Campfire Blend

As many of you know, Campfire Blend has gone through TONS of versions (107 counting this one), and each version has been tweaked a little bit to match the memory it was inspired by. So far, they have all been slightly drying, a tad harsh, and had a little hint of citrus. This has been the hardest memory for me to match — a wolf howl and a campfire aren’t exactly easy to create in a cup. =)

Lapsang souchong is a necessity as the base tea in this blend. We have tested tea after tea and finally came to the ideal lapsang for this blend. The new version will be shipping with a very good, high grade lapsang with the perfect smoke and sweetness balance.

The orange peel was always necessary in the tea before. We needed a lingering sweetness that was from more than just the tea. My only issue with the orange peel was that, despite doing its job…it didn’t exactly fit the memory. The discovery of roasted cedar leaves opened a whole new world of possibilities. In the new version of campfire, the orange peel was replaced by caramelly-sweet cedar leaves, slow roasted for 12 hours at WPTC headquarters. Looking back on the memory, cedar trees were present in the forest as well as the fire.

Another change we decided to make was to remove the peppercorn, which seeming contributed nothing much at all to the blend. This opened up the space for something to darken the blend even more and round out the depth of the lapsang, pull the earthyness of the rooibos, and generally complete the blend – roasted chicory root.

The final product is much cleaner, smoother, deeper, and more complex than previous versions. It is so much closer to perfection, so very reminiscent of my memory…but hey, who doesn’t want to leave a challenge for the future? :)

The Inspiration
It was late autumn in the upper peninsula of Northern Michigan. I had the campfire going steady with pinewood and maple leaves. A slight breeze off of the lake brought me closer to the embers while the call of a Barred Owl and crickets echoed through the empty lakeshore. The wind pushed the smoke towards the full moon. The smoky haze in the air played like the moonlight across the water, giving life to an empty sky. Then, as if rehearsed a hundred times, the entire landscape went silent. All I could hear was the crackling of the fire and my own steady breath. The wind had stopped, the owl and crickets wouldn’t dare make a sound. Even the haunting call of a loon was cut short, echoing across the silvery glasslike waters for what felt like forever. There was only the popping of a fire and the lonely breath of a woodsman. At that moment, sending chills down my spine not even the hottest fire could have warmed, the cry of a lone wolf sang out from the pine forest behind me. The silence was broken and, moments later, the orchestra of nature began singing once again.

Campfire Blend uses the finest lapsang souchong as the base, cradling the embers of rooibos, roasted chicory, cloves, and wildcrafted roasted cedar leaves to create a taste and aroma unlike anything you could ever imagine…except for maybe the whisper of an ancient campfire and the cry of a lone wolf on a cool Autumn night.

Notes
Pinewood Campfire
Sweet, Warm Cedar
Autumn Air
Earth
Honey

http://whisperingpinestea.com/campfire.html

Meh. Clovey. A little soapy. Not terrible, but I prefer the classic (and cheap) Russian Caravan for a smoky tea.

I’ve been meaning to review this one for ages! I got it from u/RedSpaceMagic on Reddit months ago. It’s perfect for this morn— er, afternoon after helping host a bonfire party.

Now, I love Whispering Pines. They have tons of truly unique blends. I’ve seen ingredients on their lists I’ve never seen anywhere else, and I’ve liked everything I’ve tried so far.

This blend is no exception. Although I would have never mixed rooibos with lapsang, I think it works! The rooibos isn’t strong enough to leave that weird aftertaste in my mouth, so I’m happy. The cedar is also a very nice touch. It reminds me of the fresh cut logs used in Carolina barbecue. I know those are usually hickory, but it’s a similar scent. The clove could be a tad stronger, but then again, I got this tea second-hand. It might be more noticeable in fresher batches. And the smokiness, it’s very well balanced. Again, I’m getting a sort of bacony, briskety smoke, but I love it.

This is definitely something I’d get again. It’s hearty, warming, and wonderfully smoky with just a hint of spice. Now I kinda wish I didn’t have like 3 ounces of Adagio’s lapsang to get through!

A wonderful lazy Saturday. The boyfriend and I went to lunch and I mailed of a TTB. Came back and cleaned up a little, only so I could make a new mess in the kitchen. I made my first attempt of “Vicks Shower Disks” using the recipe found here http://beingfrugalbychoice.com/2012/03/homemade-vicks-vapor-shower-disks.html. And I just threw http://www.alexandracooks.com/2008/05/20/i-love-david-archuleta/ in the oven and thought that this tea would complement them wonderfully.

Sadly this is the last of this wonderful tea. This one always reminds me of home. It is for sure going on the re-order list!

nope. still don’t like this tea even with the newer version. The ingredients just don’t seem to blend well for me, and it becomes mostly a lapsang tea….which i like, but then what’s the need for everything else in it :)

This is actually pretty good.
Of course, I enjoy a good lapsang, & if I hadn’t already had a week’s ration of Maple syrup this morning with breakfast, I’d probably try some in the 2nd half of the cup. But there is no need to, as it is tasty plain. I love roasted chicory root, alone & in blends.
To my knowledge, I’ve never drank roasted cedar in a tea, & now I’d like to drink a cup of it alone, just to give it a real try.
Just for the record, I can still taste & feel the spearmint from this morning, & my sinuses are remarkably clear, all day!

This is the last sample I chose from Whispering Pines. I was feeling brave today! What I mean is, the smell of this tea is very intimidating and I was nervous to try it the first time I opened it to take a whiff. It’s like sniffing a campfire. There is such an extreme smoke aroma to the dry tea, along with a hint of pine and herbs. It’s very lovely to look at – a mix of black tea leaves, cloves, a little bit of rooibos, and these lovely straw-colored dried stalks that I can only assume are cedar leaves. I brewed 1.5 tsp for 5 minutes.

The brewed tea also smelled very smoky, although less so than the dry leaf. There was also an aroma of black tea, cedar, and a little bit of clove. I was getting more and more excited to try this unique tea. I was surprised to find that I really enjoy this tea – it is quite smoky but in a lovely way. At the beginning of the sip I get mostly smoke and earth. In the middle it transformed into woody cedar and pine notes, and at the end of the sip I caught hints of clove and a light cooling sensation from the pine. There is definitely a lingering smokiness that stays on the palate long after drinking. It doesn’t sound that pleasant, but it is. Two thumbs up for such a unique and tasty blend! I really can’t wait to try their S’mores tea, I was sad that it wasn’t on the sample list. Soon! :)

In my latest WP order, Brenden slipped in a sample of this tea.
Apparently, it has been reformulated since my last order.
Sometimes, even though I am what folks around here call a " young gal", I channel my inner old person and grumble a little when something has been messed with.
“What was wrong with it before?” I mumble in my best crotchety voice.
But, Brenden is usually spot on when it comes to tea, so I didn’t get too crotchety just yet.
The first difference I noticed was the dry leaf had a definite sweetness to it.
There was still the smoky-ness, of course, but there was a new little honeyed sweetness.
Now, the other Campfire Blend had a sweetness too, more like a tobacco and plum note, this teas sweetness is more honey and floral.
Which I think compliments the smoky notes well.
I had my old tin out and have been smelling both
Right away, when I smell the old blend, I think of camping out in the autumn.
With this new blend?
Well, its camping out in the summertime.
You are in the woods on a warm summer’s eve and got a nice big toasty campfire going and somewhere upwind is some wild honeysuckle blooming.
The whole tea feels a little brighter and well balanced.
Smoky, sweet, a little spice.
Was there anything wrong with the old blend.
No.
But, this new blend is very nice and certainly worth a re-try if you have not as of yet.
I would happily keep this in my tea cupboard and drink it regularly.
Its very good at soothing crotchety throats as well;)

This was one of my tea samples from Whispering Pines, so far my husband and I have loved every one of the samples we have tried, but I am sad to say, this one is just not for me. I am not going to assign a rating, because I feel like it is probably an amazing tea. It’s just not the tea for me.

Kudos to Whispering Pines for nailing the scent and taste though. It smells and tastes exactly like a campfire. If that sounds appealing to you then let me know and I would happy to send it along in a swap.

I had the Campfire Blend with a little added maple syrup and it was omg so good.
I reminded me of the outdoors so much I had to step outside and to enjoy a cup.
I got so much cedar and piney notes with earthy sweet notes and of course wonderful smokey notes, the maple sweetness really enhanced the cedar and smokiness.
Oh this is so good :)
The only thing missing now is a campfire and some colder weather, still a great outdoor tea.