Whispering Pines Tea Company

BREWING STYLE: Western

I will do two reviews of this tea in both Western and Gongfu style. Unfortunately, I don’t have anything necessary for Gongfu-style steeping — gasp — but I do have the standard stuff needed for Western style.

First Infusion — 3 Minutes

What a lovely, woody scent. It reminds me of a wet forest, in a perfectly good way. I’m in love with the scent, and my expectations for the taste were pretty high too. And boy did it live up to those expectations.

The flavors are simply amazing. I must say that this is, so far in my novice tea-tasting, the best I have ever had. It’s creamy and, like the scent, woody. I also taste a bit of a chocolate-y flavor. I am very impressed as a first-time customer of Whispering Pines. There is just this overwhelmingly good flavor I can’t describe. It’s slightly flowery, woody, mossy, chocolate-y. Very creamy, silky feel. This tea is not bitter or astringent at all.

Overall: Silky, creamy feeling with an intense and complex flavor, which I may or may not think for being a novice. Chocolate hints and sweet notes, but also very woody and flowery. Very impressed.

Second Infusion — Five Minutes

The scent is similar to the first infusion, though it somehow leaves a cooling sensation in my throat. I was intensely curious about how the flavor would change, but I was feeling slightly full from the first 8oz of water.

The tea takes on a more subtle flavor, reminding me more of malt this time around. Slightly milky too, and just as creamy. It’s not as pleasurable as the first infusion, but it is definitely tasty and palatable, very good. More of a tea flavor this time too.

Overall: Still silky, creamy, with a more subdued flavor that is slightly malty and milky but not quite as pleasurable, for me anyway, as the first infusion.

I was too full to do a third infusion, though! I’d love to have tried it again, but my stomach wasn’t cooperating nearing the end of the second cup. However, I’d have to say that this was an awesome experience and a very good first buy from Whispering Pines. I will definitely be a returning customer.

I am so happy to be able to try a pre-release tea! This was awesome! I wasn’t able to have as much as I wanted, but I made it work and still had a lovely gongfu session. The maocha consists of a scatted assortment of varied leaf sizes. I can also spot a few golden needles in the bunch. They carry a light fermented scent. I warmed my gaiwan and placed what I had in the bowl. The scent was a sweet musk deepened with some leather. I washed the leaves and prepared for brewing. The liquor started an incredible ruby red. The steeped leaves gave off a savory and summer lake scent. This is not a gross lake smell, but rather a brisk and mossy lake scent. The flavor is amazing! This truly is Lord of The Lakes! The taste is slightly sour with a bit fermented tone. This is a potent drying brew, and it gives a smoothed out wood taste. The after-tones consist of slight fruit and deep peanut. I could possibly taste an almond tone with this maocha. I wasn’t able to pull to many steeping sessions out of this brew. I was able to get about five or so. However, the brew grows increasingly more clear and becomes sweet. The sweetness in my cup is alike sugarcane and maple. It’s a fermented and wooded sweet tone. I will be for sure acquiring a cake or two of this brew. This company is beginning to peak my interest towards Shou…

https://instagram.com/p/8YTri9TGfh/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

https://instagram.com/p/8YbDPYzGR5/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

First, let me start with that I am a sucker for aesthetic looks. I love a good tea presentation, and this cake achieved that. The wrapper is something beautiful, and it comes with an intersting cake bag. This is some good ’Shou’manship….hahah. Anyways, onward to the review.

The cake is beautiful! This shining golden disk is nicely compressed of black and gold maocha. This “Golden Needle” is fluffy and dusty with bronze colored powder, so it slightly stains the wrapper around it. The cake emits a smooth scent of earth and almost meaty. I broke a decent sized chunk off and prepared for brewing. I placed this inside my warmed gaiwan and gave it a shake. The tea began to awaken, and I could smell the amazing aromas. This brew carries a very sweet and smooth scent. This was a very nice blend. As a side note, I find it interesting the material that was used in making this cake. The fact that it was practically all golden needle just makes this tea seem luxurious. I digress, I washed the leaves and prepared for brewing. The steeped leaves give off a creamy and meaty aroma. The brew was almost pitch black and full of scents. The brew is incredible! The flavor is heavy and full bodied. The description reads “It doesn’t even feel like tea”, and that would be correct. The liquor is fully encapsulating and fills the mouth powerfully. The flavor is silky and slightly floral. There is a slight wildflower aftertaste that gives a drying effect. The brew remains consistently dark and brews at least 9 times. I was able to take in a mushroom flavor mixed well with Irish cream, brandy, and clay. This brew carries a lot of heavy tones. The qi was only slight, but it was still quite prominent. I was given a uplifted feeling that followed me through out my session. I am most grateful to have plenty of this cake to drink and share. I am usually not a great fan of Shu, but this may change my standpoint…

https://instagram.com/p/8QV6kNTGc5/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

https://instagram.com/p/8UMbaxTGYk/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

This is a part of a Shou collection that I have been waiting to try for quite some time. I’ve finally been giving the chance to partake in this treat. The compressed maocha is loosely compacted. You can see the press marks clearly on the leaves. I placed a generous chunk in my warmed gaiwan. I gave this brew a shake and let it sit for a little bit. I opened the lid and took in this enticing aroma. I could note a damp wooded and earth aroma. These leaves give off a forest floor aroma. My gaiwan emitted a tender sweetness in the background amidst this earth and moss tones. I washed the leaves and then prepared for brewing. The steeped leaves scent dried to a wet clay and limestone tone. This was going to be smooth and dry blend. The liquor began slightly crimson with bronze, but then it deepened to a blood maroon. The flavor was exquisite and wonderful! I took in flavors of light soil and earth. This brew gave a savory sensation and was full bodied. The flavor became deeper and thicker. The soup was very thirst quenching. The best part of this brew was the qi. I usually feel a strange and artificial qi from Shou, but this brew was different. It was powerful and steady! The brew kept a consistent steeping and went for over an hour. This long steeping gave me a repetitive dose of qi. In short, I was up for hours, haha. I’m very happy to have to try this tea, and I may just need to pick up a few of these beautiful cakes.

https://instagram.com/p/8MwkIDTGWz/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

My Cherie Amour! Chocolate covered cherries. Yes please, I’ll have some more! No wait! The caramel apple calls to me more.

From what I remember from visiting Mackinac as a child (I think this is the same island Brenden is referring to), this delightful tea does indeed recall that experience. The island is cozy, quaint and saturated with opportunities to sample caramel apples, fudge and many other dazzling treats. Our grandparents were with us, so our sweet tooths (teeth?) were indulged to the fullest.

Could this be the Golden Fleece of Greek mythology? It is certainly worthy of a quest! Perhaps Pelias sent Jason out, knowing that if he succeeded in bringing home the fleece, athough forced to surrender his throne, he could console himself with this tea.

I brewed this both western and gongfu style and enjoyed it both ways. For a more intense flavor experience, I recommend western. But for an aroma voyage that will rock your world, prepare your favorite gaiwan & tasting cups and spend some time with this one. The bouquet made me weak in the knees! I would wear it as a fragrance. If my husband were wearing it right now, I doubt I would be posting on Steepster . . .

Oh yes, it’s that good . . .

Drinking my last session of this currently. It’s always a delight. Creamy vanilla with a malty base. Just perfection

The smell of the dry leaf is so malted cocoa to me. Amazing. I have had this tea many times and it’s always fantastic. Today I tried it with some cream and raw Hawaiian sugar. Holy crap. It was latte-like. Normally I prefer no cream or sugar but I had to pair that scent with some creamy sweetness. Glad I did.

Mmmmmmm. Mellow, mushroomy sip of umami. And comforting, like my mommy : ) Earthy and yet clear, not muddy or musty. I love it and hope to always have this tea in my cupboard. I’m hoping Brenden will re-blend this one again soon.

I love being the first to review!!!

This is a beautiful tea. The long slender embers give off a raisin and stone fruit aroma. The dry leaf is so inviting. I brewed this heavy and placed the tendrils in my warmed gaiwan. I gave them a shake. The aroma wafted from my gaiwan and created an exquisite atmosphere. First, I could hint at sweet white grapes. Then, this tone deepens into a tang of smooth wet wood. Lastly, there was a background of a campfire that had been extinguished by the rain. I knew that this would be a soft roasted oolong, and that I must pay close attention to it. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The steeped leaves give off a sweet rocky scent. The liquor is a tarnished gold. This is a sweet DHP. If you are seeking a rough roasted heavy DHP, then you need look elsewhere. This brew focuses on soft, earth, and nature tones. The taste begins with forest tones. I can take in wet wood, slight earth, and reminiscence of wildflowers. Then, it becomes more rigid with shale, wet moss, and light char. The brew leaves a thick mouth coating that is sweet with minerals. This aftertaste lasts well after drinking. The flavor is packed with minerals. If a rocky waterfall had a flavor it would be this. I’ve done a lot of gorge climbing, and this reminds me of the taste from the mist off the rocks. It’s sweet, rough, and gritty. Also, this brew carries a relaxing and uplifting qi that sneaks up on you. The steeped leaves are a dark olive color that look oily in the gaiwan. I thoroughly enjoyed this session. I have been on the hunt for a perfect DHP. Although, this isn’t my fitting Big Red Robe, this is as close as I’ve ever come. I am so grateful for this brew.

https://instagram.com/p/75cWm2TGVM/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

This tea has it all. The dry leaf is fuzzy, soft, and velvet. A smooth milk chocolate aroma and spring scent filled my tea room upon opening the package. The long black and gold strands carry such an aesthetic appearance. I placed a generous amount in my warmed gaiwan and gave it a shake. The aroma burst from the vessel, and I didn’t even lift the lid. My session was filled with sweet and malt scents. This brew, I knew would be a treat. I love the aromas of a good tea. The sweet diverse scents enhance a tea session drastically. I took a minute to sniff the lid and devour these sensations. I was catching drifts of honey, cocoa, and a dark smooth milky malt. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The leaf instantly bronzed and softened. The aromas went into more rigid and malt. I was catching soft wood tones mixed with a barley aroma. The liquor was dark. This was a blood ruby dark drink. The liquid itself emitted a tantalizing scent. This session was focused on the tastes in the air. Although, I knew I had to delve into my cup. The flavor was incredible. The brew was thick, sweet, and incredibly smooth. I could taste a rich chocolate with a light floral tone. This had a creamy malt aftertaste. This brew fills the throat and gives a hearty depth of taste. The liquor became darker with each steeping. I brewed this heavy, and I am so glad that I did. The steeped leaves were beautiful. I could spot a continuous ocean of whole small tippy leaves inside my gaiwan. I was impressed. This is a prime Yunnan red tea. I loved this session. The brew lasted well into a great many steeping sessions. I could smell the sweet malt and light wildflowers long after brewing. This is a lovely brew. I am ever grateful for being able to try this.

https://instagram.com/p/78mZenTGdl/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

https://instagram.com/p/78txgDTGaZ/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

This is so fresh and floral. It just tastes pure like you are drinking in clean loveliness. It is a cup of flowers with a bright green taste and an underlying bit of lychee in the very back of the sip. The leaves are gorgeous, glowing green. This is the Autumn 2015 harvest and my very favorite so far. Love this.

Today I was given a reminder as to why I stopped taking care of fish. Anyone who ever says they are easy is full of it or not doing it right. Years ago I had a ton of tanks, I was rescuing Bettas from local pet stores and trying to rehabilitate them, but one month I was sick, like really really sick. I lost pretty much all my tanks except for my self-sufficient 20 gallon, it was devastating. After that I had a Betta here and there that I rescued and loved for a couple years, by no more massive tanks. Recently the bug bit me and I want to get back into tank management, hardcore, I have two small ones but when I move I expect my tea room to also be filled with aquariums, cleaning water is a really good workout after all. What all of this about is I woke up to a dead Ugin the Spirit Dragon this morning, no idea why, he seemed fine the night before happy and healthy, with fine water. I am filled with sadness at the loss of my fish, debating cleaning the tank, moving the Otoclinus in with the other betta and his ghost shrimp and retiring that tank, or just getting a new Betta. Time will tell.

Ok that was a really depressing intro, I am sorry about that, so I am going to make it up to you all with some really pretty happy tea, yep, it is a fuzzy golden tea, this time with an epic twist! Whispering Pines Tea Co’s Earl Gold, a blend of Golden Snail (one of those Yunnan fuzzies I rave about quite often, and WPTC’s is something else) and cold pressed Bergamot oil, and then it was aged for 30 days. Before I get too into this review, you might have noticed I do not review a ton of Earl Grey Tea, turns out I am not really a huge fan of it, the real Erlkönig (think folklore not Goethe) is Ben, he is a connoisseur of the stuff. With that in mind, allow me to describe these fuzzy coils’ aroma, they smell really good, like really good. Blend cocoa and malt, chocolate and roasted peanuts, and underneath all of that is bergamot’s citrus zing that grows and grows until it is like having my nose pressed into a bergamot fruit. I like how it is not an immediate punch to the face with bergamot, since that is usually what I don’t like about earls.

Into the gaiwan the tea goes, yeah, this is going to be a gongfu earl session, that might be a first for me. The wet leaves are very sweet, notes of yams, cocoa, peanuts, and rich malt blend seamlessly with bergamot. The aroma reminds me of like the best ever chocolate orange, man I love those things so much. The liquid is a delicate blend of peanuts, yams, and cocoa, and hello bergamot at the finish, it just sits there and is friendly, not at all overbearing.

First steep, oh that is smooth, very smooth and very sweet. Not what I ever expected to encounter from an Earl, the expected bliss from the Golden Snails with a really crisp and tangy bergamot blend together really well. It starts with malt, cocoa, and peanuts, this builds to a really strong cocoa sweetness and honey, with a lingering honey finish. And then there is the bergamot, it starts mild and builds, underneath the other notes and never overpowering them. Again, it reminds me of the best chocolate orange.

Second steep, the leaves have more or less totally unfurled now, and the tea area smells really good. The aroma is a balance of cocoa and bergamot, like a perfect balance, it is rich and sweet and mouthwatering. I am salivating over an earl, what has the world come to? The taste is rich, very rich, hello malt and cocoa, and of course bergamot. This steep is not as sweet, and the bergamot has a touch of sourness that really wakes my mouth up, and it lingers for a while.

Third steep! Strong cocoa and bergamot reaches my nose from the cup, tea blenders, please, make more EG that is a citrus themed nose caress and not a punch! The punch is nice for some, but I really like being able to tell how good the base tea is. The taste is very rich and balanced, the sweetness returns and blends well with the cocoa and malt notes. The finish is citrus and lingers. Ben and I had many steeps of this and both became quite tea drunk. So what does the Tea Barbarian have to say for himself when it comes to this tea?

“Like all the best Earls Grey, I could smell the Bergamot from across the room as soon as Amanda unsealed the package. That’s a promising start, even if it didn’t make her cough when she sniffed it as some past favorites have. Actually drinking it was an unusual experience – Earls are, of course, usually made with ‘Western Standard’ teas from South India, which tend to be strong nearly to the point of overpowering. As a tea barbarian, that’s the sort of thing I’m used to. The fuzzy gold used here is much more mild – enough so that I’m not sure I would call it an Earl Grey, exactly. However, to my pleasant surprise (and unlike several other “Early Grey but with fancier leaves” experiments I’ve tried before), it actually works really well. Whether Gongfu-style or Western, the milder leaves compliment the Bergamot, rather than being overwhelmed by it – the result is a smooth, earthy Earl variant less suited to kicking you into gear before exploring ancient ruins than to soothing contemplation atop a throne of skulls. An Ambassador Grey, if you will.
All the powers in the world couldn’t convince me to review an ANYTHING Grey going strictly by Gongfu – an insistence upon English-style* steeping is part of why I called myself a Tea Barbarian in the first place – but there’s one further surprise there. Don’t tell Amanda, but this tea actually remains much more flavorful when taken Gongfu. It’s a very unique Grey variant, all-round."

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/09/whispering-pines-tea-co-earl-gold-tea.html

My very first cake. Got this on a recommendation and sat down to try it. Put on some sounds of the Orient to get y mind right and broke a good chunk off of this cake. Put it in my Gaiwan after preheating it and let it sit for a while and soak up some of the steam in there. When I opened the lid and smelled it, I for some vegetal along with some vanilla and some dark chocolate. Did a rinse and steeped it according to the instructions on the Whispering Pines website.I was blown away. Brown sugar and honey was present as was a camphor that hung around on my lips. This thing never quit, either. Did maybe 12 steeping before it finally lost some of ts flavor and became a little watered down. This will be one that I will keep stocked in my cupboard!

OK, I deleted my last review on this tea because of my own tasting mistake. This tasting came out perfect for me. This isn’t a chai that slaps you in the face with spices. The spices are there but they are more subtle than most chai’s I have had. The first thing that hits you is the floral aroma of this tea. Fruity, almost. I get hints of malt, bread, cocoa, and even some vanilla coming through, but again, it is subtle. Very smooth and creamy mouthfeel gives way to a finish of evergreen…almost a minty flavor. Very light in color and mouthfeel. Almost an orange yellow. This isnt your grandfathers chai, thats for sure!

So you know how we talk about tea drunk? Well, I was tea sloshed today after finishing my last reserved oolong tea from Shi’s family farm in from China that was only a week old when sent to me. Some strong stuff… but then I switched to this.
This tea in comparison to other phoenix oolongs is sweet and fruity. This is something I like since it is still summer, it goes real well with the weather right now. The brew of this is rather light and has a small amount of aroma that arises from the cup. However, the subtle taste of this tea becomes vibrant from the temperature of its liquid. This is a tea you would not want to drink warm or cold. Phoenix oolongs always make me smile as they warm my mood up :)

This is a delicious EG, no doubt. I did oversteep slightly as I was vacuuming while it steeped and it kind of took longer than I expected. So it is somewhat on the downslope towards bitter but not intolerably so and I’m relatively certain that if it hadn’t steeped so long it wouldn’t even be noticeable. After all, Golden Snail rules – how could a combo like this go wrong? But yeh, it isn’t for the blergamot crowd. The berg is fairly strong with this one. :)

Plus, the photo of the tea would have made me buy this even if it weren’t two things I love. Just gorgeous presentation of a beautiful looking and tasting tea.

I’m just one odd dude…

Here I am, all hyped up with speakers blasting that Rapzilla and drinking a roasted oolong!
It is kind of like I’m four months ahead of everyone else fighting off the lack of heat that others call cold weather. Of course I’m pushing the limits of going SSJ2 just by the mixture of good liquid entering my body giving me the ki I need, but add some sound waves that activate the electrical/chemical reactions needed to ellivates ones mood… I’m there.

Whatever, I’m just saiyan I am in a great mood (in my own dialect I suppose)

Liquid nom. Medium roasted TGY is much better than dark roasted because you can taste the olive color (do colors have taste) when you open up the leaf.

Before I review this, I should say that I am just beginning to get familiar with oolongs. I normally find my home in black tea. I am a fan of bold, strong teas.

The first infusion of this leaves me with the feeling that it is a solid and smooth entry into the world of oolong. I am not recognizing any of the flavors (such as barley and coconut) that others seem to have gotten. I am mostly getting a buttery vegetal/minerally type flavor. It is good though. Not too overpowering but not too weak. A nice solid balance.

Second infusion at 2 minutes is a little thinner, not as buttery, and a bit more floral.

Third infusion at 3 minutes. Whoa! The rich buttery scent and flavor comes back. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen it happen where a tea gets weaker upon multiple infusions and then gets stronger again. Impressive.

I think I am going to be a bit more inclined to try some other oolongs after this one. It is a good middle ground between black and green for me.