Whispering Pines Tea Company

These tea leaves smell incredible. Sadly, I found the taste of the brew was extremely weak. I followed the directions of brewing 1/2 tbsp @ 212F for 5mins. I even tried it the second time with extra tea and more brew time. Still, watery tasting. Perhaps I got a bad batch or something? I may give this another try in the future, but for now I cannot recommend it.

Je t’aime Cocoa Amore! (I know I know I’m mixing my French and Italian)

The smell of juicy sweet plump cherries wafts up from this tea upon opening the bag followed by rich sweet chocolate.

I drank this after several steeps of GO and was nervous about expanding into the full world of Vanilla Dreams? What if I’d built it up in my mind? What if GO was a one off fluke and I just bought all this tea that wouldn’t live up to the promise Golden Orchid made me?

But my Amore, she did not disappoint. In fact… * gasp * I may indeed like her even better than GO. She is even more intense and passionate. Like a sexy flamenco dancer dressed in vibrant red.

I drank 4 infusions of CA and though it morphed and evolved it never got weak. Those luscious chocolate cherries. I had my last cup over 4 hours ago and it’s flavor is fresh in my mind. In all her desserty glory it never forgets that she is first and for most a tea. The chocolate and cherry rises organically from the tea, enhancing it not masking it.

I’m already in bed, ready to go to sleep but I want to go make another cup of this so badly. It’s going to take a lot of self restraint to stay in bed and not wander into the kitchen in the middle of the night.

Wow. Just wow.

Thank you steepster for introducing me to so many amazing teas.

Thanks Cameron B for letting me try the non-rooibos version of this tea.

I actually drank this one yesterday but was too lazy to log it at the time. SO MUCH BETTER WITHOUT THE ROOIBOS! Very yummy actually :D

I sometimes sweeten teas when I’m at home, so I tried it that way. Very s’mores a licious. heh. I actually quite enjoyed the smokey element.

Ohhhhh, that explains it. I finally tried this one over the weekend. I didn’t know what it was but that something in the blend didn’t agree with me. It is icky icky rooibos! My archnemesis!!! Sorry Marzipan and thanks for the sample. I’ve got a couple of cups left, if anyone would like them.

Thanks Cameron B for the sample. The wet leaf of this smells similar to the smell I get from puerhs (pond water, but I’m starting to think that what I think of as pond water, y’all call wet earth, and I can accept that). There’s also a cocoa note hidden in there.

I’m almost positive that this is my first Keemun. I’m very happy to report that I didn’t detect any smoke. I did sweeten it so that might have contributed to it, but either way I’m not a smoke fan so I’m glad I don’t taste any. What I get is chocolate and bread and malt. I just can’t get over how much I like black teas. I thought I hated them, but I was so wrong. Never judge a book by its cover, and never judge a tea genre on its cheap bagged tea dust. I don’t know if it’s just because black teas are still “new” to me, but I think they’re becoming my favorite tea.

As you may know by now, I love taking tea and nature photos. I’m just a casual photographer with no special skills, but I like to capture life’s unexpected blissful moments. One morning this week, I checked out my window and this is what I saw:

http://instagram.com/p/rHsiYJQh_C/

The beauty in this world…simple pleasures, big rewards…such as this tea.

It’s delicate and yet so powerful. When you drink it, you are taken by its beauty.

I brewed it Laoshan Style, in a tall glass. This is reminiscent of my beloved Sleeping Bear of course, the jasmine part.

It’s fresh and floral, but not overly perfumed. The name is just right…for being in the rain and by the river quite often in my neck of the woods, I can appreciate that.

It’s so sweet and a little nutty. It’s not very grassy or herbaceous for a green tea, a thing that might appeal to non green tea lovers.

The perfect afternoon companion, while Steepstering and reading a book…

So this is the second sample I got from Whispering Pines. The last one I had I kinda messed up on the measure so I figured I’d actually measure 1 1/2 tsp (1/2 tbsp) out so then I can have two regular mugs. Well, unfortunately the sample I got had barely 2 tsp in it so I just ended up making the whole sample again anyway. /sigh/ Oh well.
Taste wise I get fruity and kinda smoky, which is very nice. I also get a edge of bitterness which is probly from me using 2 ish tsp for my 12oz mug, but who knows.
I definitely like it better after adding a bit of truvia which tones down the bitterness.
In the end I might order some of this one day or if it’s on sale and I’m putting in an order anyway, but I don’t really feel the need to place an immediate order and hoard all. XD

Wowzers! This tea sure was delicious! This is hands down the best black tea that I’ve had up to this point. It just makes me feel all warm and cozy on the inside. Like many others state about this tea, it reminded me of baked bread and sweet potatoes. A year ago I would have been disconcerted if someone told me that their tea tasted like bread and potatoes. Now I’m like “mmmm bread-tea om nom nom”

I definitely plan on attaining more of the delicious nectars that are Whispering Pine teas!

Due to the fact that I generally don’t get home any earlier than about 7pm (11pm some days), I was in dire need of some non-caffeinated tea to drink before sleeping. This was my first tea from Whispering Pines, and I generally don’t drink blends. So this was unknown territory for me! Fortunately, it was a highly awesome experience! This tea was minty and sweet, but not overwhelming. It was comforting and refreshing! After enjoying this tea, I had no issues sleeping. I also credit this tea for curing my sour stomach which I had had all day, which immediately disappeared after drinking my cup. YAY MAGICAL TEA!!!

Hello Steepster, I am hoping to have more of a presence on here as I start to get back into tea, I went through my stash today and purged and made a list of teas that I need to either finish off or throw out due to them being far too ancient lol, so I am going to be on here hopefully updating my cupboard and logging tea. I was cataloging all my tea today until my tablet shut off haha so now it’s charging so I can’t access the document I was making lol. Ah well. Hoping to get my cupboard down to a much more manageable level before 2017, and with our upcoming trip to Japan, I need space for some Japanese teas haha, nothing too crazy but I’m definitely buying some when I am there!

Anyways, in the meantime I am having a cup of Second Breakfast in an attempt to finish off the bag, as I’ve been hoarding it for a long time. Amazingly this tea is still absolutely delicious, and I can see why I was hoarding it lol. Malty, bready, everything I like in a black tea! One day I might re-stock this if it is offered! Not quite a sipdown yet, probably 1 or 2 more cups left. See previous notes on this tea!

I am finally having a cup of this tea after craving it for a few days! :D so bready, malty, fruity, with mild honey notes. A perfect after-breakfast tea haha I love having this tea as an actual second breakfast! Enjoying this on this sunny autumn day while listening to a 60’s French Pop playlist on Songza :)

I plan to try a few of my Teavivre samples today and hopefully get the reviews up, and clean, and maybe read my book. But I’m off to a slow start after a night of going to sushi with friends then having them all over for tea and listening to classical music lol. Ah, I remember the days we would actually party on Fridays..last night 3 people fell asleep on the couch before midnight due to tea drinking and the soothing music LOL. I guess that’s what happens when you get older. :P anyways, see previous notes on this tea!

I’m at work, so this will be fast – this tea is AMAZING. SO GOOD. I am even having it from my travel mug and at first it tasted like a generic black tea…but then this beautiful honey/caramel flavor POPS OUT in your face! As it cools the keemun berry notes come out as well! Delicious and so so good on this Friday morning. Light too, not an overly bold blend, but filling and satisfying. Second Breakfast indeed! I hope everyone knows about Second Breakfast! (Also, LOTR references make my day. Favorite movies ever.)

So happy I got an oz of this, and could see more ounces in the future!

I took Whispering Pines at their word and steeped 1 tbsp in 8 oz for 1/1.5/2/3/4 minutes. They suggest going up to 7 steeps, so I’ll try that next time when I can spend several house enjoying it. And enjoy I did:
Dry leaves: nondescript, tightly twisted, but a pleasantly dusty and perhaps melon scent
1: nothing jumped out except a bit of honey
2: the leaves gave me fading roses and the darker liquor was smooth, rich, and slightly tannic
3: even more rose scent and the flavor a bit of melon
4: still going strong and smooth, the melon even stronger. I think this might be the sweet spot among the steeps.
5: no change in the notes, but it still has subtle flavors. Pretty impressive for just 1 tbsp of tea in twice the water my gaiwan holds

I’ll keep trying this one because I suspect there’s more to it than I am detecting. All around, a fine tea that I could sit with for a while. It would be particularly fun to do several steeps with someone else and compare notes.

I’ve fallen way behind on posting tasting notes, so I’ll dash off a few now, then I’m out of commission through the weekend while I ride the Pan-Mass Challenge (almost 200 miles in two days with all of the money raised going to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute – count me in!).

I’d heard so much about this one from other Steepsters that I had to try it, and I’m not sorry I did. The first steep gave me a lovely toastiness and breadiness in the foreground with a kind of minty fresh sense when I inhaled after a sip. The dark caramel color was particularly attractive. The leaves were more unfurled at the second steep, which is what probably gave me the richer mouth feel and the still-toasty flavor. In my third and final steep (of this round), the flavors are starting to fade a bit, but it’s still roasty-toasty and fun. Jabberwocky is a keeper for sure.

Thank you Cameron B for the Wee Snaily Yums! The dry leaf smells malty, but also a bit like bread. And they really do remind me of wee little golden snailys.

Mmm this tastes like warm malty bread drizzled with honey and molasses and a sprinkle of raisins. The next 2 steeps were pretty similar, although they became a bit more bread and malty, and less honeyed molasses. Delicious, definitely on my list for my next order.

Thanks to Cameron B for the sample!

Method: 1.5 tsp, 8 oz, 205 degrees, 5 minutes, brew in mug strainer

Aroma: spicy chocolate

Flavor: I added some almond milk to this, along with a little maple syrup. I like the blend of spices here, and I can taste a light chocolate flavor. It’s quite good! Next time I make this, I will just heat the almond milk and steep the tea right in there.

Good stuff. Thanks, Cam Bot!

Oh this was yummy!

I got this sample a few days ago from Cameron B. and it is even labeled Wee Snaily Yums!

Delicious.

Creamy, chocolaty, but not overly so. Just the right amount of malty. And I might even call that bit kind of sweet potato. Maybe. I’m not sure. It definitely has a hint of sweetness to it.

What has happened to me? When did I start liking black teas?

I love to drink sheng. I’m a fa-sheng-ista!

But sheng is not my favourite tea to review cause I always get taken by it, in the moment. It’s hard for me to analyze and think about anything…Just want to let the tea take me to wherever it wants to…

I love Mao Cha, what cakes are made of…

I won’t comment on each steep cause that’s not the way I review my tea. But because some have requested I write details on the way I brewed it (cause apparently it can be a little finicky) here are my parameters. I actually counted the seconds this time :-)

7g, 5oz gaiwan, water temp. 175F

Steep 1) 20 sec.
Steep 2) 30 sec.
Steep 3) 40 sec.
Steep 4) 60 sec.
Steep 5) 90 sec.
Steep 6) 90 sec.
Steep 7) 120 sec.

This type of tea is light in weight and takes a lot of room. The leaves are so long, they barely fit in the gaiwan. First, the dry scent. Smells like some kind of smoked lemonade. Yes, smokey and citrusy. Interesting. When I say smoke, let’s be clear: it’s very subtle.

Oh, the first few steeps are very sweet and “melony” juicy with a fresh mouthfeel. I find some echo of yesterday’s campfire wood if that makes senses. You know, that scent you get in the air the next morning when you camp? It renders a light smoked dampness in the mouth.

It’s creamy and a little salty and nutty. In some ways, it does remind me of high mountain oolong.

I must talk about the fragrance exuding from the wet leaves. It triggers memories of late August summer nights after a hot afternoon…when the warmth of the day collides with the coolness of the night. Yes, this tea smells like August, and it leaves an imprint of late summer nights as I drink it. I do realize it must sound plain weird to you,but it means a lot to me…that’s how cha qi kicks in for me. Memories.

The later steeps are not as sweet, a nice light astringency is building up. I say nice, cause to me, the right dose of astringency in sheng is a good thing. It’s bright and awakening.

What I identified as being melon earlier is now morphing into grapefruit. I also get more saltiness, a “brothy” feel, umami.

Cedar and camphor are present at the end of the sip.

I’ll be stopping here, cause I just want to enjoy the rest peacefully and stop taking notes.

This is a special one. It made me feel something…that’s what I seek when I drink sheng.