Whispering Pines Tea Company

I have a raw throat. My nose is plugged, so I expected the sore throat is from post nasal drip. I first reached for David’s Cold 911, but I got my Whispering Pines tea order the other day and I decided to go with that. I ordered two ounces of North Winds and 2 ounces of Golden Orchid and I am dying to open those. But, since I am smelling even less that usual right now, I decided to try this, which was the sample sent with my order.

This was a rich tea. No thin taste or flat notes. Even with my nose clogged I could detect something sweet like raisin. I didn’t get the spearmint or the spice, really, probably because of my stupid cold. It felt good on my throat. I think this is better hot. I actually dozed off about half way through the cup. I went back to it, but when it cooled, there was a slight astringency to the sip. So I will be sure to drink this one when it is warm.

Wow. Super super silky Lishan.

The light to medium green leaves were tightly rolled into little balls. Some tea dust, nothing major. Some stems, nothing major. The wet leaves were highly aromatic: Floral, orchids, vineyards, cream, vegetal, umami.

The liquor was a very light, clear, yellowish-green color. I found it had a really great flavor profile that suits me. Light floral (not heavy at all), some mineral, umami, buttery, cream, steamed greens. The super silky, creamy texture, the rich body with very light floral notes that were long lasting, as was the natural sweet aftertaste. It continued to linger in my throat and back of my tongue. Throughout the infusions, no bitterness, light or no astringency, and remained silky smooth throughout. Sometimes some Lishan has sour notes at the end, this one didn’t at all.

6g, 190°F, 110ml, rinse, 9 steeps: 10s, 15s, 25s, 35s, 45s, 55s, 65s, 75s, 120s

Yay, one with lots of good reviews already. lol

Little cute snail looking things, smelled of bread, chocolate, and malt. After the rinse, they began opening up, it had a little stonefruit aroma, toast, malt and chocolate, sweetness aroma. It’s a very smooth, comforting (comforting is a big thing to me I guess lol), a tasty cup of tea. I can really get into black tea if they were all this good. I like to repeat myself so I’ll just say again that all my life I was a matcha and sencha type of girl until the last 6 months. Throughout all the infusions, I didn’t detect any bitterness nor astringency… Just creaminess, a buttery feeling, a thick mouthfeel and a great aftertaste of cocoa, toasted bread, some raisins and molasses.

5g, 205°F, 110ml, rinse, 8 steeps: 10s, 15s, 20s, 25s, 30s, 35s, 40s, 45s

Trying another GABA tea. This one is black pearl GABA. I don’t know enough about black tea to know what type they used.

It was tightly balled up and when unfurled, they were big, dark, full leaves. After the rinse, it smelled lovely, like toasted bread, some sweetness, spice. The liquor was a medium amber color, there is some spice(s) that I can detect but not sure which one. Cloves perhaps? It had a creamy texture, had bready notes, some slightly tart notes (can feel the sides of my tongue react), sourbread-y. The mouthfeel was rich, comforting and smooth.

Initially, I began with 5g, 205°F, 110ml, rinse, 10s, 15s, 20s, 25s, but after the fifth steep of 30s, it was too perfumey for me. I decided to switch to their recommendation which is one tsp. (4g) in 8 oz, for 3 min, and a second steep for 5 min. I liked it better the way they recommended or if I ever gongfu it again, just up until the 5th steep.

I would love for someone who can detect the tastes/aroma to review this. At the moment, it’s just me. hehe Their description was interesting “unique cereal notes that to me taste like the waffle things in chex mix!”

Update: Got another sample and the liquor really smells likes a yummy cereal. I followed WP directions this time since gongfu (in my opinion, didn’t do it justice).

I feel like I say this all the time: “Finally getting around to trying (insert name of tea here)” but here we are.

This brews up quite light in color and flavor, as I find many of Whispering Pines teas do. Not a complaint at all, just an observation. I am not getting much in the way of malty, cocoa richness. There is a pleasant citrusy note that I find refreshing. Also a bit of earthiness. A very nice tea, but Golden Orchid remains my favorite. I do not recommend having this with milk, as it’s a bit too delicate for it and the flavors get lost. Going to try the spent leaves as a cold brew next, so we’ll see how that goes.

Upping this puppy from 90 to 93. I already wrote a review of my gongu experiences but today I had 2 tsps in 8 oz, 3 min and then 5 min second steep. It is so good. A clean, yummy pu-erh with cocoa nibs that really come through with long steeps.

I visit a few times daily but haven’t written much. You know all that sipdown work we all slave away to do hehe. My life is always same ol’ same ol’, no complaints. Peace and quiet (except for the new upstairs neighbors that has a crying kid and loves to jump up and down while he’s at it lol) is always this girl’s preference.

I hope you are all well. Thank you all who share their life on here. Good or bad. That is one of the purest joys to me. Helps this anti-social girl connect. ^^

The first Whispering Pines tea I’ve tried. Fast shipping too. Nice.

I was excited to try this one. The base is the 2013 Ontario 1357 Shou Pu-erh (which I also have now but haven’t tried it yet.) plus “high-quality fair trade and organic cocoa nibs sourced from Ecuador.”

The very dark liquor and wet leaves had a dark bittersweet chocolate aroma, little or no fermentation aroma. The first few steeps were mild, with slight hints of chocolate, nuts, some malt. As I continued, it became a richer cup of tea (as it became lighter in color, a light mahogany), more cocoa, more nutty notes, maltier. Again, little or no fermentation notes (aroma or otherwise). Slightly sweet, the only bitterness detected was that which belonged to the dark cocoa, the natural taste of good cocoa. It’s smooth and mellow with clean notes of the chocolate and nuts. It has a lingering bittersweet finish in the back of the throat.

6g, 212°F, 110ml, rinse 10s, 9 steeps: 10s, 25s, 35s, 45s, 55s (ugh I got busy and this one went for minutes lol), 65s, 75s, 85s, 120s

Flavors: Cacao, Chocolate, Cocoa, Dark Bittersweet, Dark Chocolate, Malt, Nutty, Roasted nuts

Summer of 2018 Harvest

Quick log: I’ve been deeply satisfied with this tea, and again, I am so glad I pre-ordered it. The notes are all top notch, especially the immense blackberry ones I get in the tea. The minerals are also thickly sprinkled in like caramelized sugar crystals. I also get a little bit of a spicy sage or blackberry leaf note in the accents amidst its malty fruitiness, though the tea does have a savory quality bordering on a refined desert. Brenden’s description of funnel cake and pastries is also apt, especially the fig descriptor. My mom was close to stealing my cup of this one because it was so sweet and satisfying.

Easteaguy’s notes does this one the most justice, so I’ll leave this note here as a quick experience and recommendation. It is a little pricey, but it’s not too far off from similar teas I’ve had that were more expensive, very few of which were cheaper. I’ve only had this tea western so far and can vouch its durability for five cups straight. I’ve yet to do it gong fu. I’ll write a more detailed note in the future. Other teas await, after all.

I’m so glad that I asked Brenden to sample this one because it is quite good. Thank you!

“Apricot, honey, and spice” is on point, as I get that western and grandpa style. The dry aroma has the usual honeyed Autumn leaf pile aroma that any oriental beauty has, and the taste is very delectable. Amidst the sweet notes, there’s almost something savory in the background like butter in smell and taste. Later steeps have a little bit of citrus zest, too. Combined, it’s lovely.

I also usually get peach in Oriental Beauty notes, but this I get pure apricot. I have to say it is by no means dry and immensely fruity. The spice in the background borders on cassia, or cinnamon, but it is a touch sweeter. I would not say clove, but probably nutmeg in the hints mid sip. Honey always finishes it off and coats the roof of my mouth. I’ve yet to find more complexities, but since this tea is so flexible and defined, I could care less about further sophistication.

I still can’t believe I was able to do a grandpa style of this tea. I didn’t verge too much from 4 grams for 9 oz grandpa, and for western, about the same ratio, only 3-4 for eight oz. The shortest I’ve brewed it at was two minutes so far, and three at longest. I’ve yet to try it Gong Fu although I’m certain it will fair well. I’m going to hoard the sample as much as I can, so I will maybe do Gong Fu once, and then do the rest of the sample grandpa and western.

It will be a sad sip down coming soon. I do recommend this tea for anyone looking to expand their oolongs, or to try out Brenden’s collection. Great for the afternoons and mornings, and I’d see it as a summer, fall, and winter tea. My only criticism is perhaps price, but I personally have a hard time finding Oriental Beauties that are not overly dry or malty anyway.

additional notes:   In a rush of sipdowns, I made it!  My goal of 150!  Just in time!  It was a close one.  But I also didn’t want to finish teas to finish them.  I made sure to enjoy them.  It was time to finish this.   This one, the photo don’t lie. Cherries floating in the mug…. It’s like drinking cherries and I am always amazed by that, every time I steep it up.   And I have no idea HOW.  Is it flavoring?  Is it the natural taste of the leaf?  The cherry is a nice aspect, as I never get that Tahitian vanilla from this.  The second steep more of the roast has arisen… a shame… I’ll be having a third steep tomorrow.   I hope everyone has the BEST NEW YEAR!!
2022 sipdowns:  150!!!

Mastress Alita’s sipdown challenge – February Tea #4: A tea gifted to you

So out of the blue Kawaii433 kindly offered to send some other teas to try, so I thought I’d work on some of the lingering handful of samples from before!  So many teas have been gifted to me by so many Steepsterers… you all could probably keep me in my tea drinking habits every day.  I’m forever grateful.  What a tasty sendoff of this sample.  Really tasting those cocoa notes!
2022 sipdowns: 20

I always wanted to try this one and I’m now able to because of Ost’s sale. Thank you! The age of this tea might not be the newest, so I will take that into consideration. I didn’t want to use all the leaves I had for this steep session, so I used one teaspoon while not pouring water to the top of mug. The leaves are dark and wiry and I didn’t notice too many actual vanilla beans if I was supposed to? The resulting brew is a light copper. I expected a darker brew almost? Probably because when I think of this tea, I’m always thinking of people mentioning chocolate. The flavor is DEFINITELY still cherry which is surprising if this is a natural flavor coming from the tea. I’ve never tasted that before — natural cherry notes coming from a plain black tea. Possibly it tastes mostly like a Ruby tea to me, but here there are many more flavor notes that are much more unique to this tea. It also reminds me of a Fujian tea for having those light starchy chocolate notes while also being sweet. The mouth feel is very smooth. So this hits the cherry notes that I expected but I’d love to have noticed more of the chocolate and vanilla notes. The third steep was a bit tapped out on flavor. I’m thrilled I finally was able to try this though.
Steep #1 // 1 teaspoon for partially filled mug // 14 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 7 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #3 // just boiled // 5 minute steep

I slept with the sliding door to the garden open all night, toasty under the down comforter. It was in the low 40s when I woke up. I wanted this tea specifically — my favorite red tea even though I drink it rarely. In fact, I shared most of this bag because I love it so much.

Another year, another harvest. This one I think was Spring 2019. It’s smokier (a nice wood smoke) and with a more pronounced minerality than I remember but it was the perfect tea to beckon me from under the covers.

My initial review still stands: https://steepster.com/derk/posts/385161#likes

A name has never been so appropriate for a tea, one that transports me through environments and time. Ancient Spirit hits all the right notes and feels. Complex (see the other reviews!), substantial yet light, stimulating yet grounding. Performs well gongfu, western and grandpa and oversteeping is not disastrous. Good for breakfast, lunch or dinner if you don’t mind staying up past your bedtime.

I’ve had two harvests of this so far. The one I’m currently sipping on is 2017. I so, so hope Brenden continues to carry Ancient Spirit!

Sad sipdown (152/397)

Goodbye Golden Orchid, you were great and will be missed. Here’s hoping Brendan will reblend this in the future, it would be a definite purchase for me. I steeped the last leaf at a lower temperature hoping to find some nuances that were missed at boiling, but sadly this just made it lose flavour. Note to self, if this comes back, stick to boiling.

Oh man, I forgot how tasty this tea is. It’s a couple of years old at this point, but still ridiculously good. The dry leaf doesn’t smell like anything special, but as soon as the water hits it it turns instantly into rich dark chocolate. This actually carries through unbelievably into the flavour, and I swear this tastes way more of chocolate than any tea I’ve had with chocolate flavour added to it. The vanilla bean isn’t a pronounced note on its own, but I imagine adds more of a decadent sweet note to the already complex tea. I’m glad, as someone who doesn’t love vanilla, that it doesn’t overpower the tea. There’s a slight bitterness and mouthfeel that you might associate with good quality dark chocolate, but no astringency, which is something I’m pretty sensitive to usually. This was somewhat of a gateway into straight blacks for me, and it’s a tea I would purchase in a heartbeat (now I’ve said that I bet it’s not available any more). Thank you so much Sil for allowing me to try this wonderful tea!

It was my birthday the other day and this what I reached for. Not that I don’t have other teas that are stellar but that day it happened to be this. And yes, still celebrating.

I adore this tea. It’s a little on the thin side and missing a lingering aftertaste but it makes up for that with its clean, dark and seductive waves of black licorice, star anise and concentrated red cherry aroma and taste. It has just a hint of bitterness and astringency that mingle with the sweet-sour taste. I like to do two western steeps.

The base tea is Whispering Pines’ Ailaoshan Black which I also adore and have ordered over a few seasons. It tends to be a light-bodied cookie-wood-dark fruit tasting tea to me. This Cheshire Black is from 2017 if I recall correctly and it seems that the base tea has matured, really bringing forward a red cherry aroma and taste. To me it is not a medicinal cherry; rather it is specifically reminiscent of cherry Jolly Ranchers candies. The star anise has lost its sharp edge since I bought this batch but it is in no danger of fading away anytime soon.

Man, this is the perfect tea for this time of year.

On a tea related note, school was cancelled M-W (we also have off R and F for American Thanksgiving) due to the air quality still being so poor from the fire up north. With my unexpected free time today, I wandered the streets of Chinatown in search of puerh storage containers.

I’m excited to have found a clay pot that’s glazed everywhere except the underside of the lid. It’s the perfect size to accommodate 4-200g cakes and I can wet the underside of the lid for humidity. $6 filthy find stashed out of reach on a top shelf of some store called The Wok Shop. Lady said the pot has been there like 20 years. It did have some unidentifiable ‘dust’ objects inside it. shrugs

At a no-name odds and ends store I bought a smaller double-lidded ceramic crock for $5 to keep a broken up shou cake. My final purchase today was $5 worth of osmanthus flowers from some ginseng shop. I’m excited to finally try osmanthus by itself! Awesome, cheap finds today and I didn’t buy any actual tea :)

I’ve been drinking a lot of tea and working on my sipdowns – but not recording anything.

My final notes on this tea are: floral, sweet? thicker as it cools, floral aftertaste. This tea was thick.

Other teas I’ve sipped down recently are: 2016 Yushan High Mountain – Beautiful Taiwan Tea, auburn black second flush – white2tea, DaYuLong 2016 spring – floating leaves, Yunnan jingmai unroasted oolong – what-cha, yunnan golden buds black tea – what-cha.

My glob, today it tastes like finding a slice of banana nut bread inside the mess of jasmine next to the front door. Wouldn’t it be nice to find breakfast ready and waiting for you as you poke through the garden every morning?

Dear glorb, who would have thought jasmine and black tea would marry so wonderfully in flavor and aroma? This is the best jasmine-scented tea I’ve ever had. So easy to drink. The Yunnan black really brings the heady florals of jasmine down a notch despite the strong yet pleasing non-perfumey aroma of the contents of the bag. Jasmine top note, fruity mid and cocoa base. Thick, sweet and some astrigency that I find pleasing and may be well masked if you’re the type of person to add milk to your tea. Interesting kind of spicy warming feeling that sticks around. This tea is very pricey but M. Whispering Pines is a master at the blending/scenting game. Curiosity wins again.

Edit: I keep upping the rating as I think about it more.

(Western, 1tsp, 8oz, 212F, 3/5m)

I love star anise, so I was really looking forward to this sample I got from derk. The dry leaf aroma displays star anise and black licorice. I didn’t pick up anyhting behind these, but truth be told, my olfactory abilities are still very much impaired by the sickness. Same goes for the wet leaf smell, which is much more pungent and very woodsy. Amazing aroma, there’s no denying that.

The taste is also reminiscent of licorice, but I think I actually like it much more than licorice itself. It doesn’t overpower the Ai Lao black tea characteristics, which are present, rather it is a nice complement to it. It’s fruity, sour with a bitter finish and fragrant aftertaste. I’m loving it.

This is probably the first scented/blended tea that I actually liked. I feel that the scenting here adds to and complements the experience rather than covers a subpar (at best) tea. I will need to pay even more attention to WPT. Several times, I already almost placed an order on their teas, but got put off by the high shipping costs.

edit: The second steep is far less spectacular, I would definitely recommend western style brewing with probably just one infusion.