Whispering Pines Tea Company

Up late sipping this yummy chocolaty goodness watching “Dominique is Dead”

This is my #1 comfort tea for a while now,I have many favorites but this one has been on top for sometime.
I think the other reviews did well to describe this one, it is very dark and chocolatey and malty and just plain delicious. I currently drink it daily because i’m hooked on it and just can not get enough.
Sometimes I put a little Imperial Gold Buds(also from WP) in the steep with it just because I like the way they taste together.
I usually don’t drink a favorite tea on the daily I will sit on them and have them from time to time if I really like it because I wouldn’t want to tire of the taste but this one I will never tire of, I crave it and need it daily. Damn Good Tea, I also love all the WP blends that use this tea :)

Oh So I lied I will review my Kombucha, it IS after all a Whispering Pines Tea :)
So put some Chaga and Reishi mushroom tea in my North Winds Kombucha this morning and it was pretty good.
I can already taste the malty, cocoa sweetness of the North Winds in my kombucha and the brew itself has the perfect tangy sweet slightly sour bite that i’ve tweaked to my personal taste which is i’d have to say is just slightly a bit more sour than a kombucha that you’d buy at the store, very good imo :)
Now with the added mushroom juice it’s about as tangy as a store bought kombucha with awesome woody, earthy,mushroomy notes that really tastes like something from the forest, something magical even, I love it!! It makes me feel good and happy too.

I’ve been making my Kombucha with only North Winds and it is tasting really great.
I’m not gonna review my own Kombucha or anything But I will say that it is Awesome because I use an Awesome black tea to make it with :)
I can taste some of the notes of North Winds in my finished Kombucha, I get some of the malty, cocoa notes still and some of the fruityness still.

We love this tea, it really is one of Brenden’s Masterpieces! A wonderful rich smooth tea blend that will leave you wanting more.
This one is made with Brenden’s Fujian Black and Yunnan Dian Hong, so simple yet so complex in flavor. This tea is rich and bold, but smooth and creamy with notes of caramel and dark chocolate, it is also malty with fruity hints of stone fruit kinda plum like fruitiness. Most delicious tea that we will reorder again and again.
I’m currently waiting on my next WP to arrive because I’m excited for another one of Brenden’s new blends called Golden Orchid which is this Tea with the addition of Organic Vanilla beans, Sounds so good.
I highly recommend this tea, delicious!!

As many of you know, Campfire Blend has gone through TONS of versions (107 counting this one), and each version has been tweaked a little bit to match the memory it was inspired by. So far, they have all been slightly drying, a tad harsh, and had a little hint of citrus. This has been the hardest memory for me to match — a wolf howl and a campfire aren’t exactly easy to create in a cup. =)

Lapsang souchong is a necessity as the base tea in this blend. We have tested tea after tea and finally came to the ideal lapsang for this blend. The new version will be shipping with a very good, high grade lapsang with the perfect smoke and sweetness balance.

The orange peel was always necessary in the tea before. We needed a lingering sweetness that was from more than just the tea. My only issue with the orange peel was that, despite doing its job…it didn’t exactly fit the memory. The discovery of roasted cedar leaves opened a whole new world of possibilities. In the new version of campfire, the orange peel was replaced by caramelly-sweet cedar leaves, slow roasted for 12 hours at WPTC headquarters. Looking back on the memory, cedar trees were present in the forest as well as the fire.

Another change we decided to make was to remove the peppercorn, which seeming contributed nothing much at all to the blend. This opened up the space for something to darken the blend even more and round out the depth of the lapsang, pull the earthyness of the rooibos, and generally complete the blend – roasted chicory root.

The final product is much cleaner, smoother, deeper, and more complex than previous versions. It is so much closer to perfection, so very reminiscent of my memory…but hey, who doesn’t want to leave a challenge for the future? :)

The Inspiration
It was late autumn in the upper peninsula of Northern Michigan. I had the campfire going steady with pinewood and maple leaves. A slight breeze off of the lake brought me closer to the embers while the call of a Barred Owl and crickets echoed through the empty lakeshore. The wind pushed the smoke towards the full moon. The smoky haze in the air played like the moonlight across the water, giving life to an empty sky. Then, as if rehearsed a hundred times, the entire landscape went silent. All I could hear was the crackling of the fire and my own steady breath. The wind had stopped, the owl and crickets wouldn’t dare make a sound. Even the haunting call of a loon was cut short, echoing across the silvery glasslike waters for what felt like forever. There was only the popping of a fire and the lonely breath of a woodsman. At that moment, sending chills down my spine not even the hottest fire could have warmed, the cry of a lone wolf sang out from the pine forest behind me. The silence was broken and, moments later, the orchestra of nature began singing once again.

Campfire Blend uses the finest lapsang souchong as the base, cradling the embers of rooibos, roasted chicory, cloves, and wildcrafted roasted cedar leaves to create a taste and aroma unlike anything you could ever imagine…except for maybe the whisper of an ancient campfire and the cry of a lone wolf on a cool Autumn night.

Notes
Pinewood Campfire
Sweet, Warm Cedar
Autumn Air
Earth
Honey

http://whisperingpinestea.com/campfire.html

I keep on forgetting that there’s maté in here; I need to write it on the bag. It would be perfect without the maté, to be frank…. I’d much prefer it actually (only because I find maté gives me too much of a matein, aka caffeine in maté, rush).

Oddly , I’m smelling (what seems like?) cigarette ashes. I get little else in the smell department, while in the flavor department it’s sweet and very maté-like, with something else in there that rounds it all out, saffron perhaps? It’s the kind of thing I’m drawn to when feeling under the weather — oh wow, yes, that’s why I grabbed it today. ;)

Ooh, it’s been a while since I’ve grabbed a maté. I got a lot of heat/spice out of this initially (love!) which mellowed out with a touch of sweetener. I also get something buttery sweet like licorice (zero in here), and then some coolness from the mint. Biggest note is the maté, although it’s subdued to me. Quite enjoying this cup.

EDIT: Super annoying that, in my attempts to help Steepster flesh out their new database details, I can’t.. who puts in only partial flavors, or partial ingredients? Nuh-uh. Please Steepster, give us the ability to add these things, because the options right now are so incredibly limited. I’ve emailed at least hundreds of additions now, and just want to get cracking to get these pages looking right. Use us, the free laborers that you have! We want to help. Truly.

I’m confused as to why I’d migrate my review over to a ‘newer’ version of this tea, as this is still the ‘older’ version that I have. And so, I’m keeping my cupboard and notes here.

Shared this with a friend visiting, and we’ve had a lot of tea together over the past few days. His first reaction? “Yummmmm….” I too felt the same way. It’s aged well, it’s a bit smokey (but only a touch) with some brighter fruit notes, and then the chocolate richness of like laoshan black, yet, a bit more full bodied.

How have I avoided this one so long?! This is a beautiful, multifaceted, inspiring tea. I’m looking forward to the re-steeps!

The first sips were most definitely dark chocolate, then a bit of malt and sugarcane. Sugarcane? That’s a first for me. Like of all of Brenden’s creations, I also get something very campfire/outdoorsy in this, almost oaky, or smokey, or both. Fruit? Something light and sweet in there too in the background, although it’s a new flavor for me so I struggle to place it. All in all, this is exquisite. Too bad it took me opening the bag to share with others for me to try it!

So I was feeling the need for mint and chocolate yesterday afternoon, as I often do. Usually it’s mint or spice I search for at some point in the day.

I had tried this one before and was ok with it.. actually looks like I enjoyed it.

Yesterday I just found this ok. Lost much of the mint and found the black base to overpower the other flavors. Hmmm… not sure I’d go searching for this one unless I wanted a really rich dark black with a nip of mint that you have to search for. Knocking my rating down for this a bit.

Dry leaf this smells amazing! Mint and chocolate for sure!

1 Tbs looks like a lot of leaf for my cup but going for the gusto with the recommended amount.

Steeped the smell of mint decreases and the black base comes through. While it was still very hot all I get in tasting is the rich black base.

As it begins to cool the mint comes through nicely at the end of a sip (a little pinch of sugar helped a bit), and while the black base is still present, it comes through as a deep richness in this blend, almost like espresso like suggested with none of the bitterness, … not overpowering, but very present throughout each sip. I can imagine a bit of chocolate, though not real prominent, & I feel like I’m getting it from the black tea base.

To me this is a hearty, rich black tea good for a morning when you need a “wake me up, get me going kind of tea”. The base is great and the mint is a pick me up. I love how the minty freshness lingers in my mouth for a bit after each sip.

The second steep is much like the first, maybe a little less mint. This time I used just a splash of milk to see if it added anything. .. no real change noted from the milk except maybe a little thicker texture.

I think this is a nice blend for when I would want something rich and black without too much added flavor, & a bit of mint refreshment.

I know…I missed October by a little bit, but hey…who doesn’t want October in February? :)

The Inspiration
The inspiration is October of course! The goal for this blend was to bring you to the October pumpkin festivals as well as create the feeling of autumn, and this blend does not fail! We started this blend by accidentally discovering that roasted yabao tastes like delicious, sweet, salted kettle corn. Blending our house-roasted 2012 aged yabao with cedar leaves (also roasted in-house) created a fantastic fall time medley, reminiscent of the evergreen trees outside of the gift shop at every October festival and the sweet aroma of kettle corn in the air. Opening the door to the gift shop, you are overcome with the mouthwatering smell of pumpkin pie spices, which we achieved by adding the perfect amount of organic cinnamon and cloves!

The final product is light and sweet with the perfect pumpkin spice background, highly aromatic with notes of hay, evergreen, and caramel, all achieved with zero additives and only four ingredients!

Notes
Kettle Corn
Caramel
Evergreen
Pumpkin Spice
Velvety Sweetness
Cornfields
Hay

http://whisperingpinestea.com/october.html

1/30/14 Afternoon cup to sooth a nervous soul. 1tbs/8oz/212F/3min. Latte style – a splash of steamed milk and 1 tsp sugar. Thanks to MissB for the sample of this!

Smells exactly like mint chocolate chip ice cream. Tastes a bit like mint chocolate chip ice cream. Flavors I look for in hot chocolate or ice cream, not in tea. Not to my taste, I am afraid, but definitely worth trying.

Thank you Brenden for this sample tea!

I know it isn’t December, and I often have to be ‘in the mood’ for my smokier tea’s. It’s one of those things…

When a big snow storm is coming…or the first brisk winds of Fall followed by a downpour…give me a mug of bold smoky tea and something sweet like dark chocolate to enhance the experience.

That big snow is coming. We’ve been having no snow hardly at all and warm weather. The Continent has been dry one way and a wreck of a Winter the other with Colorado humming along with a dribble of an inch of snow here and there and temperatures up to the 50’s and 60’s. We have a lot of sunshine!

When I say big snow, I mean maybe 8-10 inches which isn’t that much.
(I’ve never seen ice)

So I finally brought out the Whispering Pines December tea that Brenden sent me from its hiding place. Another smoky little tea (I thought).

It smelled like smoke so I assumed it would taste like smoke.

Surprisingly, the taste was cocoa-smoky… smooth and lighter than I had expected. I hadn’t read Brendens review prior to my tasting and didn’t realize he had used the Fujian Black Tea.

As for his comment about the tea being brisk…and citrusy, um I can’t say that I found either. Smooth and borderline floral…with not a hint of smoky harshness.

I have to say this is one of the better smoked tea’s I’ve tasted. There’s a compromise for those who like dark chocolate with a little smokiness to it (but not lapsang souchong).

By the way, I’ve been snooping around and found a video of Brenden
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqN_5ehpiJ4&list=PL0A0KHoAHPZgomUylGorl_aIQfsJs3QNq&feature=share&index=5

He’s way cool!!! A young slack-line expert! He’s into photography also and loves animals. (No idea why my first take was of someone older…but he’s young. I’m quite impressed!)

Don’t you just love tea people!

Now that it’s no longer December…Brenden needs a new name for this tea.
It’s not a one month wonder.

Cold-brewed this last night. I like it better this way but it’s nowhere close to a favorite. It’s just too roasty. This way the dark chocolate notes come out much more strongly, so it’s like drinking a dark chocolate bar mixed with a really dark oolong. Maybe my problem with this tea is that they don’t seem to blend together? I’m really not sure, but the remaining little bit is probably going to the swap pile.

This one is dark. I can’t smell much other than roastiness when it’s dry, but as it brews it does smell exactly like dark chocolate. It brews up very dark, possibly the darkest tea I’ve had (minus that one oversteep, of course…).

The taste is interesting. Straight up it’s more like cocoa powder than actual chocolate: dark, a little smokey, and a slightly powdery mouthfeel. The oolong base is definitely noticeable but there’s not much nuance to the flavor other than a slight savory roastiness at the end of the sip. It’s almost like coffee.

After adding a splash of milk it’s better, a little lighter with more obvious chocolate notes. There’s a creamy taste to the finish, but something still feels off. It may simply be too roasty for my tastes.

Word to the wise: oversteep this. Just try it. It went from campfire marshmallow dropped in pine needles then carmelized, to all that plus honeyed something-or-other. Now I’m a bit sad that this was a sipdown!

I have, maybe, one serving of this left. That’s what I get when I share so much and forget to try a tea! :)

Wanted to try something woodsy and earthy today, because that’s what always seems to make me feel better. This definitely fits the bill – as with most of Whispering Pines’ blends, I get a campfire, hiking feel, with sweet notes of marshmallow and graham cracker in there. The chocolate is almost there, I have to reach for it though. Honestly, this tastes like I’d dropped my marshmallow smushed between two pieces of graham cracker, dropped it in some pine needles next to the campfire, put it back on the fire, and then ate it.

The Inspiration
Imagine waking up at your campsite in the summer, stepping outside and rinsing your face off with naturally chilled water from the stream beside your tent. You breathe, stretch, and then head up the ridge to see the sunrise. On the way up the hill, you pick wild berries and breathe the clean morning air. When you reach the top, the sun rises above Lake Michigan and warms the tips of the cedar trees while the soft morning breeze pushes the fresh Michigan air into your lungs, revitalizing your body for the perfect morning hike.

Cedar Ridge was inspired by sunrises and summer camping in evergreen forests. This blend combines slow-roasted cedar leaves with elderberries and cinnamon, slow-roasted peppermint and chicory root, all brought together with a touch a ginger. Sweet, warm, and smooth, Cedar Ridge opens with the indescribable aroma of roasted cedar and elderberries. At the middle of the sip, earthy and warm elderberry combines with notes of pine wood, and closes with the lightest touch of mint and ginger, leaving you with an aftertaste of caramelized fruit! Best enjoyed outdoors!

Notes
Roasted Cedar
Elderberry
Pine Wood
Earthy
Roasty
Ginger
Mint
Caramel
Fruit

http://whisperingpinestea.com/cedarridge.html

I’m not moving all that fast today. I probably should have slept longer, but I have a lot I want to get done. To shake off the sleep and the blahs I grabbed my favorite chai. It’s sweet, spicy, smokey, and incredibly comforting. Love it.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, this tea is freakin’ awesome. This is a go big or go home kind of tea which I love in a chai. Everything from the spices, to the fruity note, to the smokey finish, to the over all smoothness of the tea is BIG. And delicious. It’d be so easy for one part of this tea to overwhelm the rest, but it’s well blended and has great balance.

Love, love, love.

Tea of the morning. I woke up to frost on the ground this morning, and I knew I wanted this in my mug. It’s so warming and unique. There’s a sweet fruity note along with smoke and spice. The combination is absolutely delicious. The end of the sip is very clean leaving just a touch of heat in the back of the throat. Nice.

I removed my infuser a minute earlier than I normally do, and the difference was amazing. There’s a lot less smoke and the longan fruit note is much more pronounced. Because I’m a fan of smoke I’ll keep to a longer steep time, but this one was very nice, too.