Whispering Pines Tea Company

Its been a while since I had this one. Every bit as good as I remembered with an almost buttery mouth feel.

Smooth and delicious with just the faintest hint of astringency in the back of the throat. Its quite pleasurable.

I’m upping my rating. The last time I had this tea, I was back in the midwest for 2 weeks in horribly hot weather in September, with amazing stress levels through the roof. As I had only received a sampler and was constantly interrupted trying to have a morning cup, I didn’t have a decent chance to really think about it, I was just trying to gulp down as much caffeine as I could get.

I like this one. I really like this one. If I could realistically afford it, this would be the one I drank most of the time. No bitterness, no astringency. A nice mouth feel, almost creamy or buttery like. A flavor element that makes me think of freshly baked whole wheat bread.

Added note – there is a small amount of astringency present once it goes cold. I wonder why that happens as this isn’t the first time I’ve noticed that with a tea.

I received a sampler of this from another order and tried it while I was out of town. Sadly I didn’t have the time to linger or think much about the tea. I was more interested in getting as much caffeine into my system as I could at the time.

From what I can remember, it had a nice flavor and a quality I am having trouble finding the words to describe. It left a texture\feeling in my mouth similar to that from something fatty, like heavy whipping cream or butter. Not the flavor, but kind of a coating from a high fat source. I’ve never experienced it before in a tea and found I did enjoy it.

Brewed western style and I found I could get 2-3 nice cups out of the leaves.

note

I’m upping my rating on this tea. While I still haven’t gotten more, and it looks like WP is out of stock, I have been obsessing about this tea ever since I used the last of it.

Maybe I should be grateful. I doubt I could afford to have this one as a staple. :)

This tea is fairly sweet with notes of cream and grass. It is a nice white tea. I recently purchased Tea Honey from the Savannah Bee Company. This honey is nice because it does not overwhelm the flavors of the tea. Overall I like this tea.

I brewed this one time in a 16oz Teavana Glass Perfect Tea Maker/Gravity Steeper with 3 tsp leaf and 185 degree water for 3 min.

This is absolutely delicious, and I think it’s one of the few earl grey teas that I have had. It’s balanced very well.

I enjoyed the golden snails on their own, and this is a nice twist.

This was batch #8. Excellent stuff. I’m very excited to try the wildcrafted dian hong and the wild grey.

The cold and strep throat stuff is going around here. Luckily, I’ve been able to ward off most of the symptoms. I’ve been doing some apple cider vinegar with garlic and water as an antiviral, lots of eucalyptus, frankincense, and citrus essential oils, and lemon and lime water.

I was happy to see that my WP order arrived today. This is a good tea. Good amount of ginger. I don’t usually add sweeteners, but I’m craving something sweet, and the site said adding honey increases the antimicrobial properties. ;)

Now, white tea and myself do not always understand one another. But when Super Starling! sent some of this my way, well, who was I to refuse?
So I brewed it up this morning, and boy, if this isn’t some good stuff. It had none of the muskiness that I can sometimes get from white teas, and a lot of really lovely, almost earthy flavor. I might be forgiven for thinking this was a black tea, for a split second. Its very rich, and I really enjoyed it this morning!

You know, I imagine that a spot of milk would not go amiss here. That’s a funny thought for me, as I usually take my tea black, unless its a very special occasion or a very particular blend.
This is not fussy or anything like that, but as I was sipping on this cup this morning, I was struck by the notion that it would be just a nice with a dash of milk in it as it is black. Maybe even a sprinkling of sugar?
Huh, now that’s really out of character for me. But maybe I’ll give it a go. I do have a bit more of this, and would be happy to give it a try.

I’m mostly a flavored tea drinker, but I am slowly moving into the world of unflavored blacks.
This is very smooth, and goes down a treat. Its a good, sturdy cup.
There is no bitterness to it, just a pleasant trace of maltiness.
I’ve got a bit of this left, and will enjoy my next cup.

Tea of my morning!
This sipdown is a sad one. This is probably the favorite Earl Grey I’ve ever tried, and I will certainly be bringing more of it into my cupboard at some point in the future. I need several more sipdowns before I do that, but when I do have those sipdowns, then I shall order this with great delight!
Farewell, forest king! Until we meet again.
Sipdown.

My office is closed today, allowing me to do three days worth of writing on the story I’m working on. This was my pot of tea through that writing.
This is such a lovely Earl. You really can touch the “wild” aspect, like an aristocratic forest king, in tea form.
Ahh, an excellent companion to writing.

I didn’t sleep well last night. I had strange and intense dreams, not upsetting enough to be nightmares, but not calm enough to let me rest fully. Plus there was a loud noise in my house in the middle of the night, and I then had to lay awake wondering if I was about to be murdered. (Spoiler alert, I was not murdered).
Bleh.
So that means I needed a proper cuppa this morning, and I turned to this.
Boy do I like this Earl. Its a wonderfully balanced thing, just a kiss of bergamot, and a beautiful tea base to it all. It is, quite possibly, my favorite Earl I’ve ever encountered. I will certainly bring more of it in when I’ve finished this pouch. And when I’ve finished other teas as well. The ol cupboard needs pruning.

I don’t know why I havn’t had this one in so long. This is just a gorgeous Earl, absolutely gorgeous!
I have a tricky history with Earl Greys. I want to love them, but so often I end up really disliking them. But this is a perfect blend of quality base and the lightest, most well thought out kiss of bergamot. Perfection of an Earl!

Alright, Whispering Pines is winning my respect. Everything I’ve tried from them has been good!
I’m tentatively getting to know Earl Greys, and while they might never be my very favorite blends, when I find a good one I can certainly appreciate it.
And this is a good one! The base holds its own against the bergamot, and the flavors balance each other out really well. It was a smooth, tasty cup, and I can’t wait to try more!

Operation redo my entire tea area and most the bedroom began last night accidentally. Friends were getting rid of an awesome set of glass shelves that I gladly took off their hands, my teaware hoard is getting out of hand and taking over every spare surface in the room! Currently the shelf is loaded with my teaware, it will be thinned out a bit as soon as I get my shelf inserts for the curio cabinet (one day) then the tea storage shelf needs to have all the tea transferred to a different shelf which needs cleaning off, it is a big project. What is done though is my painting desk was rearranged, the bulk of the desk held my fishtank which was moved to where the teapots previously lived and now my big tea tray lives there. Sadly I realized too late that my tea tray is in a dark cubby so now I need a desk lamp. The things I do for organization in a very small space.

Today I am looking at a tea that is not only tasty, it is pretty! One of the things that first drew me to Dian Hongs is their beautiful golden trichomes, the fuzzy goodness. Whispering Pines Tea’s Golden Snail is definitely a beauty, nice tight little spirals covered in gold with bits of the dark leaf showing through…the color reminds me of my Tortoiseshell cat! Luckily (or sadly) the smell does not remind me of my cat (I wish she smelled like tea) the aroma is lovely, classic notes of malt and cocoa blend with sweet potatoes, maple syrup, and a delicate finish of cherries, walnuts, and cherry blossoms at the finish. It is sweet with just a slight nuttiness, reminding me of a loaded sweet potato that needs to be eaten by me…I clearly need food.

The steeped tea in my beloved Petr Novak pot smells super good, notes of walnuts and sweet potatoes (sweeter than the starchy yams) sandalwood, cocoa, and a woody undertone. The liquid is sweet and rich, notes of sweet potato, molasses, peanuts and walnuts, and a touch of cocoa waft up with the steam from my cup.

First steep is wonderfully rich and sweet, with a thickness that coats the mouth with honey and molasses. The dominant taste for the first steep is sweet honey and starchy but not too starchy sweet potatoes, specifically reminding me of those sweet potato patties that you buy frozen in the South (I assume they are elsewhere but I only ran into them growing up) and a bit of a woody cacao nib finish. The aftertaste is a hint of molasses that lingers for a while.

The second steep, while having the thick mouthfeel of the first, is also joined by a tingly camphor like texture, similar to drinking a Sheng, and something that just screams Yunnan to me. Granted some teas from that region have a stronger tingle than others, and processing does have an impact, but once in a while you get a Dian Hong that feels almost effervescent. The taste is very rich, strong notes of molasses and cocoa blend with peanuts and walnuts with just a hint of sweet potato. The dominant note is definitely dark chocolate, think like the 80% dark (I do love that stuff) with an aftertaste of molasses and cocoa.

This steep is pleasantly mellow, still has a thick mouthfeel, but no longer the tingle. The taste has mellowed out a bit as well, still has strong notes of molasses and stronger notes of sweet potato like the first steep, but the dark chocolate notes have calmed down. There is something new, towards the end with a note of peanut there is a delicate note of dried cherry. It kept teasing me in the aroma but has finally shown up in taste! This is a wonderful tea, an excellent example of a Golden Bi Luo Chun (or Hong Jin Luo, it has a couple names) being visually stunning and wonderfully tasting.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2016/09/whispering-pines-tea-company-golden.html

I get primarily a vegetal note from this tea. A bit of a umami note developed too. While I think this is good quality tea it just isn’t what I like to drink. But as I only bought an ounce it’s ok.

Steeped this two times in a 400ml Kyusu with 8g leaf and 175 degree water. I steeped it for 1 min and 1.5 min.

Got this the other day. There is some smoke to this but it is not overpowering. There is also a sweet note to it, not sure what to call it. It did not need milk but was fine without.

I steeped this one time in a 16oz Teavana Glass Perfect Tea Maker/Gravity Steeper with 3 tsp leaf and 200 degree water for 3 minutes.

Purchased last year, finished just now. Brewed in a ceramic tea pot or in a paper filter bag.

As I’ve previously stated before, I love masala chai and exploring unique blends. I’m a lover of ginger, and I appreciate the fact that the ginger Brenden uses in his blends is stronger than what I’ve encountered in teas from other companies. But the ginger in this case overpowers all of the other ingredients, both the base tea and the spices. Just barely I can taste the vanilla bean and the chocolately goodness from the black Bi Luo Chun (I’m a fan of his Golden Snail). And I did try to shake up the pouch.

It’s hard to fully comment every aspect. Nevertheless, this makes an excellent autumn tea. It is very comforting. I do recommend it for those who are curious or want a different masala chai. You would most likely get something different out of this.

I’ve been overwhelmed by my possesions lately. I just have so much stuff! And I like shopping, so that’s been adding to the stress.
Well, this summer I’m recommitting to my New Years Resolution to use what I have, and to set myself some guidelines. We are starting with tea, as, well, I’m posting this on Steepster.
I’ve decided that I can’t buy any more tea until my cupboard only has 50 or fewer teas in it. That’s 19 teas to sip down. Fortunatly I’m usually not much interested in the summer blends, so I’m hoping I can hit this goal before the autumnal blends start showing up.
This was my cup of commitment to this goal today.
This is a really rich tea. You can taste the “wood” aspect of it, and its every bit as rich and layered as we’ve come to expect from teas from Whispering Pines.
Alas, it is a sipdown. But that’s one more to my goal!
18 teas to go, now.

Its going to be a busy day. I require tea!
This is just such a nice blend. Its niceness is all encompassing. That will help on a Friday.

For the second morning in a row my bed has been the most comfortable place in the entire universe. It has been an absolute pleasure to rest in such a perfect place, and I am deeply saddened by the sound of the alarm clock.
Some mornings I need something strong, powerful, no-nonsense. Other mornings I want something sweeter. Still others I want something gentle.
That was this morning, and this tea seemed to fit the bill, easing me into my day with a kind yet firm hand, and a lot of rich flavors.
Its going to be a very busy day! This was a nice tea to start it.

Ah but this is pleasant.
I slept like a stone last night, and woke much refreshed today. I decided on an all around good tea for the morning cup, and this is what came to hand.
This is not to bold, to malty, too anything, really. Its just a balanced cup of niceness, which was highly enjoyable to sip on. Next time I should have it along side some toast and lemon curd, which I think would be fantastic.

So I’ve drunk this before, but apparently did not bother to log it when I did so. Whoops.
This smells amazing. Absolutely rich, fudgy, and lush. Its a earthy combination of coco and mushrooms, I’d say, and yes, maybe a touch of wood as well.
It brews up “paler” I’d say then it smells, and the coco note is gone completely. That’s not a terrible thing (chocolate and myself in teas do not always get along), but its a bit of a disconnect.
But this is still a lovely cup, strong without overpowering, and rich without being too much. I’ll enjoy this for sure.

Well boy, was I wrong about that. it still tastes like its trying to take the crown for the most floral TGY on the planet.

I personally love floral Oolong. I love that they taste of nature, flowers, or of flavours I have never experienced before, & I love how they steep for ages & even when the taste goes, the aroma is still there.

I’m at about steep 6-7 & i will go some more.

Its not the creamiest ive had, nor is it the most natural tasting (but those can often be a little more vegetal, at least for me), but for mega super floral aroma it is way up there.. its so perfumed you’d be forgiven for thinking its a Lilac-flavoured Oolong. Also hints of sweet pear in there but the flower does seriously overpower these, you really have to search for them.

Also the liquor is almost hard like UK water. I’m used to hard water, & while some teas seem to soften that aspect, this one seems to be accentuated by it, which is quite interesting. I’ve got no idea how that translates to other water types.

at about steep 10 the leaf finally begins to smell like steamed spinach & the liquor loses the fragrance, but that is pretty good going imo :)

I liked it, another that can be used in the arsenal of teas to convert non-believers.

So glad to see whispering pines getting back on their feet after that flood!