Whispering Pines Tea Company

As per the maker of this tea tonight i am trying it with my Fav honey Meadow foam which already smells and taste like Marshmallows lol the tea it too hot to drink but the smell is amazing still smelling the apples though lol
its almost like this Cinnamon apple Dish i make that i put in the microwave for 10 mins and comes out as a wonderful desert great for dieting lol in sipping slowly this tea is just wonderful!!

So I got this one today in the mail and its the first one I went for … I defiantly smell the cinnamon but when I Taste it its almost like and apple crumble lol lye sort of confusing cues I don’t know where the apple is lol but I really like to this on and glad it’s caffein free since its 11:14 at night and it still have to work in the morning lol

There is, for those of you who have more decorum than I and thus are unaware, such a thing as the “I Got New Tea Today” dance. It may not be pretty, but it does exist. I would know, I just did it. Then I got down to business and sorted out what tea to try first.

This tea sample was one of the ones I scored in a ‘bunch of awesomeness’ sale from Brenden. For the record, he is great to order from, even when you do it all wrong. :)

This is yoga disguised as tea. I love it. It feels brisk and cooling from the mint, and it certainly has a sharpness to the smell because of it, but it is the best mint blend I have ever tried. Both mint and jasmine are flavors (and smells for that matter) that I adore in theory but get very sick of most of the time in practice. Two steeps in, it is staying wonderful, and just as intriguing as the description. In fact, the smell now reminds me of a wild mint patch I accidentally crushed once… Ah, some memories are not fit for public consumption!

Ahem. The jasmine smoothes the mint in both smell and taste and allows the tea to be a conversation, not an assault. Neither the spearmint or the peppermint ever quite takes over, and there is just perfectly enough jasmine to have a floral grace to the scent and a very unassuming sweetness throughout the cup. This is what I wanted peppermint green tea to be when I first tried it as a kid, mixed with what jasmine tea just plain ol’ lies and pretends to be when it is trying to trick you into sipping perfume. Wow. This is an excellent blend.

Whispering Pines recently had a BOGO ounce of tea sale, and I ordered a few teas, and this one I had to try. I actually got one ounce of the light level smoke and one ounce of the medium-light smoke.

This review is for the light smoke. Check future tasting notes for a review of the medium-light level.

I normally do not like smokey teas. It’s not that I hate them, they are just VERY smokey to me and it’s hard to taste anything. So why this tea? Well it really jumped out at me for two reasons:
1) You could choose the level of smoke you want. Since I’m sensitive to smoke, I knew I had to go with the light.
2) Unlike hojicha, which is heavily roasted, this tea was still green, so it was hopefully something that wouldn’t be too intense.

And the verdict? Not bad. Even with the light there’s still a definite smokiness there, but I bet someone used to drinking smokey teas will think it’s too light. There’s no bitterness here and I can definitely still taste the green tea. The smokiness is not overpowering. Not a bad tea, and I’m definitely glad I went with the light version. I’ll have to see how the medium-light stacks up.

By the way – don’t google “smoked green tea” if you’re looking for varieties of green teas smoked over a fire. You’ll instead get a bunch of articles about smoking green tea a la marijuana ;)

Edit: The one bummer about this tea? It doesn’t seem to hold up to resteepings. The second steeping had a bit of smell of smoke, but I didn’t taste it like I did in the first. It was just generic green tea.

I managed to snag a bit of this from Whispering Pines during their “all orders doubled” special they ran recently. I have a doctors appointment in an hour so I need something to calm my nerves. This tea is a brilliant yellow, nice and cheery – just what I was looking for.

This is a nice little cup of tea. Not too floral, but the notes are definitely there. I’m not really getting a lot of prominent coconut either. A very subtle tea as far as the flavoring goes, but I think it works well as a nice light cup. The green tea base isn’t bitter which is nice because it allows the flavors to linger a bit. Just a light, cheery, soft, slightly floral relaxing cup of tea. I think this one will be perfect when I’m in the mood for it.

This is a beautiful tea. It’s smooth (yet I can’t understand how it’s smooth with the amount of different teas in it), yet kind of smoky, but not overly so.

It’s nicely spiced & a touch citrusy. It’s just yum. I hate when I love a tea, but failed to buy enough of it. This is one of those teas. So far I have liked every tea I’ve had from Whispering Pines.

You know how just when you think a tea can’t get any better? Then it does?

Yea well this is one of those. I have a feeling I will be through my 2oz in no time & will need more, MORE, MORE, MORE!!

gah it’s so good. Quite different this time, more of a light floral note, still earthy, light & so freakin good!

Thanks Brenden (I have to say I am impressed that your name is spelt this way, my brother’s is the same & you rarely see it spelt like this), for this amazing blend!!

I received this as a sample with my order.
The description of this tea reminds me exactly of camping in Northern Ontario. As much as this tea drew me in I didn’t want to commit to a larger size because it isn’t really a flavoured tea & it had pine needles in the description. I like my pine needles on the ground.

Alas I am disappointed I didn’t include this as a larger portion. It steeps up to a beautiful light green. The taste is very light, refreshing & reminicent of my days of camping in a secluded forest. Where you can hear all the beautiful sounds of nature & smell everything so exquisitely.

I didn’t really get the pine needle flavour or smell. But this is a beautiful tea that I feel I can drink all the time. I guess I have to place another order to order myself 2oz of this.

Backlog from yesterday.

This is my second tea from whispering pines and it smells delicious. Very chai, very spicy. There is a ton of coconut in it, but I don’t get the smell of coconut.

This steeps up to pure deliciousness. It’s a right in your face chai, the way a chai should be. Unfortunetly I don’t get any coconut. I’m gonna tryththe stove top method with it AMD see if that helps.

Don’t get me wrong, this is fabulous chai. I just want more coconut flavour.

Oh I love this one! My 18 month old and I have been sipping it together (he loves it too!) I tried it warm and cold, and I have to say I like it warm the best. I love the way the cinnamon and mint warm my throat as they go down. Yummm, I can’t wait to order more.

I agree with Michelle on this one, I can’t possibly the match the eloquent description that Brenden has provided. Every time I drink this tea, I imagine myself walking in a Michigan forest at dawn. I drank five cups of the Sleeping Bear Blend this morning, and I’m still unable to find the right words to describe this one. I love how light this tea is, especially mixed with the faint hints of pine needles. It does have a buttery flavor to it, which I’m normally not a huge fan of, but it works in this tea. This is definitely one of my favorite green teas.

My Whispering Pines order is here woooohooooo. So everything kinda smells spicy chai like from my coconut chai and peppermint chai. I split them all up to alliviate some of tue spice from the ones that werent supposed to he chai like. I accidentally order two ounces of this instead of one. I only wanted to try it because of the Rooibos.

I tried this one first because its bedtime and I need an herbal at this hour. I’m pretty well only getting a cinnamon scent from this one. Ergh as it steeps so much Rooibos smell… Damn you Rooibos.

This is definetly nice tasting, Tue Rooibos flavour isn’t really there, which is grea. I’m mostly getting a cinnamon taste like the dry notes. I’m definetly not getting graham cracker , but its nice and light. Great for evenings since I’m so sensitive to caffeine.

I’m going to try like Amanda said the next time and add a little honey to it.

My tongue has healed! I’m now able to try the teas from the Traveling Box! So there was enough Jasmine Coconut for one cup of tea. I saved this one as I love Jasmine. The idea of coconut added intrigued me.
Unfortunately for a jasmine lover this just did not have enough jasmine. If you are one who doesn’t like floral then you will love this jasmine. It’s soft and subtle. I think the coconut adds a creamy effect but I’m not really getting much coconut flavor from it.
This was ok, but not one I’ll buy.

Oh-so-slightly scented fruit and mint. Nice.

The color after infusing is that of a rooibos.

The Elderberries, Hibiscus, Mint, and Rooibos work REALLY well together, here. So-much-so that is creates a unique flavor of its own and one ingredient does NOT over power the others…you can’t really pick-out the individual ingredients and in this offering I LOVE THAT about it!

It’s sweet, fruity, juicing, somewhat wine-like, even.

Ya know what? I actually like this one EVEN BETTER ICED :)
YAY!

Oh my? I’m the first to review this Mate!

Yesterday was the first real rain in 70+ days on the Frontrange. It’s about time! I can’t remember the last time the temperature dipped below 90 degrees.
The refreshing rain and dip to the high 60’s was similar to the feeling you get when you jump into a cool pool on a hot day.

Today the air was scrubbed clean and the sun was out, drying up the last little puddles of water. No forecast of heat to come (Amen to that!), but a real Fall cool-down in the 80’s then 70’s and next month 60’s and the big drop off to Winter and snow. Growing up in California there was no anticipation of Season’s. I enjoy my new life with the definition of time passing linked to weather like a seasonal quilt made by Currier and Ives.

I had one last Whispering Pines Tea from my order to review. One nice caffeinated Mate that I’d been waiting for the right morning to try. The tea matched the weather and my mood so I boiled the water and steeped the tea 5 minutes as directed.

I was impressed! I didn’t expect to enjoy this herbal tea as much
as I did!
The ginger wasn’t bitter, not too strong or too weak either. It tasted just right. The same with the lemon. Not overpowering or bitter.
There was a buttery creaminess that blended well with the lemony ginger flavor. It was very smooth and gentle. And of course (this being Whispering Pines Tea Company) there was the slightest hint of smoke.

When the Mate cooled, the ginger heat intensified which was nice. Other than that, I liked this blend and would drink it on many a chilly Fall or Winter morning!

With a flourish of a teacup, I’m turning my attentions from the Highland Games of yesterday to the Greek Luncheon of today. And why not? One of the biggest joys of my life has been the blending of cultures that we can participate in so freely in North America. It wasn’t always so. When I was a little girl, this would never have happened the way it does today. So Hooray!

I had this Elderberry White waiting for me to try this morning before heading off to St. Spyridon’s. (If I fail to have some caffeine before Church, I’m more likely to get a migraine so White Tea was a good choice!)
I steeped the tea 3 minutes at a suggested temperature of 160F.
The resulting brew was too sour for drinking without sweetening for me. The elderberry added enough tang to support sugar but was just too much for me to enjoy plain.
Sweetened, there is a soft smokiness to the tea, an energy from the white tea and an elderberry flavor that is light and gentle.
As the tea cools there is a little creaminess and dry tanin on the tongue (nothing much though).

This was a smooth and soft cup even with the hint of smoke. A good cup before heading off to Church and my Greek Luncheon with the good people from St. Spyridon’s (although there won’t be any roast lamb or dancing at this one…too bad!)…I should bring some tea!

Have a wonderful day everyone!
http://youtu.be/M84us5Wvy2U (If you ever get to travel to a Greek Island, Santorini is wonderful…I was there 4 years ago.)

I don’t like rooibos at all. That being said, I do love s’mores, and I couldn’t resist getting a sample of this. I mean, it’s not like I would be stuck with a bunch if I hated it! Sadly it’s discontinued, but replaced with a very similar blend I see which is good because I LOVE this tea!

I steeped it for 20 minutes, which seems like a very long time but it’s the suggested amount. I think it really paid off—I sniffed it a few times during the brewing, and while it smelled pretty rooibos-y after 10 minutes that weird medicinal odor was gone after 20! I think I might actually go back and experiment with some of my rooibos blends with longer steeps, maybe it masks the flavor better or brings out different aspects?

In any case, this tastes nothing like what I expect from rooibos, except maybe it adds a little woodsy-ness. What it DOES taste like is crusty, buttery, delicious graham cracker and soft marshmallow. It’s pretty darn amazing! As others have said the chocolate is almost non-existent, but I don’t really mind much. In fact, I think I’ll mix the rest of my sample with Della Terra’s S’mores (which I find strong on the chocolate but lacking in graham cracker flavor). This tea is so rich and luscious, but not too heavy. I know I said it doesn’t taste chocolate-y but it does remind me of red velvet cake for some reason, so I guess there’s a little chocolate! There’s also a bit of a tanginess, which I suppose is why I am getting the red velvet association.

I love mint and I love oolong, but I’ve never had the 2 in combination. There’s a first time for everything though, and I added this intriguing sounding blend to my Whispering Pines sample order because, hey, it’s mint! At their suggestion, I cold brewed this one overnight and opened my fridge 12 hours later to the deliciously powerful smell of mint. Seriously, it pervaded my whole fridge! I mean, nothing else in there TASTES like mint, it’s just a little fresh smelling haha.

This blend is minty perfection. It’s so smooth, crisp and refreshing! The oolong is thankfully not lost but adds a light, almost mineral taste to the cup that keeps this from being an ordinary mint tea. It’s also a bit floral and very strong—I’m not sure if it’s caffeine or the mint, but it woke me right up when I’d finished the glass! Definitely my favorite from Whispering Pines so far, and one I very much think I’ll be ordering in a larger quantity.

I love coconut and I love chai—my search for the perfect combo still continues (and will most likely end with the Yogic coconut chai, which everyone tells me is godly and I FINALLY have a sample of!). Zhena’s is nice but tastes more like coconut water than fresh coconut, so I was excited to try a toasty version.

There is a LOT of coconut in this blend, but it doesn’t really smell anything like coconut, just a strong chai blend. Unfortunately, it kind of tastes the same. The chai aspect is really nice, with bold spices and a strong black base. The coconut is a bit lost, adding a hint of fruitiness but not that big bold coconut taste I was hoping for. I found the coconut a bit weak on their Jasmine Coconut as well (though I did prefer that blend).

So it’s a nice tea and I did enjoy it (definitely look care of my chai craving) but it just didn’t deliver on the coconut front. Maybe I’ll try steeping it for a bit longer, I have enough left to play around with!

It looks like I have the original version of this tea, with a gunpowder base rather than bancha. I’ll press on anyway, because I like this and I suspect I will like the bancha version even better!

This is mildly smokey, present in the scent of both the dry leaves and steeped tea and as an aftertaste but not necessarily when held on the tongue. (I tried Daniel’s technique of exhaling, holding the tea in my mouth, and inhaling.) It would be a good introduction for someone who is not sure whether she would like a smoked tea. It would also appeal to someone who would like to try a lighter version of lapsang souchong, perhaps someone who is trying to increase consumption of green tea and cutting back on black.

Smooth and basic, subtle like the other blends from Whispering Pines that I’ve tried. Not sure whether the suggestion for multiple steepings would apply to the gunpowder version so I think I’ll skip a second steep from these leaves. I also think I’ll be ordering the new, bancha version soon!

UPDATE: The website says this is out of stock. Am hoping this is a temporary situation!

It’s been years since I tried yerba mate, and I don’t have any clear memories of my reaction. I must have been underwhelmed.

So when I picked up my packet of Black Bear Breakfast and reminded myself of the ingredients, I thought, “OK, time for breakfast, let’s try this out.”

I think yerba mate is still not my brew of choice. I can’t seem to single out what the mate is contributing to the flavor, but mostly I’m getting mild, slightly sweet, with an aftertaste of mint. Not getting the elderberries.

This is reminiscent of Manistee Moonrise but not as distinctive, a wakeup tea with a refreshing afterbite and probably a good introduction to yerba mate blends for the slightly mate-phobic like me!

Looking forward to trying my final two samples from Whispering Pines.

I was away from my apartment for three full weeks, and of course came back to a veritable flood of mail. It was about 20 packages, and half of them were tea! Opening them up wasn’t exactly what I imagined: it was more overwhelming than joy-inducing. For once I sat there and said “what am I going to do with all this tea?!” Thankfully it is almost all samples, so I suppose it won’t take too long to go through. I’ve tried to compensate by drinking more tea than usual per a day, but it’s still slow going. And of course now I need a bigger sample basket…

Anyway, I ended up getting my samples from Whispering Pines really late compared to most people. On one hand, it might be a good thing since they got to sit and have all the flavors mingle! On the downside, my entire package smelled like s’mores so it was hard to distinguish any individual tea smells. No cross-contamination, but I picked this for a cold brew based on the name rather than an enticing smell.

This is pretty much what I expected: a nice but demure green base backed by a very nice floral jasmine and a hint of tropical coconut. I could go for a bolder coconut taste, it seems a bit odd that it’s muted since there are so many flakes in the bag! But it’s nice: maybe not in-your-face creamy coconut, but enough to give a distinctive beachy taste to the tea. The jasmine is really the most prominent taste, and I do like iced jasmine teas!

Sipdown! 830.

Finally trying this one again, a year later. Thankfully, it no longer tastes quite so tomatey/brothy (though I can sense similar notes, so it’s probably just that flavours have muted over time). Anyhow, it’s not bad, although I’m not particularly fond of it. There’s a nice light, sweet cinnamon, but I can’t really pick out the other flavours. They are verging on savoury, which is a little odd for me.

Anyhow, perhaps sometime in the future when I’ve sipped down a few more things, I’ll try Whispering Pines again :) There are some blends I’m dying of curiousity about, haha!

Er…. so when I pulled the infuser basket out of this one, the aroma I got made me think of tomato. Like, tomato soup. Or V8 juice. Very strange. It makes me quite apprehensive to try this tea…

Circumstances resulted in this tea completely cooling before I got to try it, oops. It still smells like a herby, brothy tomato soup. So strange. The flavour is… like sweet-ish, herby tomato water. Uh oh got this impression in my head and it won’t go away! I can recognize some cinnamon in the flavour, but that’s about all that I can pick out.

Oh man. Totally just realized that it smells vaguely like autoclaved contaminated LB medium (for those of you in sciencey fields)! Combined with V8-containing media that was used in a lab down the hall from mine once upon a time. That was not a good association to have made. I think I’m doomed with this cup. I did drink it; it’s palatable, but not a tea I think I’d want to drink again. I see it has been discontinued though, so I guess people won’t be drinking it again!