Elder Grove

I’m at the point now where I’m deciding which tea to drink because it’s literally hitting me on the head when I open my cupboard. This was the first decaf that came tumbling down, and thus I prepped it for drinking.

I underleafed this significantly based on what the website says (1/2 tb per 8 ounces) vs. what my package said (1 tsp per 8 ounces). As I always use the package instructions when steeping (if there are any), I went with 1 tsp – and it seems just peachy at that amount.

This tea reminds me of a hike in dense, moist, cooler underbrush like at Cathedral Grove on Vancouver Island, where I come to a clearing of cinnamon bushes. Seriously. That’s what this tea is to me.

There’s something spicy in there, and I had to double check that this wasn’t a chai initially, because it easily could be. Strong cinnamon flavor with spice, perhaps minty, green, almost pine-like, and then something sweet in there too. I can, and have, easily downed two cups of this unsweetened with CelebriTEA’s turkey tea cups she sent me, and will finish off this sample size with two more cups to go.

A lovely cool weather drink that reminds you how toasty it is inside while still appreciating the majestic outdoors.

Thank you Brenden for this sample tea!

This morning while waiting for my teapot water to boil…I turned on the weather report just as Al Roker pronounced “49 States are experiencing below normal cold weather and most are within the Arctic Blast of sub-zero temperatures”.

All I can say is ‘I empathize with all of you…but it has been pretty good here in the Rocky’s’…business as usual so far. One day of snow. You get the WET stuff and WIND. We don’t. It’s dry.

If you have some of Brenden’s Elder Grove tea to keep you company, you’re in luck!

Sunday, I was in the teashop talking to Maggie. For anyone who’s been keeping up with the characters at my local shop (Happy Lucky’s) she’s new…and so is Rachel. (The shop keeps growing in popularity)

Maggie lived in Taiwan and had a tea business. It’s handy having a person around who can read the Chinese Labels that come into the shop. (And some that I bring in too)

Anyway, we were talking about how the Chinese put all sorts of things into tea. Maggie goes to a certain shop close to Denver for special plums to add to tea. I mentioned how Brenden puts pine needles and cedar chips into his blends to remember the spirit of woody places he loves. Other tea vendors use local rice for genmaicha and some are experimenting with aging puer in empty wine and bourbon barrels.

I love the creative energy in our emerging North American tea culture!

Tea houses, philanthropy, love of the natural world and support of community. That’s the most exciting part.

This tea…Elder Grove is smooth.

I let it steep really long and it didn’t become sour but stayed smooth.

I didn’t taste the Holy Basil, but the blend was like a mild chai with good body, smooth elderberry…just the way I like it. Sometimes elderberry can taste like hibiscus and sour…this doesn’t taste that way.

I added a little honey…a perfect compliment!

The more Whispering Pines Tea’s I’ve tasted recently, the more I appreciate Brenden’s hard work in reformulating his tea stock into blends that are unique. They tell a story and represent him and the countryside he loves. His blending skill has matured and I applaud him! Those who learn do well and he’s one to keep watching!

If you haven’t wandered through his tea’s lately, I recommend this and the Evergreen Spice for Winter. Try his new tea’s!

If you’re snowed in and have never watched ‘Foyles War’ on Netflix…it’s a fine series. ‘Call the Midwife’ is another good one. ‘Foyles’…for both men and women. Got the tip first from Joe at the teashop and he’s 29.

Stay warm my friends!

this tea is really warming and delicious, the elderberries and the spices are perfect :) I’ve been using this one as a mulling spice for my mulled dr.pepper and it is excellent!
Great blend for the winter months.

Okay, here is my official promise that I will not make any new tea for myself that contains caffeine tonight. I will be resteeping that dragonwell because I’m curious how it’ll hold up, but otherwise it’s all herbal/rooibos for me. I haven’t been sleeping well lately and caffeine at 10 pm can’t help (although I don’t think that’s the cause, I just don’t think it helps).

Dry, this smells woody, piney, and a little spicy. As it brews it smells like baked apples! Not what I expected at all. I overleafed this a bit to make sure I got everything in the cup. Considering what’s in it I’m shocked to report that it tastes a little like mulled apple cider! There is a piney flavor to it, but it really does remind me of cinnamon apples in some form.

ETA: As this cools it completely changes. Now that it’s room-temperature it’s piney, wintery, but still a touch appley. I’ve never had anything quite like it!

I knew I had to get a tea with warming spices to cope with the dead of winter…southern California winter that is. Of course this tea is the perfect counterpart to winter or even fall. The smell upon opening the packet reminded me a lot of pecan or pumpkin pie. And the taste is actually very similar. It is sweet and spicy and…warm. A little difficult to describe. Elderberry is really a great flavor, I’m surprised it doesn’t get as much publicity as all the other berries because it’s really something. Elderberry has a really delicate and earthy sweetness that makes blueberry look almost like an aggressive sweetness. All in all, buy this tea and you won’t be disappointed!

I just realized I never reviewed this one! I absolutely adore it, it’s so cozy and mysterious at the same time – like I’m in a cabin with a crackling fire under a down quilt, in woods that are friendly yet a little bit scary. It’s wonderful if you have a cold or sore throat, but lovely at other times as well. I wish he still made this one, as I just made my last cup and my son stole it from me.

Brewed with a Western method, in a ceramic tea pot.

I had to purchase this from reading the ingredients list. I like trying interesting herbal bends, and this blend seemed too irresistible not to purchase. I’ve been drinking down the two ounces since last October.

When I had my first cup, I didn’t know what to make of the taste. The combination of flavors created something very knew to me, and I was confused. I wasn’t sure if I liked it. I’m not good at picking out certain flavors for certain teas, and this one was one of those teas. But the more I drank from my initial ounce, the more it grew on me.

The infusion is purple-brown dark and opaque. It feels thick in the mouth. It tastes fruity and sweet from the elderberries, and like licorice. (I’m not licorice fan, but I also don’t dislike it. For any licorice-haters, you might want to take the chance anyway.) The chicory and marshmallow root contribute a bitterness to counteract the sweetness.

The interactions among each of the ingredients must have been what tripped up my taste buds the first few times I drank this blend. I now consider Elder Grove a permanent addition to my stash. It’s a wonderful winter evening drink. Comforting and warming. A must-try for herbal blends lovers.

I was surprised by how dark this brewed up. The smell is amazing. Cinnamon is the strongest smell and taste. The berries add a nice note to this, slightly tart/sweet. I think it is the basil that it giving it a minty feel. This tea feels like sitting by a cozy fireplace after a walk in the woods.
I resteeped at 7 and 10 minutes.
Note to self: don’t use the glass infuser and mug because the small bits get stuck and are hard to get out!

GRRR…something’s up with dashboard or my browser but this is my third attempt to review this tasty tea. I’d read a few great reviews of Whispering Pines teas so placed my order. While I was a bit bummed that most of their blends seemed to be out of stock (!), I ordered a few chais and two herbals including this one.
This was the first out of the package and the minute I opened the package the freshness hit me in the nose. Pow! I could imagine the guy at Whispering Pines having poured the magick right out of his mortar and pestle and into the little ziploc paper envelope.
I was also delighted when the minute the hot water hit the tea, it blossomed with color. This is some FRESH tea! The website listed this as a good night-time tea and 30 minutes after having a cup my partner is snoring on the futon in the living room. So, take that as some kind of seal of approval. I’d definitely get this tea again although it did seem a bit on the pricey side. But I can’t complain with the freshness of the tea, so that probably explains it.

With all the caffeine I intoxicate myself with, I need an herbal detox to de-stress. I am very glad that I bought some of this, and it shipped to my dorm in a day, with a Cricket sample (thank you Brenden!). Now, the consensus?

Nichole’s description was perfect: it is a liquid cinnamon roll. I taste all the notes described in every steep combining into a winter desert tea. I taste the cinnamon with the minty basil of the note lingering in a background of berries. I taste more berries in the later steep, but the tea is very consistent.

I thought that I was going to rate this one higher, but I’ve been spoiled to taste the other blends. However, this is one of the best tea blends that I’ve had from Whispering Pines forming the most cohesive profile yet. This really is a chai in its own right, and a good one at that. I now feel prepared to relax, and make the most out of the coming storm.