Whispering Pines Tea Company

I believe this sample was old or suffered from Ziploc flavour loss. I received it in a swap and, do to my backlog, waited far too long to sample it. It wasn’t the delight that every other Whispering Pines tea I’ve had is. It’s flavour was so light that I refuse to give it a rating at this time. I will eventually try a fresh sample and use that to determine a rating.

Got this as a sample from an order I placed at the end of last year. This is a very interesting-looking tea, and the dry leaves are fuzzy little twists that expand impressively upon brewing. A little bit goes a long way, and I found that just a small pinch can make for a satisfying cup. The leaves give off a golden color in the cup that tends to settle toward the bottom. The taste is malty, baked-goods-esque, with quite a luscious feel and a hint of cocoa. It’s a very comforting tea, and the maltiness is not as imposing as Golden Snail—it feels a bit fresher and more delicate. I can see this becoming one of my all-time favorites, especially in autumn and winter.

Ok, this must be the one I have? Idk, it’s an old sample with an old label and I am no longer proficient in figuring out whose handwriting is on what type of bag.

Nice cup this afternoon. I’m glad I’ve had it, but I’m not super sad there isn’t more.

This has got to be the version I have, as mine has orange peels in it.

I think it might maybe be from Bonny? Foolishly I didn’t write anything on the bag. And that is indeed my horrendous scrawl, so I must have shared it out with a few people.

This is actually pretty good! The smokiness of the black tea actually holds its own with the MULTITUDE of cloves in there. I’d say it’s a lapsang souchong with touches of something else. Pretty decent. Really nice with milk, but I’d prefer some maple whipped cream. ;)

In other news, New Job is Best Job. Friendly, fun to organize, they feed me. Yay! As it’s union, it’s still only temporary. Once the job listing goes live I’ll be able to apply for it. :D So excited.

Not sure what notes I’m getting out of this. It’s somewhat malty. There’s a note I just don’t like, not sure how to describe it.

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

Cold brewed this as an iced tea and it is really good. The taste of the cocoa is really strong and the puerh is good too. There is really no bitterness present. There is some fermentation taste but with the cold brew it doesn’t seem too strong. This is without a doubt one of the best teas I have ever had cold brewed.

I steeped this overnight in a 32oz Lupica Handy Cooler with 4 tsp leaf in the refrigerator.

This is good tea. If memory serves me the puerh base of this is the 2012 Huron Gold Needle. The puerh tea component of this is sweet with little in the way of bitterness. The cacao component gives a nice chocolaty taste to the puerh. They mix well. What surprised me about this is that there was a strong chocolate note from the cacao even in the tenth steep. I expected chocolate for only the first few infusions but the chocolate lasted well into the tenth steep.

I steeped this ten times in a 120ml gaiwan with 10.1g leaf and boiling water. I gave it a 10 second rinse and a 10 minute rest. I steeped it for 5 sec, 5 sec, 7 sec, 10 sec, 15 sec, 20 sec, 25 sec, 30 sec, 45 sec, and 1 min.

This is the 2015 harvest.

Prepared with gongfu sessions, with a ceramic gaiwan. No rinse. I first followed the website steeping times (20, 15, 30, 45, 75), but I prefer winging them.

I appreciate the dry leaf aroma most after letting the leaves sit in a heated gaiwan. First there were sweet potatoes (very sweet and without the skin, like they were mashed – a first for Chinese sweet potato teas with me), and then spices such as clove and black cardamon.

I was a little sad to make the first infusion. These leaves are pretty (I admit – the picture on the website partially contributed to the purchase. Sucker for good pics.). Cute little curly things, gold and black intertwining on each leaf. Well, now they’re simply brown. That’s alright. A black pepper aroma arises. After another infusion or two, the wet leaf releases raw hot cocoa. Gaiwans are good for these snails.

The liquor color is a beautiful orange-gold. I recommend drinking this from a white cup. Full-bodied, smooth, thick. Sweet with a touch of bitterness from a sweet potato flavor, which appears throughout the session. I pretty much only discern sweet potato, with the exception of some chocolate and wet wood in the aftertaste. Overall, this has a warming and cozy effect, simultaneously energizing. It helps me put up with the cold (although, winter is unbelievably mild this year – still).

Eh, sweet potato. I’m not that much into it and Chinese black teas with this note. I still much like this one.

This is a nice unique take on the classic DHP. I’m always on the lookout for quality DHP, for there are so many sub-pars out there. However, this was unique and not nearly as roasted as most DHP. I opened the package and revealed some mostly green twisted knots with some darkened spots. I poured these grassy leaves into my Cha He and gave them a whiff. They gave off a light mineral and oak scent. I was picking up some faint roast with grassy tones of ivy. Lastly, I noted some crisp sweetness that lingered in the background. I poured a generous amount in my warmed gaiwan and gave it a shake. The warmed leaves was such a peculiar scent. The leaves gave off this warm buttered squash aroma, along with a light roast. This was such a new and delicious scent! I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The steeped leaves aroma spread in so many different directions. I was picking up warm butternut squash, crisp grassy tones, smooth coconut water, and sweet nectar. This was an extremely aromatic brew. The flavor began as slightly herbaceous and sweet. I was picking up some faint barley and oak. The brew carried a full body with a lot of flavor. The taste was smooth and lasting with a lingering sweetness in the aftertaste. The leaves give the mouth a heavy oily feeling. This brew has a very nice warming qi that circulates throughout the body. I noted some astringency present in later steeping that complimented some pleasantly sour tones. This DHP has a lot of mouth feeling and tongue action. This is a brilliant combination of greener more luscious tones that blend well with the roasted yet sweet flavors. Personally, this is a very nice DHP and is quite a unique take on such a typically roasted brew.

https://www.instagram.com/p/-9MsPkzGUU/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

Bought two ounces of this with my order. It is quite good. Getting some malt but not very much. This is a good thing because I don’t really like notes of malt. Getting some notes of chocolate in there too. Can’t really say about sweet notes because I added sugar.

I brewed this once in a Teavana Glass Perfect Tea Maker/Gravity Steeper with 3 tsp leaf and boiling water for 3 min.

My search for the perfect wuyi oolong may finally be over, at least for now! I’d been savoring my sample from WP for a while now and immediately ordered some during the Black Friday sale because this tea is just that good.

This is a very smooth and pleasant tasting tea. No harshness or ashy taste like wuyi oolongs often have. The roasting here is exceptionally smooth. The tea has a sweet rock flavor and a clean mineral finish. Notes of burnt sugar can be detected in later steeps.

A warm, comforting tea that’s perfect for chilly winter days.

Sipdown. 8oz, 3,5 and 8 min.
Overleafed and under watered the first cup so it was strong and slightly tannic. Fixed the later steeps with more water.
Malt, cocoa, sweet. Solid black tea

Just prior to drinking this tea, I broke the lid attachment of my gravity steeper trying to get the last of my previous tea out. I also had some contamination of flavor from the previos tea into the first steep of this one. Fortunately, no tea was harmed and added flavor disappeared after the first steep.
Appearance of tea lives up to its name, so many gold tips. It looks a little like small pieces of yarn or thread. Leaves smell dry and like linen. Brews surprisingly dark. Wet leaves smell of earth, tree.
1st steep- smooth and clean, malt and chocolate, with gingerbread flavor bleed.
2nd steep – get more chocolate and malt, very mouth coating.
3rd steep- Smell flowers, oak, and malt, fruity at the end of sip.
Great tea. Rating 90

Absolutely delicious.
Full review, here: http://www.createwritedrink.com/2015/12/tea-review-tuesday-review-whispering.html

This is an interesting tea, for this is the only ounce of this tea. I picked this up without any knowledge of it, and I decided to be a little adventurous. I messaged the owner for help with brewing and gave it a shot. The dry leaves are a black assortment of leaves, and they give off the perfect scent. This tea is meant for winter. The intense aroma of campfire,barbecue, clove, char, and some slight fruit waft from these leaves. I placed a bunch in my teapot and brewed away. The steeped leaves become much more smoky and carry a slightly sweet aroma. The taste is warming and cozy. The flavor begins with a nice smoke and takes a hold of the taste buds. The brew then moves into some caramel and a burnt sugar sweetness. This brew ends with a spicy lingering the background. You can notice a minor chocolate tone that lifts from the leaves after brewing. The second steep leads to a smoked oak wood flavor. The brew kinda falls off after two steeps. I would use this as an on the go camping tea. The leaves are incredibly durable, for you can leave these in the pot for a long time without any bitterness. I’m excited to take this on my hikes to warm me up on cold nights. This tea is my new go to during the frosty mornings. Also, this tea just looks like Christmas; rather, a more wild woodsman Christmas. I’m glad I discovered this hidden gem, and I’m unsure why so little has been created. Personally, I see this as another win among many from this company. However, this is not their best offering; although, it still qualifies as a quick one steep treat.

https://www.instagram.com/p/-b7u28zGYz/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

Heads up to anyone that goes for mainly strong shou puerh as this is a very light and delicate shou puerh. When using the vendors recommending gongfu brewging specs (and even with extra leaf) the puerh comes out as very light and delicate. The two main things about this tea that stand out to me is that is is both sweet and smooth. This tea also has a bit more complex flavor profile than most of the shou puerh. To me the “flavor notes” if you want to go there are more of of a little fruity and a little forest like which I think is what the vendor was talking about with the moss. The 3rd infusion does indeed have a bit of cocoa notes which to be quite honest I was quite skeptical of the claim in s shou puerh. Upon the 5th infusion I would say the tea had died and had produced “colored water” so one must really enjoy really really light tea to be able to get all 6 infusions out of this tea. Regardless I have to admit this is clearly a really high quality shou puerh even through it is much lighter than what I generally go for.