Whispering Pines Tea Company

More tea! There’s no stopping me today :) I made up a cup of this after dinner, and I loved it tremendously. I wasn’t sure at first exactly what I was tasting, but a few sips sorted me out on that front! This is a fairly complex tea, to my mind, at least in terms of the flavour combinations it presents. It starts off smooth and sweet, with notes of blossom honey and a slight saltiness. The mid-sip is all about the chocolate, dark high-cocoa chocolate with some fresh baked bread notes. After this comes a reasonably strong fruitiness – I thought black cherry at first, but it’s deeper than that, and more reminiscent of plum or maybe damson at times. It ends fairly sweetly with a hint of caramel and just the faintest touch of cooling eucalyptus. I found it a very refreshing cup, and incredibly moreish. A tea I could (and will!) drink at any time of day. I’d forgotten how much I liked Whispering Pines, but this has been a timely reminder.

1.5 tsp of leaf, 3.5 minutes, boiling water. Splash of milk.

I allowed myself another Whispering Pines start this morning, because I’m off work and have time for second breakfasts and all that…I used 1.5 tsp of leaf for my cup, and gave it a good 4 minutes while I pottered around doing a few first-thing tasks. I added a splash of milk, just because.

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but this genuinely is full-bodied and flavoursome while also somewhat light. I like breakfast teas that aren’t too heavy, especially if I’m drinking them on a mostly empty stomach, so this one fits the bill perfectly for me. The initial sip is very smooth and sweet around the edges. I definitely get honey and a touch of caramel, with a mildly fruity sweetness reminiscent of apricots. The mid-sip is lightly chocolatey, with just a hint of red berry – maybe cranberry or raspberry? There’s a slight sharpness at this point that cuts through the sweetness and is really appealing. The end of the sip had breadier notes, and tastes a little salty. All in all, totally delicious! It’s one of the more complex breakfast blends I’ve tried in terms of flavour, but I like that about it. I’m glad I chose to try it on holiday so I had time to sit and appreciate it! It’s thoroughly deserving of a much higher rating than it seems to have at the moment – it’s sweet without being cloying, flavoursome without being heavy. Perfection in a cup.

Cold steeped for 24 hours. STRONG notes of marijuana on the nose and tongue. Creamy and smooth bitterness, far more bitter than hot steep. I cold steeped by first washing with boiling water which definitely released tannins. Very surprised by strong marijuana notes which weren’t present in hot steep.

Really well balanced. Buttery, earthy, and biscuity/cakey. A robust nuttiness throughout. No tannings, very little astringency, a great lingering aftertaste. Definitely the best oolong i’ve had.

Light and airy, floral and grassy notes are balanced. Strong citrus notes up front, floral and some biscuit at the end. Not a huge fan, a little too light for my taste. I prefer more robust flavors.

Finished off the last of this sample this morning as my morning tea. Glad I did because the clear qi aided my productivity. I really enjoyed it, especially the fresh quality, the smooth texture, and the headache clearing potential it has, but I’m glad I got a sample because I probably would not enjoy it enough for $10 per half ounce.

I’m almost finished with the sample. I brewed my tea lighter and I enjoyed it a lot more. Fresh light body with the vegetal notes I like in a green tea with a juicy mouth feel.

Another lovely gift from Whiteantlers.

Surprisingly enough, a part of my kinda liked the River Rain more. I tasted a lot more florals in that one which is probably why I lean towards it. Namely the jasmine like quality and the predominant spruce aroma and taste. It makes me think of the rain and the forests in Michigan.

At the same time, this had a great simplicity and clarity. And less astringency which makes me hesitate. The Xinyang Maojian was another clean green tea that wasn’t quite as astringent but still light with florals. Kale and mineral were more dominant to me-like rain on cliffs near a lake. The middle brews brought out a quality that distinctly tasted like water chestnut. This is good and it cleared up my headache quite a bit. That must be the cha qi. ``

I’m really glad to have tried these, but I like Whispering Pines blacks and oolongs more. Maybe it’s just preference for those types of teas, never mind I reap more health benefits from green tea. The cha qi balances me out more. It could also be I’m pickier with green teas now. And I eventually want to try the Sleeping Bear anyway.

Renamed Moondance, but I’m pretty sure its the same tea. Another lovely offering from White Antlers.

All the notes on here pretty much describe it and I agree with the tasting notes. It tastes like a fruitier moonlight tea with the added bonus of buttery later steeps. Cinnamon butter is a weird description, but it really does taste like you’re drinking a light glaze of it. I’m personally impressed with how the honeydew melon and peach note are stronger than the malt note.

I am very glad to have tried it, but I’m not sure if I would get a full ounce of it. If it were cheaper, I might make it into a seasonal staple.

Back Log

Just before I left yesterday, I got a wonderful package from Whiteantlers. She spoiled me thoroughly and I thank you so thoroughly! A package with Harry Potter stamps no less, and a wonderful sampler of a few teas that I was actually looking to try. Four of them were from Whispering Pines.

River Rain is a good name for this tea. The look and smell of the dry leaves was like a usual green tea. I gong fu’d with about 2 grams in 3 ounces, first 10 second rinse, then 5 and five again. I felt like I was drinking rain water or dew because it had a really clean mouth feel and body. It was a little bit vegetal, but not nearly as grassy and vegetal as the leaves smelled. It was closer to being crisp, more like pine than grass alone. There was a bit of a lighter creamy feeling quality to it, but a fresh snap pea creaminess. I had to stop at those three cups because this tea had a focused cha qi. As in, power clarity energy cha qi.

I looked up the instructions online and Brenden described the powerful cha qi that I got. He also recommended to Grandpa Style it which I totally did not do. Some of his notes were more accurate to me than others, but I have to finish a few cups before I make judgement. I am getting a floral quality in the tea bordering jasmine, yet nothing quite like a jasmine scented tea.

So far, I agree with Liquid Proust in that it tastes like a good version of a standard Chinese Green Tea, specifically like a Dragonwell but cleaner. It is a Bi Luo Chun after all.

“…much like Arizona My eyes don’t shed tears, but, boy, they pour When I’m thinkin’ ’bout you”

PS: This tea is currently available. Not sure why steepster says it is not.

This tea truly does awaken the senses. I feel a picture of Arizona’s Red Rocks would be a fitting accompaniment for this tea if you’re not so blessed to be able to enjoy the Arizona desert landscapes in person. http://everypictures.blogspot.com/2012/07/red-rocks-arizona-united-states-of.html

There is a beautiful picture of red and orange dust being carried over the red rocks by the wind in the above link. That’s what this tea reminds me of. The flavours of the tea come to your tongue like a warm desert breeze. As you let the tea roll over your tongue you will notice the different tasting notes. The spiciness of the ginger and tellicherry peppercorns. The comforting embrace of cinnamon and cardamom. The sweetness of white tea. An overtone of Sage completes the flavour profile as it brushes over and cleans your palate.

I was worried that this tea may be similar to evergreen spice due to a similar ingredient list, but it really is uniquely it’s own. The white tea really makes a difference giving it a sweeter taste than evergreen spice which has oolong as its base. Evergreen spice’s flavours seem to come in layers that are separated in time. Conversely, Cricket is like a warm breeze that carries that flavours to your tongue in one beautiful swoop.

Give it a try.

“Honey Wildfire”

This tea brews a beautiful fiery amber colour and tastes of wild honey. Note: I tend to steep my tea for longer than specified, usually around 5 minutes. The sweet white tea is balanced by the floral notes of Snow Chrysanthemum Flowers. It seems to have a calming effect on me, much like chamomile tea.

The 100 g cake is a fantastic deal. Many of Brenden’s high quality teas can be a bit pricey, but this tea strikes a perfect balance between quality and economy. It is also beautiful to look at with beautiful orange, midnight blue and deep purple colours against a backdrop of silvery white tea.

Brenden’s beautiful description of this tea is what inspired me to sample his teas and I’m glad I did. Come to think of it, although the title of this post, “Honey Wildfire”, was meant to describe the colour and taste notes of the tea, it also melds beautifully with the description of Brenden’s love interest. She is Honey Wildfire.

5 Star.

Backlog, sipdown – one down, way too many to go. Plus I couldn’t resist an order to What-cha.

4g, 205F
cocoa and malt dry
chocolate, malt, thick and sweet during steeps.
There was a forced 1 hour break, but it recovered well.
I’d like to order more of this at some point, but cupboard is out of control….

Love this tea! Very needed tea to recover from work.

I’m glad that I don’t normally sit and work on the computer all day. I got a lot done working on things that got missed or overlooked. Still pretty headache inducing.

Nursed this in a gaiwan for about a hour. Keeps giving flavor, great taste. Cocoa, malt, sweet potato, chocolate yum.

I brewed up about 5grams in a 100ml gaiwan at about 190f. I gave one rinse and actually tasted it and it was of course watery but left some fruitiness lingering. My first few steeps were a bit light for my taste so I ended up adding about another gram or so to the gaiwan. If you like tropical fruits and a creamy coconut taste then you will love this one. This was very lightly oxidized and tasted more like a green tea that an Oolong to me. The Oolong flavor itself was not my favorite as like I said it was more like a green but the crown jewel of this tea is its aftertaste. It is so sweet and tropical that I was wondering if it was a flavored tea. But the consensus is that it is not and that alone makes this one a tea to try. To be able to grow and process a tea without flavoring and get those kinds of notes is insane. Its a great tea and would be even better in the spring and summer as it is really refreshing. If you are a fan of green tea or lightly oxidized oolongs I would say give this one a go and you won’t be disappointed. I am not really a fan of green teas anymore as I have been tainted by the dark side (roasted Oolongs, blacks, and Pu’erh) but I did enjoy this tea. Quite creamy with a remarkable amount of tropical fruit flavor. Like a hot Pina Colada! Bear in mind these are notes that linger in the nose and mouth not actual sugary fruit flavors of a tea with chunks of fruit.

So I picked up some teas from Whispering Pines for the first time. I got them today and I started with this one. I am a fan of Black Tea and use it to give me a break from my ripe pu’erhs. I brewed up about 5 grams gongfu style in a 100ml gaiwan. I feel it was a bit light so maybe a bit more leaf would be better. The wet leaf smells sweet and woody with a bit of some kind of fruit. I could tell this was a blend as it tasted like two other teas I have combined (a Jingmai Wild Arbor Black and nice malty Yunnan Black). This was quite enjoyable and had a lingering sweet aftertaste that was really nice. There were notes of baked bread and brown sugar along with a little wood. I also got into some floral notes in the middle steeps. It gave surprisingly well considering leaf size and it being a black. I think I will try this one again Western style as I often like my blacks brewed that way. Not sure what to think about this vendor yet and I have about 3 Oolongs I also bought from them to try. All in all I would say if you like black tea give this one a try. Pretty tasty.

Just finished my sample of this, gong fu. No notes on the taste here but the energy it gave off over about ten steeps is incredible. Had me sweating like a (fill in the sinner of your choice) in church. Energy galore. Hope I can sleep tonight. Yikes!

Update: I didn’t really get much sleep last night…

I received this tea as a sampler in an order. I really love Moonlight Whites so I was pretty excited to see this arrive in the mail.

This isn’t going to be an in depth review because I am drinking it while watching The Walking Dead. It is very good though. Good enough that I felt it deserved at least an actual review mention.

Seriously, if you like Moonlight Whites and you understand the quality that Brenden brings to his tea than you know why you need to pick this up.

Imagine a milkshake. Now replace milk with flower nectar. Cover the top with cocoa. Add some salt. Shake. Warm up and add a little fruit juice to cool it down.

That is what this makes me think of.

This is the first thing from the Sheng Olympics that I have enjoyed. The others have been interesting, but overall, still not my thing. This is not really a sheng, is that correct, but rather a pressed, age(d)-(ing) white tea cake?

The scent is dill and herbs and flowers. Interestingly, as opposed to several others, I don’t taste much dill in the steeped liquor. I get a ton of citrus and floral. It does have a drying effect for me on the 3rd infusion.

It’a a lovely tea, both in the leaf and the liquor. So glad to have tried this! Thanks, LP, for including it with the share of the group and to James for sending a share of the group to me! I shall keep soldiering on as I try these shengs. I’m not reviewing most of them as I don’t feel that I know enough about them and don’t want to skew impressions for true pu-heads. :)

Puerh Noob reporting in. I’ve been feeling guilty that I haven’t been reviewing much even though I drink pu every day. But I came to the realization that most of my puerh drinking is in conjuction with eating… and that’s just not conducive to fair reviews. So I’m forgiving myself.

I got this sample with my order and I’m glad I did. This is my second taste of a Whispering Pines ripe. This is my second session with this sample.. the first was a few nights ago with dinner. :P 4 grams/1 cup, 1 quick rinse.

1st steep – Liquor is thin but smoothish. The taste for me is very minerally almost salty but not? Hard to describe… its not in my face woody or earthy.. the descriptions mention of merlot carries thru to the feeling and the sensation is dry and forward on the tongue, with a mouth watering feeling . As the liquor cools a slight nuttiness comes through. Cha qi is mild.

2nd steep – Liquor gets a little silkier, but it’s still thin.. The minerally flavor backs down which makes me really happy. I drink this faster than the first cup and suddenly I’m definitely feeling the cha qi. Yay! :)

3rd steep – Minerally backs off more, that front of tongue feeling is still solidly present. Flavor is something like very dry wood, which makes me think of paper bags? (sorry WPT)

There are more steeps to the leaves so I’ll continue drinking, but I’m getting tired of reviewing. :P Heheheh.

My Pu Journey:
This sample helped me confirm that I hate the combo taste of sweet/minerally ripe pu’s.. but if it’s just minerally, then I’m okay with it, but not necessarily a big fan. Overall I think this is very drinkable and I’ve just put in an order for an ounce. Right now I like this better than the sweeter 2013 Ontario 1357 (which I’ve only had one session with.)

I’ve had this a couple times in the last two days trying to help kill the cold I have. Both times I’ve been so stuffed up, I’ve not been able to actually smell it. The only thing I could smell was the ginger. I had 3 or 4 infusions of gingery tasting tea. It did a good job of clearing things up for a while. When I had it again this morning, I got ginger and berries. Both sweet and tart. This cough is evil. It definitely worked to help clear my sinues up. I’d like to try it when I can taste it.

well ive had a crap weekend. FWP but hey. So I broke out a few favourites, like LPs peachy elixir #9, and during the height of my pissed-off-ness I dumped the whole sample of this into my gaiwan and had a long dan cong sesh.

Its nice. nice and honeyed, its slightly more cooked/oxidised/whatevs the process is that makes mi lan than another I have tried, which gives it a slightly caramel flavour to the honey. A little lychee in the background taste and honey orchid aroma combine in that magical way. Mi Lan is such a nice tea…

It lasted many steeps, I cant remember the exact number but a fair few. The slightly darker edge to this version makes it a nice one for people who like the base dan cong flavour. thick and yummy