Whispering Pines Tea Company

Haha I have 2 servings of this left that I have been hording b/c this is sooo good. I should just finish them and then it will give me an excuse to order more right? Love love love this one.

I do love this tea, too.

So excited to hear what people think of the new one! :D

There is a new version? Nobody told me.

Yep! It was announced in my “Big News” post :-) Launched a few days ago! :D

Glad you are alright… how’s the car? This kind of thing really can shake you up!

Oh no! Take care. Accidents, no matter how small, can rattle you for life! My hubby complains about my back seat driving because of an accident I was in.

Thanks. The car is dented but we can still drive it. I’ve been in an accident before but never with my child in the car. That’s what shook me up the most. My son, on the other hand, has already moved passed it and is happily playing in his room.

Darby, I completely understand! I backseat drive for the same reason. This is the second time I’ve been hit because someone didn’t see me in their blind spot. I want to tell everyone I drive with “Check your blind spot!” over and over again.

Glad you’re ok!

Glad you are ok!

So glad you are okay and that the tea eased your nerves!

^What Michelle said!

I’m so glad you’re okay. It is scary when you’re in an accident like that. I had my share earlier this year, and I know I spent quite a while afterward being paranoid about other cars on the road and in parking lots.

Thanks everyone!

I really should order more of this one, too. It’s delicious.

I was dreaming about an issue from work. Blah. Not good dreams, either. But I really like this tea.

I’m glad this is yum for you today :-)

Little known fact: WPT is just me. haha

Also, this tea is getting an upgrade reaaaaaal soon :-)

For a one man show you do an amazing job!

… and an upgrade? Can’t wait to see what you have in store!

Why thank you! :-)

Yep, and it’s quite delicious! :D

Don’t see how you could really upgrade it. ’Tis already my new fave Autumn tea.

Sometimes a day off is what’s needed. I could have used one yesterday. I pushed through a bunch of crap, and the only thing that made it bearable was that I had tea with me all day long.

«..and life is too damn short to be unhappy over things I can’t control.»
I totally agree! Have yourself a great tea day :-)

I’m working from home today, so I’m enjoying teas that I haven’t brought to work yet. It’s working out well.

Even though being on disability is stressful, I have to admit I don’t miss working at all..lmao

Thanks, everyone. Turns out tea and a nap can turn a day around. :)

I really liked this tea. A lot.

I love this review! Any chance we could get a pic of the dragonflies? They sound amazing!!!!

Thanks sarsy. I tried. Its does’t come out nice at all, looks more like a blur. But it was very dark due to clouds tonight, will try again :-)

sounds amazing, i hope its not floral.

No, this one isn’t boychik, all roasted, nutty and citrus :-)

I remember the first time I made this…I was in my living room and had all the doors open…brewed it and then went outside for a few minutes and was really confused when I came back in because I knew I had forgotten to buy oranges but smelled them. The citrus notes are fantastic. :)

Yes, it’s unmistakably orange…what’s so amazing is how long the taste stays with you… Like I’m done drinking for a good 15 minutes now and the citrus is sill in my mouth.

Oh I should get it. Especially with free ship I don’t have to think what to include in my order;)

Citrus? UhOh…. I’m not going to like this.
Really happy that you do!!!!

OMG want

Did you buy this one? It’s not lemony though, just very orangey dex…but I know you’re not a fan of anything citrus :-o

Stephanie, it’s really worth trying :-)

Boychik, don’t rub it in please….I’m in Canada, remember? :-(

I need to start saving for a WP order

I’ve heard good things about the Huang Zhi Xiang from Seven Cups

Your first order Stephanie?

But you have awesome Tao Tea Leaf. If not Marzipan I would have to pay &14 in ship ;-)

Lol, I did pay $13!!!! It wasn’t free due to the sale and shipping here was almost as expensive as for you guys,,,,find another argument haha!
No kidding, I don’t pay shipping with WP anyways cause my orders always go over $75 …sigh. Too many good teas!

You had me until cilantro.

Don’t let that stop you marzi, it’s just a very subjective note that someone else would not necessarily find. If you like citrus, chances are you would love this.

TTF, really? but you are in Canada. i didnt know that. I thought those rate for US customers. I know, we have much better ship option almost always. Cilantro? i hate it. its like soap to me. just tell me no cilantro. i dont mind cilantro seed

Lol, cilantro totally tastes like citrus to me, so maybe that’s what my reference is :-) and like I just mentioned ^ ^
, it’s just a subtle note I got, not a “flavour”.

Disliking cilantro is genetic, I just learned that not long ago.

I like this type of Dancong, the one I love has this really interesting liqueur tones that reminds me of this whisky based liqueur that my cousin brought back from Scotland.

Mmmm, sounds really good yyz!

It is… Curious about what notes you’ll get when you gongfu it.

I love this one :)

Sounds lovely! I’ve tried two different Huang Zhi Xiang wulongs, one from Seven Cups and the other from Verdant. The former was so sweet, it was as if I was drinking straight mango and passion fruit nectar. The latter was more mellow, still juicy and sweet with oaky notes. And yours, well, again, it sounds completely different! That must go to show how even on particular tea can change character from purveyor to purveyor.

Chadao, I have verdant also, you are right, it’s very sweet in an almost fruit juice kind of way. I will have to see how different this one is Gongfu style. I am expecting sweeter notes that way. And I agree, it’s amazing how different tea can be from on estate to the other, or from one harvest to the other. I’ve had a Da Yu Ling oolong recently that was so muted in taste compared to the regular brand I normally drink.

Did you ever end up making the in the gaiwan? :)

I did! Didn’t I review it a second time?
Its more boozy and orangy with short steeps…I much prefer it that way, it keeps changing from one steep to the next…that’s why I like gongfu brewing so much…did you try it yourself?

Yep, I have. I like it more that way too :) I think you did review it now that I’m thinking about it…hmmm…haha

Hmm…appears not! :P But yes, super nommy :)

Lol, no worries, I can’t remember myself…But I drank it many times this way already and it’s much more complex, my favourite way for pretty much any oolong. I bought a nice Yixing pot for them, just can’t decided if I should use it for green oolong or more oxidized like this one…big dilemma.

Normally I would comment something like – just get another then you don’t have to decide – BUT I would be remiss of me not to bring up the fact that you’ve agreed to go on an yixing buying hiatus…. ;)

Haha!! Dexter, thanks for keeping an eye on me…but let’s not give that story to the world…not my finest moment, oops :-O

But, but, I was just on Zen Tea’s website cause my heart is just like my little pumpkin pot…it’s broken :-( what to do???

:) I just bought two yixing pots (my first ones) last week! I’m stoked!

I’ve got a set of yixing cups for yunnan blacks, shou puer, and lapsang…so I bought a 120ml red yixing pot to match my yunnan black yixing cups and a 150ml black yixing pot to match my shou puer cups :)

If only they made 50ml yixing pots…i would be ALL OVER THAT. I can’t get over small teaware. It’s just so…adorable and perfect. :P

Remember that number you quoted not that long ago (but long enough that you’ve placed more orders since) – THAT NUMBER – you know the scary one – and it didn’t include any of the tins for you organization project…. I have no problem with you replacing your pumpkin pot – just trying to look out for you….

Brenden, that’s so cute! I love tiny teaware too but a 50ml pot?? Lol, that’s one sip! Have you seasoned them yet?

Oh, but Dexter, I just want the pots!! No tea. Lol, Brenden seems to be getting all my business lately anyways :-)

Those Zen Tea pots are going to disapear very soon, unbeatable quality for the price. I was thinking of replacing the broken one + the one the boychik got, the orange one. Then I’m gonna lock them up so I don’t break them no more. What do you think?

If I told you what I really thought (you should use and love them not lock them up) – you would laugh hysterically and tell me to take a look in my own cupboard, no right to give you advice etc. I would say something like do as I say not as I do – you would smile, pat me on the head and buy one anyway. :))
LOL you can do what you like, I’m just trying to do my job as the “voice of reason”.
(For those that don’t understand – I have four yixing pots, I’ve only seasoned one – not using any of them – I have no right to tell anyone that they should be using and enjoying their teaware…)

Lol, we know each other too well by now, scary!! The thing is, before I went to “breaking” mode, I was using them on REGULAR basis….but now my confidence is shaken…I’m wondering if they are better off being just “looked at” instead of end up cracked on the floor!!!

(Smile, pat on the shoulder… I just bought them!!)

Nope, they’re still on the way to me, but I’ll be seasoning them right away when they arrive!

Lol, Dexter…I can’t imagine having teaware that didnt get used!

I would highly suggest creating a tea space with thick fuzzy carpet under the drinking area. I personally have a nice big carpet under my tea table, which is only a few inches taller than my knee. I’ve dropped many cups off of the table and none of them have broken :)

Brenden are your yixing cups porcelain lined? or are they just clay? How do you like drinking out of them? I have a yixing mug (I understand that’s not what you have) and I don’t like the roughness of the clay to drink out of – don’t like how it feels in the mouth, against teeth. I have itty, bitty, teeny tiny clay tasting cups, but have never used them – too small, and afraid of the clay feel. Just wondering if proper sized cups would be better?

Fairy – I am not surprised. :))
It is scary, don’t need to actually HAVE the conversation to know how it would go. Enjoy your new pots!!!
One of these days I’m going to take a me tea day and actually spend some quality time with some of my GOOD teas and GOOD teaware – just need to find some time…

Brenden, i had a phase of uncontrollable clumsiness…let’s hope it’s over now. But the carpet is an option to consider ;-) i’d love to see your pots when you get them!!

Dexter, You know I hope and pray everyday for that to happen for you my dear friend :-)

Dexter, totally unglazed. I love drinking out of them…when I first got them, I didnt season them and they felt and tasted rough, just like you explained. After I seasoned them they began to feel smoother on the lips and produce much better tasting tea. I didn’t think I would notice much difference, but after using them for a few months I definitely started tasting a difference. All of the teas I make in them are so much smoother and cleaner tasting. I have a set of clay cups that are really low quality and i couldn’t stand to drink out of them…after seasoning it was so much better…but still definitely not as good as a good quality cup.

TeaFairy, I will definitely be posting pictures on here. Excited! :)

Also, I like to pour my first cup of the session into the yixing cups and let it sit for a minute before drinking. This seems to “open” the teacups up. Could just be my imagination though :P

Thanks Brenden – now that you say it – makes perfect sense. I did let tea sit in my mug a couple of times when I first got it to “season”, but I didn’t submerge it. That’s what I need to do, build up some patina on the lip and outside to cut down the rough mouth feel. I really want to love my yixing mug – I’m way more of a coffee mug rather than tiny cup kind of girl – this seemed like the best of both world. I’m going to submerge my mug a few times and see if I can’t get it to “smooth out”. Thanks for the advice. :))

(I’m both a super large and super tiny teaware kind of gal…I’m want ALL things tea!!!

What you need to do is boil it in a pot with the tea you want to use. Add like a half ounce of the tea and boil the tea for 20 minutes, then add the mug and boil for an hour. That initial seasoning is what really makes it start to taste good :)

Glad you enjoyed this tea. What’s your parameters? I’m struggling with whites most of the time.

It’s hard to say because I use a kettle that’s not clearly marked (and I don’t have a thermometer). It’s the Adagio utiliTEA and the dial has color markers. I usually turn the dial to the lowest end of the green bar. If I had to guess, it’s between 160 and 180 degrees. I brew for two minutes if I don’t have instructions. Sometimes more if the color is too light or the aroma is barely present. For this one specifically I think I brewed for 2.5 minutes.

Thank you, will try again.

I’m glad you liked it. I put some in the box partially to see how others did with it. I’m not much of a white tea person and I’m the fence with this.

A year ago I wouldn’t dream of drinking white tea, much less liking it! My tastes have definitely changed. Thanks for including it in the box!

The new version is much more well-balanced. Hopefully you get a chance to try it someday! :)

Not sure which version I have…. Cavos placed an order a couple months ago? So it’s from that….

Yeah, the new version launched about 2 weeks ago…i dont think anyone has tried it yet, actually! :)

I always wondered if their stuff is really worth the price, to be honest.

Is this the new one?

mmm old one probably?

Probably. There’s a HUGE difference :-) I couldn’t even bring myself to drink the old version, and the new one is my favorite black tea right now. Next time you order, I definitely recommend restocking. If you decide not to, I’ll throw in a sample :-)

good to know:)

Yummy!

Lol, beer snobbery!
I’ll make sure to add this one to my next order…yum.

Yeah, I just ordered 2 ounces… ;)

Beer snobbery has a way of rubbing off. I caught that, too. It’s always a great sign when the husband also says it’s a good tea.

Sounds so delicious!

In our house it’s whisky, primarily, rubbing off. Beer to a smaller degree. (I really don’t like the word ‘snobbery’ as a way to describe interest) I don’t like either of those things, but I’ve taken to having a sniff when Husband has a dram. I can definitely tell a difference in how they smell. Some are sweet and others are more alcohol-y.

I’m a whisky “snob” too. And yes, I love to suit and just take in the aroma before I drink. I love a good single malt scotch, or bourbon, or Irish….yeah, I love whisky.

Was it good??

oh haha yeah i liked this one but it’s REALLY smokey. it’s not a subtle smoke at all – my travel mug lid had to be soacked after i drank it out of it the first time hahaha

It’s very interesting to me how the teas I put the LEAST lapsang in seem the smokiest to people…hmmm….

Lol, I hate smoke, and somehow, I really like it :-) lol, I was at a bonfire the night I drank it, maybe I was just swallowing real smoke along with it!

i love it in teas and when camping… as long as it’s coming from a fire and not cigarettes lol

Yeah… poor ‘sploded cupboards. I’d like to get more WP teas too. I’m happy 221Tea sent me so many to try!