A forest is more than a grove of trees. A forest is the wind sweeping across the pines, the wood thrush calling, and the blankets of mist covering the mossy earth below your feet. A forest is the sweet vanilla scent of spring wildflowers and the babbling brook feeding the blackberry bushes. A forest is the morel mushroom hiding under the wintered oak leaves. A forest is everything that we should strive to be — strong, wise, and tranquil. Elder forests are filled with complex ecosystems. Every corner of the woods presents a new biological wonderland, and every inch of the void between organisms plays a vital role in the full picture.
At Whispering Pines, we appreciate complexity. There are, of course, great things to be said about intense singular notes and the boldness of strong lingering aftertastes. However, in the ancient forests crawling with the fingers of fog and ethereal thrush melodies, it is not the plentiful pine we seek. We enter the deepest realms of the forest in search of diversity and the beauty that lies behind the entrance to the trail. A book is not a book without the words within, and a venture into the unknown is not complete without every aspect present.
This is why we chose to seek the complexity of the highest grade Chinese black teas available as the base for Elderwood. This is why we sought the most complex and balanced Tahitian vanilla bean we could find. For the sake the the primeval forests and the immense biodiversity within, we could not choose to cut corners on complexity.
Inspired by the deepest and most ancient of forests, Elderwood carries base notes of warm pine, oak, and cocoa, with sweet vanilla, caramel, cherry, and morel perfectly balanced in the background. A sweet and earthy moss-like aftertaste with hints of vanilla and oak linger for hours past the last sip of this strikingly smooth brew. The aroma is pine, cocoa, and stone fruit, and the color of the tea is dark amber with a slight tinge of deep purple.
The overall experience of this tea is only comparable to what you can imagine drinking the finest hot cocoa infused gently with cherry, and aged in oak barrels beneath the forest floor would be like. The richness and depth of Elderwood can truly only be done justice by experiencing the masterpiece yourself. We highly recommend enjoying Elderwood outdoors. Allow the brew to warm you on a chilly day while walking along your favorite woodland trail.
In honor of all beauty that mother nature has provided us with, and in honor of those moments where you realize just how big the full picture is, I give you Elderwood.
Notes: Warm Pine, Oak, Melted Chocolate, Vanilla, Chocolate-Covered Cherries, Plum, Cream, Salted Caramel, Morel, Moss
Ingredients: Imperial Grade Dian Hong, Ailaoshan Black Tea, Hand-cut Tahitian Vanilla Beans
http://whisperingpinestea.com/elderwood.html
Hmm, you may be reading the directions wrong. It’s 1/2 tablespoon per 8oz rather than 1/2 teaspoon. Hope this helps! :)
See, yes. I am reading the directions wrong. Thanks WP!
There are 3 teaspoons to a tablespoon, for everyone else who is as conversion challenged as me. So it’s 1.5 teaspoons per cup, so actually it could be even stronger! Next time.
No worries :-) I’m working on adding more detailed information to the website for steeping, as I just stopped writing it on the bags. Soon they’ll all have a tsp/tbsp measurement as well as a weight in grams for that measurement.
How does panning for gold in los rios gatos fit between bathroom and trash? My mind is boggled – not that it is a hard thing to do by the way.
panning for gold in the river cats. aka, scooping the litterboxes. I was being overly clever and sleep deprived.
perhaps I should have said ‘panning for nuggets’ since I don’t actually expect to find gold of any sort unless one of my babies is really REALLY sick somehow
That’s hilarious and kind of obvious after the fact.
it is a phrase I enjoy greatly and if you have cats, feel free to steal and deploy at will.