Old Pine

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 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 crackling 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.

The aroma of the dry leaves is intoxicatingly sweet and bold. After pouring water over the leaves, caramelized cedar and dark roasted cocoa rise out of the cup. The warmth and aroma of a campfire and a light spicy bite meets your nose and you are transported straight to those woods. The taste of this blend is dark, rustic, and smooth, carrying bold notes of roasted cocoa, malt, an everygreen campfire, and warm, delicate spice. Old Pine uses a blend of our Fujian Black and a small amount of the finest pine-smoked lapsang souchong as the base, cradling the embers of roasted chicory, black peppercorn, cloves, and wildcrafted roasted cedar leaves. The result of three years of blending is 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.