Whispering Pines Tea Company

Backlogging from the weekend…

Ugh, I really screwed up. I tried to pull up the brewing directions on my phone and it wouldn’t show properly…so I used 1tsp for 8oz. It was weak :(

I hope I have enough left in my swap sample to try again. Boo!

I have two samples of this in my house – the lovely TheTeaFairy was kind enough to send me some, and then Brendan included this as a sample with my order. Thank you very much to both of you.

This is wasted on me. Sorry guys, can’t do it – I can not get past the pine/eucalyptus/cedar, whatever that tree taste is. I’m not getting any saffron, very little vanilla – it’s just lost behind the tree taste.

Maybe I’m too much of a city girl to appreciate this…..

Lewis and Clarke TTB

So excited to finally get to try this.
First steep is light and sweet, honey, nectar, bread, and caramel, silky smooth mouth feel.

The second steep starts to get a bit darker. Honey, bread, caramel, but now there’s also raisins and a touch of cocoa hiding at the edges. I accidentally forgot this one and left it steeping for 10 minutes with no bitterness or astringency.

Wow honey. The third steep is like pure honey and nectar. I’m at my dad’s and using his microwave to heat the water so it’s probably only ~185F. But it’s still delicious.

I went back to one of my staples this morning and it was delicious, as always. I honestly don’t think I will ever find a more tasty vanilla tea. It is so perfectly REAL with a lovely black base that nothing else can compare. It is my favorite flavored tea and also helps to satisfy my sweet tooth when I have one. Thus, it can never be discontinued. Never. EVAR! :D

I have been enjoying my Whispering Pines orders all week but haven’t had a chance to actually write out a detailed review of anything when Steepster has been up. Today is no exception and I have to leave soon, but let me just say that I made GO as a latte this morning and it is so delicious! For vanilla lovers, it is perfection. I will buy this tea again and again. <3

I am incredibly happy right now because I finally found my favorite vanilla tea- and it’s my birthday, too! This is vanilla- not the fake powdery stuff so often found in flavored teas, but rather the complex and true vanilla that can be enjoyed when one is separating vanilla beans. And like that isn’t already enough, this tea also has chocolate and other lovely notes to enjoy in the same cup. I will write a more formal review later this week, but I am in love and will be reordering for sure.

Getting mail is usually my favorite part of the day, I get packages of tea from all over the world, I get books from Goodread’s First Read program which is usually awesome, and sometimes I get presents from my friends and family on the other side of the country. But there are some days when the mail betrays me and brings me an unexpected and gut wrenching medical bill that I have no idea how I will afford. So much for doing anything fun for the next couple months, so lame, I clearly need a tea that will cheer me up!

Today’s tea fits that description perfectly, Golden Orchid by Whispering Pines Tea Co is one of the few teas that not only puts me in a good mood, it makes me feel better. A blend of their North Winds tea (which is a blend of Chinese Yunnan Dian Hong and Chinese Fujian Black Tea) and hand-chopped Grade A Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Beans. If that sounds incredibly decadent to you, well, I am certainly not going to say you are wrong. The aroma is so intensely rich and so incredibly sweet, it is a blend of sweet vanilla (real vanilla, not vanilla extract smell) with a warm cocoa, a touch of honey, a pinch of cream, and a finish of sweet dried cherries. I admit when I first sniffed this teas I just kinda sat there in awe, I do not say this very often, but the aroma blend was perfection.

Before I get too much farther into reviewing this tea, if you have not, you should read Whispering Pine’s tea descriptions! They are inspired by the creator’s experiences in Northern Michigan (and occasional Middle Earth) and they might be the most transportive descriptions I have had the pleasure of reading, even though they are about Michigan, they remind me of my time in the North Woods of Minnesota, so it touches a very special place in my heart. The now soggy leaves are a swirling sweet blend of creamy sweet vanilla and cocoa, it wafts out of my gaiwan and seems to coat the entire tea area in sweetness. Sniffing further into the leaves I can detect notes of cocoa, sweet potatoes, pepper, and of course vanilla. The liquid is intensely creamy with notes of vanilla, cocoa, a touch of cherries, and a tiny bit of pepper at the finish.

When I sip this tea, I feel the need to go Greek and lounge, or at the very least slouch in my chair, because this tea makes my head spin. When I brew it I use a pseudo-gongfu, I use my gaiwan set (because I want tiny sips) but I brew it similar to Western style using less leaf than I usually would and letting it steep longer. The taste starts out rich with notes of cocoa mixing cocoa butter creaminess and rich dark chocolate, this is accompanied by sweet caramelized sugar. At the beginning there is a hint of rich vanilla that builds around the mid-taste, this explodes into a sweet, creamy crescendo at the end which blends perfectly with the finishing notes of malt and pepper. The aftertaste is vanilla, and it lingers for quite a while. A fun thing about this tea that makes me giggle is the slightly tingly mouthfeel from the golden tea’s fuzzies, teas with fuzzy trichomes make me immensely happy.

The second steep’s aroma has even more of a vanilla presence than the first, it almost smells like creamy vanilla icecream…you know, the good stuff that has bits of vanilla bean in it, that was always my favorite vanilla. The taste takes a cue from the aroma and starts off with a strong vanilla presence, it is joined in the mid-taste by notes of roasted peanuts, sweet potatoes, caramel, and of course a strong cocoa finish. The cocoa and vanilla have a gentle finish together and both linger into the aftertaste. This tea very much so double features as a dessert tea and a feel good decadent tea, it has become my new morning wake up sip, and I jokingly told the proprietor that it cured my Fibromyalgia. It is wonderful to find teas that taste good, I have found hundreds that I enjoy and certainly dozens that I love, but I have only found a few that make me feel good physically, spiritually, and mentally…this tea joins that lofty few.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/08/whispering-pines-tea-co-golden-orchid.html

I ended up in the cowboy boot store on my lunch hour today. I came home to this shoo. The dry leaf had a very slight shoo aroma. I gave it a quick rinse @ 205, let it sit for a bit and started with a 1 minute steep. WHOA – it’s as black as Jerry Jones’ heart.

The first sip took me right back to the cowboy boot store with a nice smooth leather taste – yes, it tasted JUST like the boot store smelled. This is a big-ish leather, but not overwhelming like some. It has had time to age and smooth and it’s just lovely.

Subsequent steeps of 20s, 30s, 45s and then 1 minute and 2 minutes and it is still going. The leather has mellowed though still present. I’m enjoying the mellow body sensation – this was exactly what I needed this afternoon.

I stayed out late seeing one of my favorite musicians, Dave Alvin last night and this tea reminds me a bit of Dave’s voice – well aged, leathery and delicious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSU9vIzFCzk

And here’s a pic: http://instagram.com/p/rvJkVHQx20/?modal=true

Oh, the Hatter came up with a good one here….
Being one who likes to make their premium teas last as long as possible, I made my cup with the full tablespoon of leaves, but also a run through with just over a teaspoon. Both ways made an absolutely magical cup of tea (I didn’t even have to fall down the rabbit hole…. although, on most days, I feel as if I already have…).
Brown sugar, bread crust (that really crusty French kind…), cocoa, and the light notes of stonefruit… it’s all there!
With both amounts of leaves, I steeped at least 3 times and loved every bit of it.
While I’m sure the flavours really popped with the full tablespoon, for me, it’s good to know that I can tone back the leaf if I want to make it stretch.

Utterly delightful in every way. :)

Method: The first time, I made this exactly as the instructions stated. The tea had an amazing aroma, but the flavor was just too subtle for me. So today –
3/4 tbsp, 8 oz, 190 degrees, 3 minutes, brew in mug strainer, constellation cup

Aroma: This smells like some kind of sweet dessert. It has a very familiar aroma, but I can’t quite place it, which is driving me nuts!

Flavor: Sweet and fruity, again like a dessert. I want more. MORE!!!!! It’s lovely, but I definitely think I will do 1 full TBSP next time, and see how that tastes. I may increase the time also. I think this is lovely, but I could personally use a stronger flavor. In. Yo. Face.

http://instagram.com/p/ruS2mCPkd8/

Another backlog and sipdown, but this will be a reorder for sure yet again. I frickin’ love it. I do wish it was less expensive as it is one of my most pricey blends, if you are looking for a naturally delicious cocoa and cherry profile in your cup, this is is the tea for you. Seriously, it is yum without being cloying or artificial in the slightest. I don’t know how Brenden did it, but he did it right.

I’m still here! I’ve been having to pull extra shifts due to all the winter weather warnings. I am not kidding when I say that NONE of these winter storms have resulted in anything dramatic here around Atlanta (other than people acting even more idiotic then they usually do. ) Now if we were in Boston or any of those other places that were really slammed, then there would be a good reason to literally empty the grocery shelves and drive like they are escaping the zombie apocalypse.. but it has been mostly a lot of rain. I kid you not.

Anyway, I’ve had a lot of tea that I haven’t been around to post about. I’ll backlog post on sipdowns, but other than that I am moving forward. I am enjoying this cherry-cocoa blend currently. The dry leaf kind of smells like Cocoa Puffs or something.. a fruity-chocolate cereal of some sort. The brewed leaf is naturally sweet, a gentle cherry that doesn’t taste artificial, and of course the cocoa is prominent. I finished my old bag of it, so next time will be the Cyber Monday version, which smells the same from the now unsealed package. I am on my second steep and the tea holds up okay, but it does lose the cherry nuances with future steeps and starts to taste a little watery. Hope everyone is staying warm and dry out there!

I’ve already reviewed this one a couple of times, but as far as flavored teas go- it rocks my socks. Today it is malty cocoa and dark red (real) cherries, not the medicinal fake flavor that can be found in many products. With a 2nd steep, the cocoa becomes a more muted darker chocolate. This one is not overly sweet and is very enjoyable overall. I wish it was less expensive (and it calls for a lot of tea each use), but probably not one I’d want to drink every day anyway because it is not a commonplace blend. Hope everyone is having a good week!

Had this cocoa treat yesterday morning, but Steepster wasn’t loading properly at the time. It seems to be working today, so fingers crossed! This tea is sweet and truly reminds me of chocolate right from the first sip. I saw some reviews that indicate that WP teas are overhyped and I agree that there is no tea that tastes like liquid fudge or ice cream, but this one is pretty darn delicious nevertheless. Happy Sunday!

My first Whispering Pines package arrived! GO should hopefully arrive tomorrow. I can’t wait to try it. Can’t. Wait!

In the meantime, this tea is fantastic! It reminds me of Laoshan Black with the dark chocolate aroma/taste and the tea is very flavorful and rich. So glad I was able to try it as it will need to be a reorder for sure. I asked my husband if he wanted to partake. He sniffed the bag he gave me a thumbs up. I was hesitant to make a whole big pot if he didn’t like it because it isn’t the cheapest tea. He laughed and replied, “Enjoy it! Are you saving it for the Dutchess or something?” Lol, but he does have a point. I am always so inclined to horde tea that I really love and I need to stop. So I steeped a large teapot worth and was glad for it. I’d rather spend the moola to have a lot of a tea that I really love than a lot of teas that I am meh about.

I will post a more in-depth review when I have some time later this week, but it is rich, dark chocolately, and malty with a touch of sweet fruitiness. Yum! I tried it straight and with agave added and it is quite good both ways- the flavor profile is more notably chocolate with nothing added and the cherry profile makes more of an appearance with sweetener. Great tea!

This is really all I have to say about this tea!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPQEg0M4sFA

Malty, sweet, just a bit of a kick (the first steep), hints of chocolate, and baked bread lovliness…. mmmmmmm!
I managed to sip away while sitting outside and sketching… the weather is very fall like today, with amazing clouds. As I drank, I was sort of worried I’d get chucked in the head with an apple (Aragorn is not one for second breakfasts….), but this second breakfast was undisturbed and completely peaceful. :)
I steeped this three times (I may even do another…), and the third cup was very ‘baked bread’, with a delightful sweet aftertaste.
SO happy I ordered this.