Whispering Pines Tea Company

I have the day off today for an unfortunate reason. I hope to take advantage of it and be extra productive today. With the colder weather reminding me of home I thought this one would be the kick I needed to get going. Love this one!

I have had so many teas that I have yet to try. I am preparing for my first swap so I thought I would try a few of them to dictate how much I want to keep. This will be an opportunity to learn what I enjoy and pass on what I don’t.

With the weather finally cooling down, this is a perfect fall tea. It indeed smells like a campfire. The taste is interesting. I don’t know what “smoky” is but I believe that this tea is a smoky tea? It almost wraps me in memories of sitting around the campfire with the smell of pine teas surrounded by family. It took me a while and most of the population may not get this. There are different types of fires and they have distinct smells. When I reached the end of this cup, it dawned on me that this mostly reminded me of a sauna. This makes sense as usually we would swim all day, clean up in the sauna, then have family time around the fire. Definitely brought me back home (I’m a dislocated yooper).

In my opinion this is a beautiful, well crafted, thoughtful, flavorful tea. Thank you Whispering Pines!

I tried to review this tea twice the last two days and the dashboard was frozen. :( I am doing the review from memory now because last night was a sipdown.

Dry: Long dark twists of tea leaves with some shorter pieces mixed in. Appears to be a blend of at least two that are light and airy and thick and furled. The leaf did not appear purple to me, but was rich and dark in appearance and in scent with dark chocolate and honey-sweet wisps. I am a HUGE Alice in Wonderland fan, so I had to have this tea as soon as I saw its name.

Steeped: Rich and dark clear liquor, but the bag said to use 1 TBSP for 1 cup of water. That uses a TON of tea for a 24oz teapot considering that most of the others average 1/2 to 1 TSP per cup. I was wondering if it meant to say teaspoon after all because it never came out quite right with the recommended measurement when the temperature is exactly 205 and the time is exactly 3 minutes. All of my other teas from this vendor have been spot-on though.

Taste: Honestly, I think overleafed is the best description unfortunately. Initially there is a burst of dark chocolate, a hint of floral, wood, and malt. I can tell there is a lot of potential, but there is a touch of a bitter bite because I think there is just too much dry leaf in the water. The best cup I made was when I used slightly less and was able to differentiate the above notes. I think I could have liked this one if I had more than an ounce to play with, but its okay because I still love basically every other tea from WP I’ve tried. :)

So I got this as one of the three samples in the WP sample offer. And while I’ve tried the other two already, this one I was saving for something special, since it seemed like that sort of tea. I figured nursing a cup while watching my brand new Winter Soldier bluray after work was as good a time as any. XD
I may have under leafed this simply because I couldn’t really get 1 1/2 tsp out of it and still have enough for another cup. (Sorry Brendan, but my tbsp just wasn’t a full tbsp. Lol.)
So onto the brew. It’s cocoa-y and vanilla and oh so tasty smelling. Actual taste wise….I’m getting something similar to cocoa puff milk only with water used instead of milk. Watered down bitter-ish chocolate. Kinda ugh to be honest (/avoids the incoming stones/). Yes yes I know that this one is practically everyone’s baby here, but that’s just what my tastebuds are telling me. I added some truvia because it wasn’t sweet to me and I’m not sure if I just didn’t add enough or what, but it didn’t seem to make too much of a difference honestly. But then, I was afraid of over-sweetening it and then being unable to even drink it, so I ended up playing it safe.
I did get a tart cherry sort of taste to it, which was what I ended up focusing on after awhile. I probly should’ve added more sweetener at that point, but I kinda didn’t want to get off the couch at that point since it was just getting to the helicarriers. Sooooo. XD The very end of the cup was rather gritty but I think that was just the bits of vanilla bean or something? I dunno.
I still have another cup’s worth left and maybe I’ll try a lower temp? Or longer steep? Or shorter? Who knows. I’m even debating doing a steep in warm milk because why the heck not? Lol!

Edit – So I did a second steeping @ 5 min that was better than the first steep, in my opinion. It was more chocolate-y and vanilla without the tart cherries note or any bitterness that I could tell. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to finish the cup before bed/it got cold. But when I tried it cold it tasted like very similar to hot cocoa, though made with water. So I wonder how this would be cold brewed. Not that I’d actually want to drink this as a cold tea, but it makes me wonder nonetheless. XD

OH MY GOSH!!! I TASTE THE BREAD!!!

It’s only my first sample from the lovely Ost (and my first taste of anything from Whispering Pines) and I am already being enlightened. I’ve been reading “baked bread” in a lot of reviews lately and kind of had that “hmph…yeah right…” reaction every time. Like…I can’t believe that tea can taste like bread (don’t judge me for my newbie-ness). It just boggles my mind in an I-totally-love-this kind of way.

And to be honest, I’m so taken aback by the bread part that I don’t know that I can pick up on anything else. Certainly suitable for breakfast! It feels like I would enjoy this right around afternoon snack time, as well.

Okay, I got a problem. I had this tea yesterday and didn’t leave a review because I had mixed feelings about it. It started off okay. I could smell the vanilla and pick up the vanilla notes. Yes, very good but after having Cocoa Amore, all I could think of was I liked that base better. Very bad of me to have Cocoa Amore first. Then as the cup cooled down it became more chocolate vanilla fudge. Sweet too! So I held off rating until I had a second cup which I am having this morning. My problem? I only have enough leaves left after this cup for one more cup!!! :-(
This morning, I could smell the chocolate right away. Heavenly. All through the cup I was thinking it was like having a cup of chocolate fudge in the morning. Soooo good but actually better. No milk (I hate milk) and no sugar. Yes, I get the vanilla and I get the chocolate. Amazing tea! I can’t imagine having this everyday because it’s too decadent but for those week-end mornings when I have time to relax. Mmmmmm. I’ve been sitting here sipping this thinking what a great Christmas gift it would make even for non-tea drinkers. Actually for anyone who loves chocolate. Would it be improper to put a note with the gift saying “If you don’t like this tea, please give it back and I will find a good home for it.” (like YEAH MY HOME) ? LOL

I will have to give the Cocoa Amore another try this week-end. Thanks to Brenden for such a fine tea and to all those who left reviews. I’m not a black tea drinker – CORRECTION – I wasn’t a black tea drinker until I was converted by these teas (plus a couple more I’ve tried in the last few months). I wouldn’t have bought these otherwise. Another thing amazing about this and CA is that I don’t get jittery. I find so many black teas are very high in caffeine but these don’t seem to be.

Here’s Hoping Traveling Teabox Round #3 – Tea #13
Why do I have a feeling the Whispering Pines blends will just keep getting better? This one is nicely done. No chocolate here but WP has some mighty chocolatey leaves when they are on their own. Plenty of fresh mint and a nice balance of spices. The cup has a scent of chocolate even before taking a sip. This is a very unique blend! I used a little bit less than two teaspoons and the only complaint with this tea is that the black tea is almost a little too light. Both cups had a yellow color to the cup… not exactly like a black tea! But I wouldn’t change the black tea used at all.
Steep #1 // few min after boiling // 3-4 min
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4-5 min

Finally I got to try this tea after hearing loads of amazing reviews. I wasn’t sure if I would love it since I’ve only started liking some black teas recently (very few) but from the description it seemed I would. I only got a sample size. In the bag it smelled so good: chocolate & vanilla. Mmmmmm. Brewed it according to Brenden’s directions. It was so chocolatey! It’s hard to believe that comes from the tea only. I could smell it and taste it. Yum! It also had notes that were similar to a Li-Shan black tea I’ve had before: bready, sweet , malty. couldn’t pick up any cherry notes but that may be because of my untrained palate. However, I also didn’t get much or any vanilla notes. I tried to shake the sample up a bit to distribute the vanilla pieces but maybe I just didn’t get any in the spoon. I could definitely smell vanilla in the bag but it didn’t come through in the taste. The tea was excellent but holding off rating until I have this again. It may just be a fluke that I didn’t get any vanilla notes.

Had this tea this afternoon. It was my very first WP tea. I really enjoyed this tea. It is so delicate and light but full of flavour. Sweet & nutty with just a very light jasmine note. The pine note was even lighter. Sometimes I would pick one up and sometimes the other; then sometimes together. Enjoyed it enough to go for a 2nd infusion but it wasn’t as flavourful as the first.

Hello, Sweetie!

This is smooth, like buttah! I also tried the Ontario 1357 from WP last night, but I am gonna write a review on that later. It’s a heck of a ride!

This seems a little more mellow. It has a very pronounced mildness and interesting feeling, like velvety ribbons. The earthiness is almost non-existent. I only needed one rinse. I taste and smell a little cocoa and some mushroominess. I feel a little woo woo after 3 steeps, but I’m not dancing on the tables or anything.

I think this would make a nice tea for after a meal or anytime that a subtle and relaxing feeling is desired.

My last pot of this. Working from home this morning, as I am not feeling too hot today. Couldn’t sleep, and I have a bit of a tickle in my throat. Hopefully just a drainage thing, and not a cold, but we will see.

I can taste some of the honey tones mentioned this morning, that’s pretty nifty. I might sweeten one of my cups with actual honey and see how it tastes.

Oh no! I am now confused and afraid. I ordered this, and it doesn’t say it has rooibus on the Whispering Pines website, but it does say it on Steepster. I am assuming/hoping the website is correct. I can’t drink Rooibos. sadface It hurts me.

I’m staring at my cup wondering if I should drink it now. Made a whole pot :(

The leaves are cool looking. It looks like someone spilled tea on the floor of a woodworker’s shop, and then swept it up and decided to brew it anyway. But in a good way. A much better way than that sounds.

The couple sips I have had taste good…

I’m not sure why this one has gone neglected in my cupboard for so long. One of life’s mysteries, I suppose! The first sip reminds me of Bluebird’s MojiTEA, only with a stronger and deeper flavour. I think the difference is partly in the base tea — this is black whereas the Bluebird is green. I also get lemon here and lime in the Bluebird, but both have the distinctive herbal-hay-citrus flavour of lemongrass, and both are drinks to be sipped in the sun! Bluebird on the beach, and the WP in a sunlight dappled forest on a warm spring day. I love that WP teas are so evocative. It’s obvious that a lot of thought and care goes into putting blends together, and that they’re inspired by strong, distinctive memories or occurences.

I used 1tsp of leaf for this cup, and gave it 2.5 minutes in boiling water. Cautious, I think, but I like starting small and working upwards, especially with teas I’m uncertain of. The liquor is a golden brown, and the main flavour is, surprisingly, pine smoke. In my initial sips, I was picking up mainly lemon with a hint of citrus from the lemongrass. It was quite light and and very fresh tasting, with a strong hint of mint. Successive sips seem to build the flavour to more of a darker intensity, which is where the pine and smoke notes come out. The mint remains in the aftertaste, and offers a refreshing counterpoint to the heavier, more resinous flavours.

I’m not usually a fan of smoky teas, but this is another surprise hit with me. I think perhaps because the smoke is so well done in WP teas — it’s integrated well, never overdone or heavy handed, and it always sits well with the mood and atmosphere the overall cup is trying to generate. I think I’m officially a WP convert!

I found the rooibos in this one by shaking the bag up. I think it had all fallen to the bottom! I wouldn’t call this one a favourite — it’s just too smoky for me, really — but it’s nice to challenge my tea tastes once in a while. I do wish the rooibos and the elderberries contributed more to the taste, because I have a feeling I’d like this one a whole lot better if that were the case. Given that I couldn’t stomach pu’erh at all at one point, though, I think I’m making reasonable progress. Not a repurchase, but interesting to have tried!

I’m becoming less afraid of pu’erh teas as time goes on. I wasn’t at all convinced by my first two, but as I’ve tried more, I wrinkle my nose less and less when I’m drinking them. Surely a good sign! I don’t have many black teas with me at work at the moment, so I pulled this out as a reasonable substitute for a cold, dull morning. It’s my first week back at work after my week’s holiday, so it’s been busy and stressful and more or less completely awful. A good strong tea is just the thing I need.

I was cautious with the leaf and brew time of this one, for a first try. I used 1 tsp and added it to boiling water for about 2.5 minutes. I figure I can always work upwards from here, but I wanted to break myself in gently. The liquor is a golden red-brown.

The main flavour is definitely earth. Damp, composty earth. There’s also a hint of smoke, although it’s not overpowering. It puts me in mind of a bonfire on a damp autumn night. There’s a coolness towards the end of the sip that’s making me think of mint, or menthol. That, too, is fleeting, but pleasant all the same. I’m not really getting any of the berries or sweetness mentioned in the description, but I guess a longer brew time with more leaf might bring those flavours out. Other than the liquor colour, I’m also not picking up any rooibos. I can’t say I saw any amongst the dry leaf, though, so perhaps my bag just needs a good shake! What I will say is that this is such a pretty tea. The red safflower petals make such a distinctive contrast with the dusky black-brown leaves and black-red elderberries. I like that they were inspired by a red fox in a forest, too — very atmospheric!

I’m looking forward to experimenting with this one a little more — varying leaf amounts and brew times until I find a balance that works for me. I’d never have thought a smoky pu-erh would be a tea I’d find myself enjoying, but there you go. This one has obviously been put together with such care that it’s hard not to like. A surprise hit :)

Sipdown!

This is exactly what I needed this morning after a night of weird dreams that don’t make sense and keep you half-awake the whole time. They make me kinda grumpy and Golden Orchid really helped to take the edge off.

Not in a huge hurry to reorder this as I have an insane number of other teas to finish, but will definitely pick this up again with my next WP haul.

Excellent!

The notes seem to change quite significantly depending on the steeping parameters though. Made it a few times with slightly differing temperatures, timing and vessels (yixing teapot, ceramic teapot and infuser flask) and each cup has been really quite different. Varies from choc-vanilla French pastry to malty dark cocoa cracker to slightly peppery cherry fudge.

I can’t quite remember what parameters yield which results so it’s almost like a new experience every time. One time though, it was a cold day and for a few hours there was a bit of liquid left amongst the leaves in my yixing from an earlier brew. Not wanting to waste it, I drank it and wow, it was like a cold super concentrated vanilla liquor with zero bitterness at all.

I find myself coming back for cup after cup of this multiple times a day, and while it’s not entirely obsession-level love, there are twelve other Whispering Pines teas I have yet to try and I’m sure at least one of them will inspire that enduring, unending tea love I’ve been searching for.

My first Whispering Pines tea!

My first whiff of the dried leaf strongly reminded me of dried cranberries and nori.

Then I thought I followed directions by putting 1/2 tsp in a cup of water. Later as I was thinking Brendan must like his tea weak, I realized the bag actually said tbsp. doh.
I will use less water on the resteep.

The scent of this tea is crusty whole wheat and rye bread. Crusty on the verge of burning even. I love my bread crust like that. Mmm bread. I also get the dark cocoa, but it’s more savory than sweet. Man I’m hungry.
I gulped this down pretty quick. Now I’m warm. :) let’s see if I can get more flavor out of these leaves with less water this time.

Mmm steep 2 is warm toasted bread sprinkled with dark cocoa. Lovely.
Excellent tea for the price. It will be perfect once winter rolls around.

Mj sent me a sample of this one because, a while back, I was ruminating over making some myself since I had both the teas in the blend. However, I would need to try some first to know what taste I was going for. I had actually totally forgotten about the whole thing, until I saw this little samples in mj’s swap package with the words “for experiments”. Thanks dear! :P The leaves are small to medium in size and very dark. They’re thin and quite twisty. Dry, they smell like delicious cocoa goodness (hah, that Cavalla again) and it’s making me want to eat them… I steeped mine for 3 minutes in 200 degree water.

I can smell both teas in the brewed aroma – the breadiness and malt from the Keemun along with the fruitiness and floral from the Ailaoshan. The same is true in the taste for me. I’m relieved that the bread flavor is very strong here, as I was worried that it might get overpowered by the fruit. There’s also a lot of maltiness, and then the lovely dried fruit and caramelized brown sugar from the Ailaoshan. I also get a little bit of floral near the end. Based on the overall taste here, I’m guessing either a 50/50 split or maybe like a 60/40 with the Keemun being the majority. Unfortunately I don’t have any of the Keemun right now, so I’ll keep the other half of my sample for when I do. :)

I know this is a long review. Sorry but I still think you should read all of it. Just saying.

So. Shou. I kind of have a thing for it.

I drink it everyday and have lots of favourites. I have been known to have shou boxes in the house. (See what I did?) That was before I copied MzPriss and make my own “pumidrawer”. Cause you know…who doesn’t want to be like the fabulous MzPriss?

So it is established that I have a huge amount of shou in da house. But. As you probably know, I can’t resist many of the WP teas. I just go where quality is.

And I had yet to try this one. MzPriss recently reviewed it, and I was kind of envious. She got a real shou buzz out of it. I wanted that too!! But hey, you just don’t order a shoubuzz like you order a pizza.

I had already gotten a nice buzz from a sheng earlier. Pinky cheeks and all. Very nice qi. But not over the top.

There was still room for more. So…could I get lucky twice in the same evening?

Well. That is an understatement folks. This stuff should be illegal.

First I will describe the taste, then the qi. (Cause really, I could devote an entire page to it)

The dry leaves look like “chocolat au lait” shavings, so pretty.

I’m using 7g for 5oz shou yixing (shouxing?)

First steep, and wow. I mean this is as soft and smooth as angel wings. Makes me regret wasting the rinse.

No trace of earthiness or even leather in this. It’s all nuts and creamy vanilla. At first, I thought roasted pecans. When I later read the description, it said walnuts and I think it’s more accurate.

It’s sweet, in a dark brown sugar kind of way. It also provides that fresh mouthfeel of camphor that coats your entire mouth and lingers on your lips.

The third steep was probably the best. A little powdery, still very nutty and creamy.

I stopped at around steep seven, and I can tell you that by then, all I could do was lay on my back and enjoy the feeling.

The qi. It made my body twinkle all over. This tea is pure warm energy. I could feel my blood circulate. It made me tea drunk in a way I have never experienced before. Oh, I have felt this way before, but I promise you it wasn’t from tea leaves. (O.O)

And I kept thinking how nice this feeling will be on upcoming lazy rainy days. I’m gonna need
a lot more of this.

If you already like shou, this will only make you like it even more. And to all non shou lovers, please hurry and give this a try.

P.S. There should be a warning on the pouch: don’t shou and drive.

Tea of the morning. This tea is cozy… comforting. It’s a Lapsang Souchong, so the smoked pine note is there, but it isn’t overpowering. A sweet honey-like flavor is there through the whole sip, and it mixes with the smokey note in such a lovely way. I’m definitely a fan.

Thanks, kimquat for sending this in our swap. It’s really good!

September Sipdown: 12

I am writing this from bed, happily soothed by this unbelievably beautiful tea.

I am seriously astonished by this tea. It really floored me. I mix a lot of my own herbals, and to get the kind of depth that this tea brings to the table, I usually have to do a 4-8 hour infusion. Even though the tasting notes say sweet, I got a very deep savoriness from this. It reminds me of my slow-simmered bone broth. This is a very good thing: it has the same kind of feel and healing weight of a rich stock.

I brewed this tea, and decided to drink it out in my backyard. It is a cool, gloomy afternoon, I think fall is finally at the doorstep – the clouds have taken that deeper tone of grey that comes with encroaching autumn. The crows, too, call a little more urgently and harshly, which seems to happen as they sense the air shifting. This day feels perfect for this tea, this deep, rich tea. Elderberries always evoke autumn for me, too.

Anyway. I plan on drinking a number of cups of this over the next few days, to try to kick out whatever virus has taken up full residence in my body for the last few weeks. Rest, tea, and some netflix binge-watching should set me up right.