Whispering Pines Tea Company

Usually when I feel a cold coming on, I can attack it with raw foods and this tea…last night I wasn’t so lucky. I started getting a runny rose at around 10pm so I threw together a cup of this…I usually steep it for 8-10 minutes when I just want to enjoy it but when I’m all-out attack-mode on a cold, I make this BOLD.

I steeped 2 tablespoons in 8 oz of water for 25 minutes – perfectly suitable for a Bacteria Holocaust. The post-infusion color was puerh-purple and the taste was intense enough to make me feel like a total BA just by drinking it. Well…turns out I was too late and the cold had launched a full-fledged attack on me at that point.

Decided to take a hot shower with a netipot while steeping another cup. I coughed in the middle of draining my sinuses, causing me to choke and because both of my nostrils were blocked off – whatever fluid was in my nose/sinus area went straight to my inner ear. My ears felt like a bass drum went off inside them, I dropped the netipot, completely lost my equilibrium and fell over. After that I got up and finished the shower, feeling okay. Drank my second cup of Clari Tea as well as a chamomile honey and ginger tea I threw together and went to sleep. It was 1am at this point. Well…I fell asleep really fast, but work up at around 3:30 with the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my ears. They were ringing and I had no hearing. Got up to get a drink of water and couldn’t walk. I’m quite certain I blew my eardrums.

So I’ve been up since 3:30 with 2.5 hours of sleep listening to ringing in my right ear and silence in my left with searing pain in both. I still can’t walk very well.

Hopefully I get to see a doctor today. :/

I need more caffeine if I’m going to make it until ten, though I think at this point I have already surrendered to not caring and going back to sleep before then, depending on how it goes. Mate time!

Steeped up in a 50/50 combination of milk and water on the stove for 5 minutes, this one seems spicier than the black tea variety.

This one doesn’t work as well with this preparation because it is much more subtle. Though if you’re not a fan of the taste of mate or you’re like me and need something to make the spices more subtle, this still works. The coconut is a bit more subtle too, not becoming super creamy like the toasted coconut chai.

Still tasty though. I’m usually not much of a ginger fan, but it’s very good in this.

I was given a not-so-subtle hint to try this one out :P I didn’t think I was going to be capable of drinking more tea, but running out of lip balm tubes means having to stop. I also had wanted to resteep Yunnan’s Fable but I put the infuser basket in the sink to get it out of the way and ended up getting dish soap in it so, nevermind that for now. Bear tea it is!

This steeped up very light, but it has the nicest green hue to it. It smells like a forest, just faintly in the midst of a green tea flavor.

It just tastes so fresh. Sweet and fresh, with hints of butter. The imagery to go with this tea is just perfect to imagine while sipping. It reminds me of waking up early in the morning while camping. The grass is usually wet outside the tent and you can smell it, and the birds are chirping already.

This one is lovely, I don’t think I can say anything that’s as lovely about it as its own description though. I think if you read it, you’ll have to buy an ounce of this one too.

Thank you for sharing your definite tea masterpiece, Brenden!

I have been wanting to try some teas from Whispering Pines and while this one wouldn’t necessarily be at the top of my list, I’m glad for the chance to try it thanks to The Traveling Tea Box and Amanda I drank this one last night after dinner and it made a very relaxing evening cup. It reminded me of some other jasmine blends I’ve had namely Teavana’s ToLife (Jasmine Pearls and Rooibos Tropica) only much better and a bit of Verdant’s Eight Treasures Yabao only not quite as good. It did not resteep well, in fact the husband commented on the face I was making when I sipped it. I think this company’s smokier teas would suit me better.

Brenden sent me a sample of this with my order and also suggested it to prevent me getting sick.
I did not realize it was made with lapsang souchong until I had already steeped it for 4 1/2 minutes, oops. So this will be interesting because I am still not feeling like lapsang and I can be friends.

I do like the name of this. The most interesting part of the drive through the North Georgia mountains is this seemingly random pile of rocks where two highways meet. It’s the grave of Trahlyta, who drank from a nearby spring to maintain her beauty. She rejected a warrior’s courtship, so he kidnapped her and took her away to the west. She missed her home in the mountains so much, and he refused to let her go, and she ended up dying while still imprisoned by him.

But, she had asked to be buried back home, and today her grave still exists in this crossroads area. You leave a stone for good fortune, as she wanted to make people’s wishes come true, so they could be happy as she once was. The rocks are well over 5 feet high.

They’ve tried to move it a couple of times for road construction, but both times someone has died. There is a historical marker there now and everything.

Every time I want to stop and leave a stone but every time I have no idea where exactly I can park to be able to do so but it is intriguing enough to always drive by it.

As for this tea, now that I finally have the bravery to try it, I can handle this..kind of. The mint makes it a lot easier but it still has the aftertaste of what definitely tastes of leather and cigars. But, the mint makes it pretty drinkable! And its’ nice and soothing.

Good call!

Senior year of high school, I worked at a craft store that had the best smelling wax melts ever. They were seasonal too, and the fall ones were always the best smells. This reminds me of one of them, though at this point I have no idea what it was. I’d say it also reminds me of those cinnamon broom things some people are crazy about, but if you’ve ever worked in a place suffocating you with them, then you try not to think of them.

While it’s pretty good without anything added, it definitely needs a bit of honey to get it really popping. Now, it definitely reminds me of a graham cracker crust, I am so going to have to try steeping this in some apple cider.

It’s not too heavy on the rooibos taste either with some honey. I added just about a teaspoon, worrying it might make it too sweet, but it’s really boosted the flavor. The aftertaste got pretty sweet, but nothing bad…tastes like the cinnamon flavor Teddy Grahams.

For the price, a mere $1.75 for an ounce, this is definitely worthy of a try if you’re looking for a good caffeine-free treat for autumn…which I think is finally going to make its way here next week after being obnoxiously hot today.

Oh man oh man oh man. Since the Zhena’s coconut chai was not very coconut, I had to listen to Brenden and try his version. Following the advice to try it ASAP, I finally cooled off enough to want a hot tea.

I made it on the stove with milk and water so um HOLY CREAMY CHAI. That’s the first thing you notice and then it gets spicy.

I wasn’t doing a great job measuring because I think I ended up more with like 3 1/2 oz of water and 5 1/2 oz of milk, but I did in fact measure 1/2 tbsp of chai. Simmered it for five minutes, added just a touch more milk to cool it enough to drink.

It smells like a coconut macaroon and it tastes like one too, if you added in clove, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and pepper. I really like that I can taste every single spice in here. I went to double check on the website and I was pleasantly surprised to see I got them all.

I’m going to end up needing more milk quickly because I just want to drink this all day.

Man who knew there are plenty of chais out there I actually like. I also got the mate version of this so I will try that too, and I may have to give this a try without the whole milk method too!

I wish send to all capabilities never existed, I’m sure some of you know what I’m saying…getting really tired of my email box being flooded now. Argh.

I’m going to go take lunch to my grandpa which usually results in copious amounts of Coke Zero so it’s tea time before I go. This is pretty interesting, it smells like flowers, but not jasmine. I guess if there was a flower that had some coconut notes to it, this would be the flower.

The combination of jasmine and coconut tastes fruity. I can’t pinpoint exactly what kind of fruit, but it’s interesting! This is sweet, creamy, and just floral enough. If you usually are a jasmine hater, this one is a-ok.

The green tea adds a nice grassy flavor, but I just wish I actually could taste more coconut. The tea is so smooth though I don’t even care!

I started making this and then my boyfriend was like, want to go to Starbucks? So I let this steep while we went…and now I have a cold coffee drink and hot tea.

This wins out. I’m not getting too much chocolate, but this definitely tastes like the graham crackers and marshmallows.

I am of course a chocoholic so I’ll just add more cacao nibs since I have them to see if that helps. Of course I also wasn’t really paying attention when I added the tea to the steeper so maybe I managed to unknowingly scoop out a teaspoon with little cacao nibs.

But even without chocolate this is so good. How does it taste so much like graham crackers? It’s definitely not just the cinnamon that’s doing it! The marshmallow root is interesting with the cinnamon, and it also makes this really sweet. I am loving the slightly smoked pine flavor at the end of the sip too.

Next time, more cacao! (Is there such a thing as enough though?)

Backlog from last night.

I’m glad Brenden told me this was a calming blend, so I drank it at bedtime last night and not to get energy to do homework today!

This was a very calming, relaxing, herbal night time tea. I could taste all the herbal flavors melding together, urging me to drift off to sleep (BUT WAIT TEA, I said, I HAVE TO FINISH WATCHING BIG BROTHER!) The lemon in this tea appears more once the tea is slightly cooled.

I’m leaving off a rating since I mostly drink teas like this for their benefits, and anything with chamomile tends to remind me of sleep, so it’s not fair to compare it with other black teas that wake me up! Fair enough?

Trying this one out before I leave for the thrilling roads of North Georgia and North Carolina. I was going to wait till like noon, but I don’t want to have to stop to eat, so eating an actual breakfast it is.

I love black bears. One reason I’m even going up to NC is because it’s a year since I got Bruno: https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/251468_2016482060693_2781157_n.jpg Bruno is my honorary pet (I’m not paying a $500 pet fee for a dog, no way) and road trip mascot, and I got him up there. The Smoky Mountains are filled with bears! So this is the perfect tea before I head off. And it is Bruno-approved.

This is nice. A bit spicy, a bit smoky, with just the right hint of elderberry flavor for a touch of sweetness. I am still pretty new with mate, and some blends are a little too much for me but this one is perfect. I could see this being something a bear would like on a rough morning for being a bear.

So far it has helped me remember one thing I NEED to take already…a flashlight. I definitely tripped over uneven ground last year in the dark. Yay last minute decision making.

Now just to hope I don’t fall back asleep. There are mountains to drive over! Can’t wait to try my other Whispering Pines samples, but they will have to wait until I return because I want to be able to spend some decent time with them!

I enjoy this tea. The flavor is sweet with honey and fruity notes. There is a super light smoked note along with a light malty-ness. I can taste a bit of a sweet potato, too. I really like this one :)

I don’t think I’ve ever had eucalyptus in a tea, but I really like it. This is a very relaxing tea despite containing yerba mate. It is making a nice addition to reading also. I’m trying to finish up Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister- its good, but honestly Wicked was way better.

Really smoky and really tasty!

Crazily, I added a pinch of 52teas’ Butterbeer to the leaves for my third and probably final steep of this pu-erh tonight. As soon as I added the pinch to the infuser I started kicking myself – Rose Congou would have been a much more reasonable choice. Luckily, the addition turned out pretty good and didn’t result in an undrinkable cup of tea. Its definitely growing on me!

I’m back!!! I’ve been lurking for awhile, but it is finally getting to be tea weather again down here in Texas. I went home early from work today almost doubled over in pain because of some stomach bug I probably caught from my students. If I hadn’t made up this tea earlier I’d probably still be in pain and having to call in to work tomorrow – but pu-erh to the rescue! I seem to be getting everything the kids have this year which is strange because after teaching for a few years your immune system is usually pretty strong. It was strong last year at least. So glad I got a flu shot because otherwise I’d probably get the flu also.

Anyways, on to the tea. After a thorough 30 sec rinse in boiling water, I steeped it for 3 min 30 sec. I added a little sugar (just a tad) and this lovely, earthy tea was ready. I don’t crave pu-erh super often, but I’m always asking myself why I haven’t had it in so long once I get around to making it. Unfortunately, I only have one cute little bird’s nest left so I’ll probably be saving it for another bad tummy day. This stuff is a miracle when it comes to that.

I’m back! I’ve been drinking tea in my absence, but not as much as usual. I pulled this out of the cupboard tonight, gave it a good rinse, and steeped for about 1.5 minutes. Overall, its pretty good. Nice and earthy, but not too earthy. There is a hint of sweetness as the cup cools slightly. I like it, but it isn’t knocking my socks off tonight.

This is one of my mystery swap samples from Shadowfall \(^o^)/

I hadn’t had any teas from Whispering Pines before this. I’ve been curious, but afraid to order anything from there. This tea seemed safe enough and it didn’t smell smoky, so I figured it couldn’t be too bad.

The dry leaf smells earthy, almost like a pu-erh but not quite. It brews up the color of a dark oolong and tastes sweet and woody; a hearty dark oolong. There is nothing delicate about the flavor to me, but you’ll be disappointed if you’re expecting black tea, even though it’s in there too.

I think the flavor is spot on for the natural environment that inspired it.

4/5 (see my bio for more info on my new pared down scale)

Been drinking a lot of this cold steeped as it’s, you know, July. It reminds me a lot of jamaica agua fresca/Jamaican sorrel, the same pretty hibiscus tea color with some tartness, with the added dimension of warmth the ginger brings. Very refreshing and satisfying, aptly named as it feels more like a summer ade than tea per se, though there is a wonderful, subtle tea element (it’s a tisane though, so I’m not exactly sure where it comes from…warm spices perhaps?) that sets it apart. Betting my husband will dig it a lot when he tries it.

As a bonus, it’s very easy going to ice; I think it’d be hard to over steep it. I just stick it in a big mason jar in the fridge and strain it off glass by glass, topping off the jar as needed, and it’s always good. Can definitely see it becoming a summer iced tea staple.

Another retry here.
Going to measure this out, I was pretty surprised at the amount of twigs/sticks I see mixed in with this tea. I don’t think I noticed this when I first got it because I was pretty new to loose leaf tea and figured that’s how some teas were. But looking at it now, I’d kinda surprising.
The brew smells kinda like burnt coffee, but I’m wondering if that’s how it’s supposed to taste, or if it was just because my water was too hot. I followed the instructions on the front, actually used slightly cooler water than they recommended but only by a few degrees.
Thankfully the tea doesn’t taste like burnt coffee. It’s vaguely fruity? And kinda woodsy maybe? Hard to pin down actually. It’s just a sort of generic tasting tea.
Maybe my taste is all wonky or something, because it’s very strange to me that all of these teas I’ve been trying from them are just so overall vague and meh. Maybe I’ll go back in another few months and give them all a shot again to see if anything has changed again.
Unfortunately this one is getting tossed in the swap bin for now, and rated accordingly.

Backlogged review from a few days ago so this is probly not going to be very informative. I’ll definitely have to add to this review when I drink it again.
I can’t remember if I brewed according to instructions or tried a lower temp because it was an oolong and I didn’t want it to get bitter. I want to say I followed instructions since I always do when I make a tea for the first time, them adjust accordingly.
Not bitter at all whatever I did. (I know, terribly unhelpful. Sorry.)
I do remember that this was a pretty good tea all things considering. And I also remember thinking that this would be a good one to add some vanilla to, either by blending it with another tea or adding the flavoring directly.

I’d possibly reorder this sometime since I don’t have any bad impressions of it. It’s just I don’t have any strong ones either. Lol. ^^;

Backlog tasting from a few nights ago that I totally forgot to put down here. Lol.
Continuing on the re-tasting on all my Pines teas, this was next up. I had originally tossed this in my ‘Possible reorder’ bin, but on re-tasting it, I’ve since moved it to my swap bin unfortunately.
It’s just a very unremarkable tea to me now. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve tasted so many other teas that I’d rather prefer since first tasting this, or what, but now I’m kinda just ‘Meh’ with this.
It’s got a pleasant, woody smell to the brew that comes over in the actual drinking of this tea, but not overpowering, just subtle and easy like. First sip is strange, like tart/sharp/something odd to it, but really only on the first sip or two. No, or very little, astringency to note which is always nice to find in a tea. It’s also got a very very faint smokey (?) taste to it, but I’m entirely unsure on this one. Maybe that’s the sharpness I taste just starting to drink it.
Overall, I’d rather have other teas in my cupboard. Or if I was choosing from this company, I’d take the Yunnan Gold (which I know is a different type of tea, but whatever. XD)