Whispering Pines Tea Company

This might be one of the most interesting teas I have ever had. It is making me CRAZY that I can’t pinpoint the exact herb/savory flavor that this so strongly reminds me of. It is food for sure. Makes me nuts.

Anyway, this is sweet while also being a bit savory and definitely has strong pine and herb components. I steeped it twice before needing to go to sleep and I enjoyed it very much. Here’s hoping I pinpoint the flavor or flavor combo that is evading me…

Alas, another black tea that I didn’t really enjoy. I think my tastebuds are changing and rejecting all the black teas :P

A big thank you to lolainred for sending me a sample of this one! I’ve loved every black tea I’ve tried from Whispering Pines and this one was no exception. It has a heady scent and rich, full-bodied flavor. Deep bittersweet chocolate is the main note, but I’m also picking up on some baked bread and malt…so delicious! And I’d be willing to bet this is one of those teas that I can keep on steeping all day long. (So I will…)

I have a long night of paperwork and homework ahead of me, and this tea is the perfect companion for that – soothing and calming, yet brisk and energizing! This way, my stress levels are kept at bay but I still have enough energy to forge ahead. Thank you, Jabberwocky, for coming through when I needed you the most!

No more mimsy cups of tea, indeed! I have been on the prowl lately for pure back teas that are strong enough for breakfast but interesting enough for me to enjoy at anytime of day – this is definitely one of those. In the first steeping, I’m getting that lovely french bread flavor with an underlying taste of plum. Plus, with a name like The Jabberwocky, what’s not to love here?

So damn Good!

Last night was the first night of the Dropzone Commander Tournament, but alas I did not play my game because my opponent because he had to take care of his baby, so instead I served the players tea. I have decided that mixing my passions is just a logical choice, luckily everyone seemed to like the tea, problem is I need more cups, but that problem is fixing itself as we speak. On the news of DZC, I won the league’s painting contest, so it is safe to say I am very pleased with myself, totally going to take my little award and hang it on my wall.

Today’s tea is a preview for a tea that Whispering Pines Tea Co will be stocking a small amount of in the near future, High Mountain Xinyang Maojian Green Tea! The name combines region and description of the leaf, it comes from Xinyang County in Henan, China and the Maojian part refers to the fuzzy leaf tips, yay for trichomes! I am going to start out by saying there are green teas and there are luminous teas that capture the essence of life…yeah, it is going to be one of those posts, so strap yourselves in. When I opened the pouch and scooped out the needed leaves, I let out a ‘whoa’ hopefully not sounding like Keanu Reeves, but I probably did, these leaves are crazy vibrant! They have beautiful silver fuzz which makes them almost look like they are shimmery, like the surface of water. Oh man, the aroma of these leaves is so fresh, like really super fresh, like did they just come straight from the field fresh! It blends notes of sweetly nutty chestnut and fresh green spinach, and the best part…like tea flowers. It smells like blooming tea flowers (I totally got to sniff them when I was in Charleston) they are subtle and honey sweet, smelling ethereal, just like this tea.

Into the gaiwan the leaves go, and they seem to become even greener somehow, which is impressive. The aroma of the now steeped and soggy leaves is so fresh and so green, blending clean mountain air, fresh growth, chestnuts, fresh asparagus, fresh spinach, and a distant hint of flowers, less tea flowers and more something slightly spicy like tulips. The liquid is also very clean, hmm, seeing a theme here? Blend a sense of cleanness with fresh spinach and asparagus, sweet peas, and a touch of growing bamboo for a very green smelling tea.

I am glad I was sitting down when I first took a sip of the first steep, because it is a tea that would have knocked me off my feet. It is so delicate while having such crisp and distinct notes, starting with a velvety smooth mouthfeel and moving right into a clean green sweetness. It reminded me of my favorite notes taken from Anji Bai Cha and Dragonwell and put into a super light tea. There are notes of sweet peas, chestnuts, a touch of spinach and a light note of asparagus, unlike a lot of Maojians I have tried, this one is only light on the savory, adding touches of sweetness and floral.

So, right after I finished that paragraph I wandered off to Tabletop to play my first tournament league, in case you are curious, I won on objectives, but my opponent did kill most my Scourge…my kill to death ratio is intensely bad! Also, as a side note, I had this tea in my travel steeper, it performed beautifully, no surprise there. Anyway, the second steep needs attention now, and the aroma of the gently steaming liquid is beautiful, it is the embodiment of clean mountain air, misty and green, fresh with new life in spring. Yes that is a silly poetic description, but this tea is one that fills my mind with images rather than with aroma notes, all teas do that to me, but some more strongly than others. The mouthfeel is just as velvety smooth as the previous steep, the taste more intense, starting off with sweet peas and chestnuts, the midtaste is smoothly green spinach and artichoke, with a tiny hint of mineral, much like spring water. The finish had a lingering note of floral, distant floral brought on a breeze rather than sitting next to a vase of flowers, meaning it was hard to identify.

For the third steep, oh man, the aroma is still so delightful, though I am able to piece together more than just images and emotions this time, there are notes of crisp vegetation, chestnut sweetness, and a finish of peas and asparagus. The taste is still pretty fantastic, going strong, it has a wonderful peaceful Cha Qi, this could be a great tea to meditate over, or to accompany you while doing something thoughtful (like painting and wargaming?) there are notes of asparagus and sweet pea, chestnut and a touch of bok choy at the finish. It is safe to say many steeps were had! The best part of this tea was sharing it, Brendan of WPT was awesome and shared some of this beauty with me, so letting my friends at gaming night try it seemed the perfect thing to do. They all agree, this tea is a thing of beauty.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/04/whispering-pines-tea-co-high-mountain.html

Greens have arrived at Whispering Pines!

Green teas aren’t usually my go to teas and I’m quite critical of them. I don’t like the grassiness and overly vegetal taste they often have.

Having said that, I do appreciate some of them, dragonwell being my favorite.

When I received this maojian to sample, I was really excited and curious about it. We all know that Brenden settles only for the best so if he decides to sell something, I have high expectations for it.

This tea doesn’t disappoint.

Perfect vibrant green leaves, they look like mini longjing sticks.

I used gongfu brewing method.

First steep and wow! How to describe it?

This is not your typical grassy green. It’s very sweet and fresh at the same time.

I get a sweet minty taste, with notes of artichokes maybe. Asparagus might be noticeable as well, those fresh crunchy asparagus you get early spring.

None of the seaweed saltiness often associated with greens.

Anise is present, but very very subtle. I feel that at the tip of my tongue.

I forgot steep three and it steeped for a good 3 minutes. I was expecting bitterness. But it seems impossible to mess up this tea, it was still sweet and delicious.

Warning though: this will provide some kick ass energy boost. DO NOT DRINK AT NIGHT like I did the first time I had it…Let’s just say I felt woozy for a while!!! ;-)

I’m very happy with this green, it’s a keeper!

Thanks for the generous sample Brenden :-)

Pics:

https://instagram.com/p/1wcWpRwh33/

https://instagram.com/p/1wdSdSQh5K/

https://instagram.com/p/1weEizQh6H/

One of my favorite teas, almost bought more before I finished the amount I had.

From the Sheng and Shou TTB.

Blech. This one is just not for me. The dry leaf was really pretty…twisty sheng leaf with a nice sheng smell. The brewed liquor, however, tastes like a really vegetal green tea, with some smokiness and bitterness. I’m not a fan of this kind of green tea flavor. So weird. Oh well, now I know! That’s what TTB’s are for, right?

This tea sums up why I don’t buy much shou, but why I still keep trying it.

After two rinses, the tea smelled wonderful. In fact I wanted to go back and drink the rinses. There was a lovely black raspberry aroma, with a hint of chocolate. While this flavor carried into the taste, it was accompanied by an underlying bitterness that I didn’t care for. I found myself dumping the tea because the bitterness overwhelmed the fruit. I kept steeping and while the fruit faded the bitterness faded much faster.

I’m on about my 9th steep now and it is really pleasant. Next time I’ll try 3 rinses.

I’m not generally a fan of shou, but this is the kind of tea that keeps me trying them.

Started with 2 5 s rinses. 1st steep at 210 degrees: Wow, this is potent. Filling the room with a powerful earthy aroma: wet loam with an undercurrent of ash. The taste is amazing: that loam/ash flavor with hints of fruit underneath. The finish starts with raspberries, but ends in bitterness. Sadly, as I drank, the bitterness seemed to overwhelm the fruit. I decided to use shorter than usual steeps and reduce the water temperature to 200 degrees: I love the smell. Taste is more subdued; I no longer sense the berries, just an earthy taste, but the bitterness is more acceptable. 3rd (10s): More fruit, less bitter. By the 4th steep (15s): The raspberry flavors seem to be winning the battle. I got another 6 steeps, which were pleasant, but not special: both the berry and bitterness faded.

I was really excited by the fruity flavors, but put off by the bitterness. Overall, it was an interesting and enjoyable experience. Someone who likes a bit of bitterness might love this.

Montly TTB.

This is my first tea by Whispering Pines, and unfortunately it doesn’t live up to the hype for me. I’m not sure if it’s the vanilla or the base itself that I’m objecting to, but I didn’t love this. The base is a light, smooth black with cocoa notes, but they don’t taste quite right to me. They taste artificial, which is odd since this doesn’t contain artificial flavoring at all. Well, it was nice to try anyway. I’ve been really curious about Whispering Pines teas, but they’re very expensive. At least I won’t waste money on a tea I don’t care for.

Oh Golden Snail, how much I love thee. This has grown to become one of my favorite black teas, hands down. Maybe not the smartest choice for a midnight cuppa, but in this case my strong craving trumped all logic. Tragically, what I have in my cup right now is the last of it :( Rather than order more of the pure Yummy Golden Goodness, I’ve just placed an order from Whispering Pines for the Earl Gold and the El Dorado Chai, which both use my dear heart as a base. I’m waiting impatiently for my order to come so I can witness firsthand how well my love plays with others ;)

Still loving this tea. It kept me company the other night as I finished painting and sanding my coffee table. This was the first time that I steeped it more than once, and both steepings were delightful! It’s continuing to grow on me :)

After seeing the rave reviews this tea’s been getting on Steepster, I just had to order an ounce for myself. It’s delicious! The first steeping gave me notes of caramel and honey, with a thick and smooth mouthfeel. I’m hooked.

I brought this one to the hospital with me, i’ve been drinking it up for the past few days because hospital tea sucks. i’m gonna have to order a new when i get out of here.
As usual damn good tea.

i didn’t see the cake for this one when I posted this but here it is now so i copy and paste, hehe :)
anyways i brews this s**t up dark and strong and it looks like some coffee and make me feel real nice, will keep me awake for a late night dialysis session.
eleventy one points for this one!
https://instagram.com/p/1PXePMkwFO/?taken-by=tommytoadman
maybe you can see my pic on instagram :)
Goo-goo Gajoob!

This tea is awesome! I was lucky enough to snag two ounces from Whispering Pines when it went up for sale. When i opened the package the aroma hits you; true vanilla. But the vanilla isn’t over powering its just there to compliment the other flavors the Dian Hong and the Fujian Xiao Zhong have to offer. I would highly recommend this tea.

This tea is quite delicious!

We got this tea in a sample from Whispering Pines Tea in our order of Golden Snail. I have to say its quite unique and does have a bit of fruity undertones.

Superb!