I did good.

Oh, and since Steepster is on an Instagram craze, here’s this morning’s big mug pic of GO

http://instagram.com/p/rPK-WFQh4K/

Sooo…some awesome person that may be the creator of this fabulous tea has suggested the idea of a pot devoted to the VANILLA DREAMS family of tea. My own family of VD teas consists of GO, PORT, ELDERWOOD, and soon to be received COCOA AMORE. (Not counting new EL DORADO cause it’s a chai).

Since all those teas are blended with hand-cut vanilla beans, I can only imagine what kind of flavour this will be rendering later.

I started the seasoning process very late last night, and kind of fell asleep during the soaking part. Oops. Does that mean that my pot bathed in awesomeness all night long?

Hell yeah! Now, that cannot be a bad thing…

Well, let me tell you I am drinking GO right now Gongfu style for the first time and it is just dreamy….Awwwww this is soooo gooood!!!

It’s a lot more concentrated this way, and the vanilla seems a little boozy somehow, hard to explain. Probably the minerals from the pot has to do with that.

It maltier this way, also fruitier and more fudgy. All the flavours are so condensed and smooth.

This will turn into a serious addiction, I can tell. Oh my.

Great idea Brenden, and this will make me drink even more of your tea, if that’s possible!!

Sooo…I could reach for the cognac bottle early in the day, but I don’t do hard liquor much. If you guys want to know why, just read passed the line.

I really need something powerful. Wicked good. Must also smell heavenly. Please.

Golden Orchid, sorry to pick you at such an irreverent moment, but I need you.

This tea…please, really? I dare anyone not to like this. For real, if you don’t like this tea, I’ll take it personal.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that this has vanilla. This is not just vanilla. Nope.

This is high end vanilla and fudge ice cream mixed together. It’s creamy velvety and gooey fudgy.

This is vanilla/chocolate perfected to the 10th power with soft notes of cherries and honey.

Can I be more clear? I don’t think so.

Have this and be happy. Life will be good again.
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So this was my 5:00am ordeal:

Doggy needs walking, it’s early morning.

Leash unnecessary, obedient doggy.

Beautiful day, forest is calm.

On our way back, dog takes the lead.

See from afar, black and white critter.

Is it a cat? No time to think.

Dog is now running, I stand there frozen.

Eww, I can smell it, this was no kitty.

Sprayed by a skunk, doggy now crying.

The end.

That’s what people. This was his second time. You’d think they’d learn, but noooo, doesn’t work like that apparently.

Good thing I now keep a few litres of peroxide around. After spending nearly one hour washing him, the smell is now all over ME!

Beautiful fragrance, really. I call it “Skunky Fairy Funk”, a mysterious and pungent musty-earthy-woodsy scent that lingers and lasts for-everrrr…we guarantee it.

Sipdown! Shared the last of this with a friend of mine. Very delicious, good for at least three steeps. I forgot how BUTTERY and SMOOTH and wonderful this was! The tieguanyin adds the buttery, floral dimension while the yabao lends to the evergreen freshness of the pine and cedar. It’s creamy, spicy, and minty. There are flavors both cool and warm; everything balances quite beautifully. I get a lot of qi from this tea. It makes me feel warm, relaxed, and alert. Very centering. Good for meditation, I’m sure! I upped the rating because it’s quite simply a beautiful tea. I’m very, very sad that this is no longer in my cupboard. As soon as I collect the funds for another HUGE Whispering Pines order I’m going to ask for it to be re-blended! I need more of this in my life.

This tea opens with the taste of evergreen trees: pine, cedar. Warming spice follows closely behind, then mellows into a soft, creamy freshness. (At a cooler temperature it becomes slightly floral.) The finish is very roasty with hints of basil and spearmint. Clean, but with a velvety mouthfeel. I’m noticing a lot of qi in this tea tonight: my feet and hands feel hot and my head’s a little woozy. Interesting! It’s very good. It makes me think of standing underneath a cedar tree, with the cool wind tugging at my hair…the gurgling sound of a stream in the distance. It’s refreshing and earthy. The spices—especially the peppercorn—are making the back of my throat pleasantly tingly. The taste that clings to my tongue long, long afterwards is like vanilla, pepper, roasted nuts, and brown sugar.

I just checked WPT’s site and Evergreen Spice isn’t listed anymore? ): Oh no. I think I’ll share the last of this with my nature-loving friend. I had a pot of Ashes of Autumn with him yesterday and he loved it.

Having this iced this evening and though I am still not in love with this tea, I think it prefer it this way. The mint really shines while the chocolate comes in closer to the end of the sip and leaves behind a creamy milk chocolatey sweetness. Thank you for sharing Cavocorax!!

I was excited to try this after the success I had with the other Whispering Pines blends Cavocorax shared but I am finding this a bit bland. There is some mint and some chocolate but I was expecting more. Nonetheless, thank you Cavo for the chance to try it.

ETA: The flavors come out a bit more as this cools which is making for a nice cup.

Received two servings of the old blend from Veronica. I must say, I’m not a fan. I tried a 3min steep with the first sample, then the 8min steep that MissB recommended with the second one. Neither one was a hit with me. Brewed up, it smells promising. It smells like graham crackers, smoke, and fruit (likely from the rooibos). Sadly the taste doesn’t match. It’s a little smokey, a little malty, and a lot of woodsy-fruity rooibos.

…I think that’s my main issue. I don’t really like rooibos but when I drink it, I want it to be matched with fruit or cream flavors to temper the weirdly drying wood flavor it has. To me, those are the more effective rooibos blends. I DEFINITELY don’t like it to be blended with actual tea, and to blend it with a smokey tea was just courting disaster. This cup tastes like burning wood, fruit, and dryness. Bleh. Not for me. And NOT s’mores. ):

I’m holding out hope for the new blend, though. I really like the base tea December, plus there’s marshmallow and cinnamon! And more importantly—NO rooibos!