Whispering Pines Tea Company

Good solid tasty tea. Predominantly malt and carb with a wisp of cocoa, nice combo. Western brewed, had a brief astringency in the post-sip. Thanks to WP for the lovely sample!

Good morning! I’ve been meaning to get to this and today seemed like a good day. The small little pebbles carry a woody scent. I brewed these up western in my tetsubin. The brew is thick and aromatic. The flavor is unique. This brew has a toasty flavor like hoijicha, but its mixed with an assam malt. Lastly, it finishes with a heady sweetness. This helped a lot in waking me up. I feel ready to take on the day. Happy Friday as well!

https://instagram.com/p/6FUG0TzGY8/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

Apparently I’m on a roll, finally trying all these Whispering Pines black teas (purchased during the “pure teas” sale). Same as before – 4g in 4oz gaiwan, 95-100 deg water, hmm what did I do… 30, 45, 60, 90, 120 sec. Now that I’m looking at Brendan’s brewing instructions, he suggests 1.5g per oz, so I guess I underleafed it.

These tea leaves are neat – long, skinny, and dark. The dry leaves smell malty and bready, and the scent just intensifies in the wet leaves. Surprisingly to me, he first steeping in particular was quite light, creamy, and sweet – like vanilla or caramel flavoured whipped cream. With subsequent steepings the malt and bread notes came out, but there remained a lovely sweetness, like toasted multigrain bread with honey. Then some fruity, citrusy notes came in so it was like the topping on the toast switched to marmalade. A few steepings in, I went to read what other people had to say about this, and maybe my tastebuds are just broken, because I seem to have lost the ability to appreciate chocolate flavours in tea! When I concentrated, I could appreciate a raw cacao or cocoa powder kind of thing, but it certainly wasn’t what I would consider the dominant flavour. So weird. :)

Anyway, this is a yummy tea, I was thinking “nom nom nom” while drinking it. :) I’ll definitely try more leaf next time to see if I can get a richer flavour.

4g of tea in a 4oz gaiwan. Boiling-ish water. Steeps of 30sec, 15sec, 60sec, not sure what I’ll do next.

Interesting! I definitely get pine notes from this – not pine needles, but an impression of freshly-cut wood. I don’t know how to describe this flavour, but I think it’s more woody than smokey. Unlike everyone else, I’m not getting any cocoa from this at all, lol. It’s also much lighter than I’m making it sound right now – there’s a really interesting crisp, juicy, cucumber note that I would associate more with white than black teas. Also some mineral notes, especially in the finish, and and all the flavours linger quite a while in the aftertaste. Drinking this tea feels like drinking from a cool mountain spring – very light and refreshing. I think that overall I tend more toward richer, more robust black teas, but I’m glad to have this in the cupboard for when I’m in the mood for something different. :)

Drinking this one western-style today, and I’m impressed by how sweet it is. Malty, earthy, faint notes of spice and citrus, but mostly a mouth-coating sweetness reminiscent of honey or brown sugar. Delicious.

Now that the gaiwan is out and sitting by my computer, I want to brew everything in it. :) So, 4g in a 4oz gaiwan, water 97-ish, steeps of 15s, 30s, 15s, 30s, I don’t know I think I’m going to wing it now.

This is a really nice dian hong. The dry leaves had a sweet, almost chocolatey note, but once wet they turned kind of sweetly earthy. The liquor has some sweet, spicy, biscuity notes in the aroma. The flavour is bright and a little citrusy to start, then it develops into spicy and earthy and sweet potatoey. There’s something about this tea that makes me feel like I’m walking through a forest. Maybe it’s just the power of suggestion, knowing that it’s “wildcrafted”, but it’s nice. It has a creamy, coating sensation in the mouthfeel, and an overal clean, fresh feel to it. I’m finding it to be about equal parts energizing and calming this morning, but I’m not very sensitive to caffeine.

This is, of course, one of White Rabbit’s favorite teas. After all, ’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”

He took his vorpal sword in hand;
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree
And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
I think that says it all.

Beware The following review includes insight about me:
Whispering Pines is a dangerous company because it is so easily to spend all of your tea budget (or more) very quickly without noticing; and there is no regret behind such a choice! I had this tea on my wish list just because it sounded cool, I didn’t intend to purchase it but once I saw it was in stock and someone was wanting it I went ahead and purchased it so I could split it with them. I will admit it was kind of unfair to do such a thing without asking them first… but they wanted it and agreed. I really like when I am able to help others on their tea journey.

Since this is a hard to get ahold of tea and I have a low quantity, I have saved this for a special occasion. Tonight is very special for quite a few people and I am not ashamed to admit I am one of them. You may laugh, but I have been in for this to happen for years: Tonight is the last episode of Degrassi on Nick. I first watched this show in junior high as a requirement in a Life Skills class. Ever since then I have just watched it as it came out. So yes, I have watched this show for over 10 years just as I have listened to Linkin Park. There is a part of me that is emotional over the aspect of what is happening with this show as I have followed it for so long. The series finale is going to occur tonight and it will be accompanied by this tea.
Whispering Pines and I have some interesting history… first of all, I somehow was lucky enough to randomly be on the side and purchase a Black Fight Box which I took to Tokyo with me. How funny is it that I was in Tokyo drinking black tea from Whispering Pines while others were drinking 2015 shincha?

So what is this tea like?
Well, it is the combination of the vibe that I get while I am in a hookah bar and the taste oolong that was roasted in some sort of butter cream ‘stuff’…
Maybe I am weird, but I find the aroma to be a bit odd and the taste to be splendid.
Like I said, Whispering Pines’ orders come s with no regret : )

I enjoyed my sample of this very much. A new, fancy tea to celebrate a new, shiny job. I am really really excited, and equally stressed. I will be moving to Virginia ASAP and teaching third grade at what seems like a very nice school. I am packing like a maniac, while trying to run a million errands to transfer pet sitting clients literally overnight, and doing the paperwork type stuff that comes with moving and hiring and the like.

But I took time to drink this this morning as a small celebration. With all the stress of my first year of teaching looming as well as a big move, I feel like it will be difficult for me to celebrate if I don’t make the time. I find this tea to be extremely tasty. Cocoa, malt, and hay is what I taste, though specifically slightly damp hay. Normally I am not capable of being so specific, but this seems to have a slight tang or sourness that is similar to that of wet hay.

I got deep and earthy notes from this one, with dark, dark chocolate when I sniffed the dry leaves. The cocoa and cardamom dust quickly drifted from the tea ball to diffuse from the tea. After steeping, the tea is a deep, rich, blackish brown. It’s definitely one of the darkest teas I’ve ever seen.

The taste is earthy (Any time I taste nuts – it’s always pecans – guess that makes me a true Texan _), too, with the cocoa just deepening the tea notes.

I’m not quite sure what I think of this tea, honestly. i like it, but I don’t think it’s one I’d reach for too often. It’s almost like it’s a little too dark for me. I might try it next time with a bit of milk and sugar, see how I like it then.

I’m drinking this western-style tonight, which is probably heresy, so… serious pu-erh people, avert your eyes. ;) 3g in an infuser basket with my 10oz mug, boiling water (but it cools down to low 90’s pretty soon after hitting the mug), steeps of 3min, 4min, 5min, etc. I forgot to rinse (seriously, avert your eyes, this is ridiculous).

For the first couple of steepings, the primary flavour was that earthy “shou pu-erh” flavour, which made me think that I must just completely lack a palate for pu-erh because I wasn’t tasting any of the other flavours listed. The texture/mouthfeel of this tea is pretty cool though, definitely light and silky-smooth, and then creamy in the aftertaste.

A few steepings in, the earthy/musty flavour has decreased substantially, and a light sweetness is coming through, accompanied by some fruity notes. I think I’m getting a bit of that minty-ness in the aftertaste as well. I’m glad I stuck with this tea and am looking forward to trying it gongfu style. :)

What a smart idea… gift a wild dianhong to the guy who drank the Imperial Gold Bud in Tokyo this year and wanted more but it was out of stock… that guy was also nice enough to not purchase 10oz like planned so others could have some.
Anyways, this is like a mini-me of the dianhong… aka it doesn’t hit as hard but it still has the resemblance of the good good. In this picture it’s the dark one :p https://instagram.com/p/5sktHzxYEc/

I don’t know how I haven’t already reviewed this tea…seeing as I’m down to half a bag! I clearly must have had some of it. Anyway I love this tea. It smells very dark and rich and malty to me…which as you know I LOVE. While the taste has hints of cocoa and…bread. Weird but so darn good.

Steeping this one gong-fu style today. 4g in the 4oz gaiwan. water around 95C. First three steeps were about 15 seconds.

First steep is very creamy. Like, if I closed my eyes I could almost believe milk had been added. Smooth, malty, with a honey sweetness. Second steep brings a richer, slightly woody malt flavour with an almost citrusy fruitiness. Still very smooth, but no longer milky. Third steep is like the second, very fresh and clean tasting with a tiny bit of astringency. I’m definitely going to keep steeping this, but I’m running out of patience for this note so I’m going to end it here. :)

This isn’t always the kind of black tea I crave, but it’s definitely high quality and an excellent example of the type.

Steeping this one western-style this morning, so I’m probably not getting the full experience, but it’s still very tasty. :) Creamy, malty, and slightly sweet to start out, and then a fresh fruity tartness kicks in. Sweetly floral, like honeysuckle, in the aftertaste.

The weather finally cooled, and I finally got to Gong Fu the generous sample. The longhan fruit quality is overpowering. Still salty and caramel like for a black tea, but the robust fruity quality is practically ripe. It’s a stronger version of what introduced me to Whispering Pines, but now I have a hard time with the strength. I continue to recommend this highly, I just don’t know if I can drink it as often. Maybe as a robust wake up brew.

Because of how I felt about this tea, my preferences really have changed. Perhaps its the season, or perhaps high mountain oolongs have changed my world. It’s official anyway: I like lighter teas with few exceptions.

Thank you Brenden for this sample! I liked this one WAAAAAY more than North Winds. North Winds is much lighter as a Gongfu, and though I am actually starting to prefer this method of black tea brewing, there were times where I had to do it western because I was off by a few grams and the particular leaf wasn’t as strong. I like my dark teas bold, but complex and full of flavor. That’s why I typically enjoy Irish Breakfast more than say English Breakfast because it’s got more umph. Along the same parallel, the Aliashan is bolder, and more complex to me. I’m getting all of the tasting notes that are on here.

Toasted, whole grain bread is the best, first comparison I get, coupled with a malt like red wine aftertaste. Caramelized plum, though, is what this tea fully tastes like, and what I get the most. Again, it’s a very complex black tea that is sturdy though done Gongfu. I actually did the first steep in ten seconds which is fairly impressive, and it certainly filled my cup. A part of me even prefers it to the Golden Bud Dian Cong. I wonder what it would taste like as the Jabberwocky or Cocoa Amore. I also drank this as soon as I finished Rivendell, and this is the Aragorn to Rivendell’s Arwen.

This may be a more medium black tea, but it is a man’s tea, dang it (so wish I could use the full profanity)! For black tea lovers and would be the best introduction to an Ailoashan black for a newbie. If you want something robust with three dimensions, this is the tea to try.

This tea is the reason why I went over budget. This is why I am going to be much more careful with my tea selection. And this tea is important to me. I was just starting to get into Tie Guan Yin’s and oolongs became my new obsession. I wondered if there were any that were Lord of the Rings themed, and low and behold, I find an entire community devoted to all things tea, and the very first review in my sight was Rivendell. This is the tea that introduced me to Steepster, and the oolong that I was determined to try. Like many have said before, it’s named Rivendell, and it has to deliver the promise of a cup from Middle Earth. I waited over a year. I missed some times it was back in stock. Now, I have it.

Does it deliver on the hype? Not quite, but almost. I’m sorry, but it just didn’t. The Tie Guan Yin from Mandala tasted very similar to this, and it is significantly cheaper-cheaper by seven dollars per ounce. It has the same notes, nuances, and aroma in the first steep. I may have gotten lucky with the Mandala sample, being a spring harvest one, and being from a good year. I understand that the majority of the cost is because of the quality of Tie Guan Yin, which can be one of the most expensive teas in the world, and the quality of the Tahitian vanilla bean and cedar leaves. On top of those huge expenses, this product is in very little supply, and there is a tremendous demand for it as clearly apparent on this very site and the frequent times that it is out of stock. Yet the woodsy cedar and vanilla notes are ones that can be found in a high quality Tie Guan Yin-the later steeps are the more complex ones that allow this tea to be different from others. Nevertheless, the price remains as my main point of criticism.

Otherwise, it certainly is a drink that Lord Elrond would offer. It is very Elvish, smelling and tasting like described. The Vanilla and Cedar are the dominant scents and flavors in the tea, with the Tie Guan Yin’s natural orchid, creamy sweetness blending both scent and flavor together. Brenden’s description if pretty accurate. Again, Cedar and Vanilla are immediate. Lilac, or orchid, takes the previous two together and grinds them both with minerals. Caramel is more in the smell. Cherry and chocolate are approximately there, but you really have to search for them. The last three or two steeps really brings out the cherry, and the final one is like pine nut and mint, or menthol. It is a very light tea, and like any Tie Guan Yin, the taste is delicate but distinct. The most impressive aspect of this tea is that it is able to yield the same floral relish of a Gongfu in five western style brewed cups, which partially staves off the price in reusability. I actually let the later steeps soak in for 20-45 seconds more than recommended and got more flavor though this is western.

I thoroughly enjoy this tea. If it weren’t for the incredible price, this tea would have probably been one of the best I’ve had, and one of my favorites. I am very glad that I have it and pretty satisfied that I do, because the quest to have it finally ended in full circle, and it’s a good cup. This is the tea I would have given a 100 to, and this is my tea 100, the hundredth cup I’ve reviewed, the first cup that I saw on this site.

Now, for the audience that this tea aims for. You have to be a fan of Tolkien to fully enjoy this tea, or a huge fan of Tie Guan Yin oolongs and lighter teas. This is the must try tea for you guys, and probably no one else. Because the taste is so delicate, and so specific to Rivendell, a person who prefers stronger teas, someone who has no idea who Tolkien is, or someone who is newer to the over active imagination that is tea tasting would be severely underwhelmed. And if you are in a rush, you cannot possibly savor this tea. You’ll be reminded of the stark reality that you are just drinking a flowery glass of water. You have to slow yourself down, and travel to Middle Earth. You must let go, and allow yourself to escape.

This tea reminds me of chocolate covered raisins. It’s sweet and chocolaty with a subtle dried fruit flavour. Love it!!

Thank you Brenden for this sample!!!!!!
I really, really enjoyed this black tea. It is naturally sweet, smooth, and soooo much like caramel, in smell and in taste. This tea has so much character, and with only a barely noticeable touch of astringency. I smell again, caramel, hay, butter, sweet potatoe, popcorn….and sip the same notes. And that’s just on the first 15 second steep. This is actually one of my favorite black teas thus far. I would not drink this again and again because I want to savor it, and enjoy it as long as I can before its gone.

Another tea that is great in Gongfu style, and I think that almost anyone would like it, newbie or tea master. This is the tea to learn to enjoy without sugar for beginners. And this is a delicacy for the tea snob. I don’t think that I could ever drink black tea the same way again. I now prefer more golden leaves…..I am now a tea snob. Curses!!!!!!