Whispering Pines Tea Company

Oh, the Hatter came up with a good one here….
Being one who likes to make their premium teas last as long as possible, I made my cup with the full tablespoon of leaves, but also a run through with just over a teaspoon. Both ways made an absolutely magical cup of tea (I didn’t even have to fall down the rabbit hole…. although, on most days, I feel as if I already have…).
Brown sugar, bread crust (that really crusty French kind…), cocoa, and the light notes of stonefruit… it’s all there!
With both amounts of leaves, I steeped at least 3 times and loved every bit of it.
While I’m sure the flavours really popped with the full tablespoon, for me, it’s good to know that I can tone back the leaf if I want to make it stretch.

Utterly delightful in every way. :)

Method: The first time, I made this exactly as the instructions stated. The tea had an amazing aroma, but the flavor was just too subtle for me. So today –
3/4 tbsp, 8 oz, 190 degrees, 3 minutes, brew in mug strainer, constellation cup

Aroma: This smells like some kind of sweet dessert. It has a very familiar aroma, but I can’t quite place it, which is driving me nuts!

Flavor: Sweet and fruity, again like a dessert. I want more. MORE!!!!! It’s lovely, but I definitely think I will do 1 full TBSP next time, and see how that tastes. I may increase the time also. I think this is lovely, but I could personally use a stronger flavor. In. Yo. Face.

http://instagram.com/p/ruS2mCPkd8/

Another backlog and sipdown, but this will be a reorder for sure yet again. I frickin’ love it. I do wish it was less expensive as it is one of my most pricey blends, if you are looking for a naturally delicious cocoa and cherry profile in your cup, this is is the tea for you. Seriously, it is yum without being cloying or artificial in the slightest. I don’t know how Brenden did it, but he did it right.

I’m still here! I’ve been having to pull extra shifts due to all the winter weather warnings. I am not kidding when I say that NONE of these winter storms have resulted in anything dramatic here around Atlanta (other than people acting even more idiotic then they usually do. ) Now if we were in Boston or any of those other places that were really slammed, then there would be a good reason to literally empty the grocery shelves and drive like they are escaping the zombie apocalypse.. but it has been mostly a lot of rain. I kid you not.

Anyway, I’ve had a lot of tea that I haven’t been around to post about. I’ll backlog post on sipdowns, but other than that I am moving forward. I am enjoying this cherry-cocoa blend currently. The dry leaf kind of smells like Cocoa Puffs or something.. a fruity-chocolate cereal of some sort. The brewed leaf is naturally sweet, a gentle cherry that doesn’t taste artificial, and of course the cocoa is prominent. I finished my old bag of it, so next time will be the Cyber Monday version, which smells the same from the now unsealed package. I am on my second steep and the tea holds up okay, but it does lose the cherry nuances with future steeps and starts to taste a little watery. Hope everyone is staying warm and dry out there!

I’ve already reviewed this one a couple of times, but as far as flavored teas go- it rocks my socks. Today it is malty cocoa and dark red (real) cherries, not the medicinal fake flavor that can be found in many products. With a 2nd steep, the cocoa becomes a more muted darker chocolate. This one is not overly sweet and is very enjoyable overall. I wish it was less expensive (and it calls for a lot of tea each use), but probably not one I’d want to drink every day anyway because it is not a commonplace blend. Hope everyone is having a good week!

Had this cocoa treat yesterday morning, but Steepster wasn’t loading properly at the time. It seems to be working today, so fingers crossed! This tea is sweet and truly reminds me of chocolate right from the first sip. I saw some reviews that indicate that WP teas are overhyped and I agree that there is no tea that tastes like liquid fudge or ice cream, but this one is pretty darn delicious nevertheless. Happy Sunday!

My first Whispering Pines package arrived! GO should hopefully arrive tomorrow. I can’t wait to try it. Can’t. Wait!

In the meantime, this tea is fantastic! It reminds me of Laoshan Black with the dark chocolate aroma/taste and the tea is very flavorful and rich. So glad I was able to try it as it will need to be a reorder for sure. I asked my husband if he wanted to partake. He sniffed the bag he gave me a thumbs up. I was hesitant to make a whole big pot if he didn’t like it because it isn’t the cheapest tea. He laughed and replied, “Enjoy it! Are you saving it for the Dutchess or something?” Lol, but he does have a point. I am always so inclined to horde tea that I really love and I need to stop. So I steeped a large teapot worth and was glad for it. I’d rather spend the moola to have a lot of a tea that I really love than a lot of teas that I am meh about.

I will post a more in-depth review when I have some time later this week, but it is rich, dark chocolately, and malty with a touch of sweet fruitiness. Yum! I tried it straight and with agave added and it is quite good both ways- the flavor profile is more notably chocolate with nothing added and the cherry profile makes more of an appearance with sweetener. Great tea!

This is really all I have to say about this tea!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPQEg0M4sFA

Malty, sweet, just a bit of a kick (the first steep), hints of chocolate, and baked bread lovliness…. mmmmmmm!
I managed to sip away while sitting outside and sketching… the weather is very fall like today, with amazing clouds. As I drank, I was sort of worried I’d get chucked in the head with an apple (Aragorn is not one for second breakfasts….), but this second breakfast was undisturbed and completely peaceful. :)
I steeped this three times (I may even do another…), and the third cup was very ‘baked bread’, with a delightful sweet aftertaste.
SO happy I ordered this.

My brunch tea. I smelled the spices when I first brewed this. It tastes sweet, with mild spice, a hint of berry, and an herbal flavour. Would make a good tea for going camping or on a hike, since I do get a forest feel.

Thanks so much Cameron B for the sample!

This is a very cute tea and tasty too! I like it very much but it isn’t blowing me away like it has some of the other reviewers, perhaps because I’ve had quite a few other equally tasty Yunnan blacks :)

Good stuff though! Definitely my kind of thing. Glad I got to try it.

Tea of the morning. First, I have to say that the dry leaves are beautiful. They’re golden and fluffy, and they smell like grain and cocoa. Really nice. I did a two and a half minute steep, and the results were glorious. The tea taste of good bread, honey, and cocoa. This is a seriously nice way to wake up! There is also an incredible smoothness to the tea which lends a buttery feel and a thickness that just takes this tea over the top. As the tea cools the flavors blend a bit more, and I find myself in the sip-sigh-smile-repeat mode of tea drinking. It’s a good place to be.

Thank you Cameron B. for gifting me this tea in the Pass the Stash 2.0 box. I love it! This one’s going on my shopping list.

Thanks to Cameron B for this sample. It smells so awesome, malty cocoa. Not sure why, but I get a lot of Smores in the flavour. Very good. I’m really liking their black teas.

After having the black blends, I like this one even more.

Day 2 of my not very successful trying this tea.
Continued gongfu. This is so much better than yesterday.
I lowered temp to 190F.
I recently tried sheng with 212F and loved the results, but not with this tea.
Definitely low temp, short steeps. Like 5/10/15 sec
I got notes of smoky meats and bell peppers. Enjoyed this way.

. I think that parameters on a website to steep for 3 min will scare inexperienced people away. Sorry just my 2 c.

mj sent me a surprise sample of this tea. She is awesome.
Sample is super generous .

I decided to do gongfu. It works all the time.
But today i wasn’t lucky
4g 100ml 205F
rinse/5/5/5/10sec, its hay, mellow, some sweet paprika. some bitterness, nothing major. no sweetness (hui gan) . bummer

i thought that maybe i should try WP parameters
1tbsp 8oz 190F 3min ( i did rinse it, i always do)
Nope. Very bitter for my taste.

Came back to my gaiwan. read some previous notes. TTF made it with low temp like 175F and short steeps. Tried that and i think its my favorite parameters. as it cools completely i notice some slight sweetness.

Thank you so much, mj. you gave me big sample to play.

My lovely friend JustJames sent me a generous sample of this. I had it yesterday and I liked it, however, my allergies were acting up so I decided to give it another chance.

Today the scent is much richer it has the chocolate, butter and apricot tones I smelled yesterday as well as a lovely bready tone that wasn’t there yesterday.

I remember that the name seemed fitting because this smells soothing and warm, just what you need on a brisk, cool day.

Flavour wise it is smooth with apricot, and bready notes up front and cocoa mixing with butter in the background. There is a slight artichoke note as well hidden among the fruit up front. As it cools the apricot becomes more plum like, a honey note and malt become apparent.

This resteeps very well with fruity notes and malt becoming stronger as the cocoa fades. It is good for at least three steeps.

This tea has a nice simple flavour profile which is comforting delicious and suits its name! Thanks James!

Brenden sent a sample of this with my WP order last month. It’s not a tea I would have picked out normally, since I don’t usually like minty teas, but I’m glad I gave it a chance.

This is the kind of minty tea I can get behind. It smells like my old favorite vanilla mint sleepytime tea, so I guess spearmint? I’m not well educate in the various kinds of mint.

And thankfully, the mint isn’t the star of the show here. There’s some nice spice (cinnamon and ginger) and a bit of earthiness, and overall it’s very mellow and soothing.

I think it might even inspire me to go to bed before 3am for the first time in forever. Dare I say I might even add this to my next order?

I was lucky enough to receive a sample of this with one of my many Whispering Pines orders. I didn’t realize that it wasn’t available for purchase yet. Thanks Brenden! His customer service always rocks :)
The leaves of this beautiful tea are long, twisty, and dark brown. Just check out the awesome picture on this tea’s Steepster page! They smell very nutty and buttery and brew up a light orangey-tan. I brewed it gongfu-style (oolongs are so great that way!): 15/15/30/40/60 sec.
The first steep was heavily roasted chestnut. I actually don’t think I have ever had a roasted chestnut, or a chestnut at all, but that is what immediately came to mind. I just went with it. And ooh, there’s butter on those roasted chestnuts too! There’s even a subtle character that reminds me of nut shells, but all this fades into a fresh floral finish. I have to say, I have not had a Whispering Pines tea yet that has not had a completely gorgeous finish. That’s one of the reasons I’m such a fangirl. For this steep and all subsequent steeps, I got a hint of astringency, but it only affected the tip of my tongue. Weird lol. With the second steep, the roasted chestnut flavor intensified, but honey also joined the party :). The mouthfeel was richer too. The third steep was similar to the second in taste, but the feel was different. The creaminess intensified, but only on my tongue like someone painted the center of my tongue with a creamy mouthfeel paintbrush. The tips and the sides of my tongue were a bit dried from the slight astringency. This tea is so interesting!! The fourth steep was much the same, but the nut shell taste faded, resulting in a really smooth taste (this steep was my favorite!). The fifth steep still had good flavor, but the creamy mouthfeel was lost as was almost all the astringency.
As you may know, I love oolongs but I have been unimpressed with da hong paos so far because the ones I have tried have been kind of one dimensional. This one, however, has a lot of complexity while still remaining just downright tasty! It’s a win in my book :)
And edit: Here’s a pic of it brewing!
http://instagram.com/p/riMZs7Km8U/

I had this tea couple of nights ago during a middle-of-the-night gongfu session, which are kind of my favorite. I enjoyed it with a book and some classical music and it was, as TheTeaFairy put it, a “perfect tea for a quiet moment”.
The leaves are quite eclectic: light grey-green leaves with quite dark green interspersed, a mix of long and thin with short and flat. The brew is light yellow and smells of very sweet, hay with a hint of mallow. I steeped it 15/15/30/40/60, but as the taste did not change much from steep to steep, I won’t describe each separately.
This tea is just lovely. It’s sweet, like most white teas I enjoy, but a smidge less delicate. The main note is sweet hay with a sugar snap pea highlight. The background is a slight maltiness, which builds with successive steeps. There’s a hint of minerals, which I enjoy, and an airy honey finish with a suggestion of cinnamon. Don’t worry, it’s barely even there and the furthest from offensive that cinnamon can possibly be. Overall, it’s a very enjoyable, uplifting, and relaxing tea.

I’m having a cup of this right now and it’s amazing. Exactly what I need right now. Light, sugary vanilla, rich floral oolong, smooth, relaxing, beautiful. Perfection! See previous notes on this stellar tea!

Well I couldn’t review Golden Orchid today without reviewing Rivendell as well! I also had my first cup of this last weekend while at the lake, but logging the cup I’m drinking right now!

The dry smell is much more green, definitely that lovely Tieguanyin scent, minerally and fresh, and the vanilla adds a nice sweet smell in there too. Also a slight woody scent from the cedar. I followed Brenden’s brewing instructions again, 0.5 TBSP in 190 degree water for 3 minutes.

The brewed tea is light in color, and smells mainly of Tieguanyin, a good one at that! As for the flavor….mmmmmmmm, this really does taste good too. It’s light and has a definite mineral quality, a fresh stream over rocks. The vanilla is light and sweet here, not drippy and fudgelike as in GO. This one is light, so fresh. The cedar finishes with a light woodsy quality, bringing out some florals in the tieguanyin and putting in mind a clean forest.

This tea embodies Rivendell. It truly is pure, light, fresh, and magnificent. It evokes water over rocks, quiet forests, and soaring in crisp air. If I was an elf, this would be my drink of choice.

Overall, a very fine tea indeed. This brings about an immense sense of peace, and is not a tea you can rush through drinking. It needs to be enjoyed and savoured. Beautiful tea drawn from beautiful inspiration. And I love LOTR, so that is also a big win :D thanks again for a wonderful tea, Brenden!

I shoveled for at least an hour in -25 celsius temps this afternoon lol uncovered my driveway and moved my vehicle back there to plug it in haha. Man oh man I came in frozen, so I am sipping away on this treasure of a tea to warm up. And warming it is, as well as a treasure! I had been hoarding this, but I need to drink this, as well as other teas, instead of hoarding them. That is one of my tea resolutions this year – don’t hoard, drink up, and restock if required! A few others:
-No ordering tea until cupboard is under 100 teas (so currently not until I finish/get rid of 42 teas)
-Keep cupboard level at 100 maximum
-make list of favorites to keep in cupboard and try to eventually just have favorites in cupboard
-CUT DOWN ON IMPULSE BUYING. Haha this is a big one, I am notorious for buying a large bunch of tea because it looks good. I need to further research and contemplate if I need the tea before I order a ton (possible exceptions being a highly reviewed pu’erh cake, such as the one from WP that I nearly ordered this past week :P).
-Have a more organized tea cupboard. This will be a work in progress.

Anyways, this tea looks like it will be one that will be restocked :P it’s still ridiculously delicious. But I will drink up what I have first before placing an order! See previous notes on this tea :)

Sooo…yes, I had to get this tea after review after review praising its amazingness. And I confess – I’ve drank at least 3 cups before logging this tea. And might as well get it out now – I am ALSO on the GO fan club train!!!!!! :D

I first had this tea last weekend at the lake, where i have zero internets most of the time so I couldn’t log the awesomeness of this blend. But I am finally taking the time to write a review instead of downing the cup and sighing with happiness lol. So here we go!

The dry smell of this tea is HEAVENLY. It smells like pure fudge. When I first smelled it I exclaimed in excitement and immediately shoved the bag under various people’s noses for them to enjoy it as well (my mom..my dad..they know I’m a bit crazy about tea at least lol). And having it today, it still smells just as amazing.

I followed the brewing instructions – ~.5 TBSP in 200 degree water for 3 mins. The resulting tea is a deep rich brown and smells like an amazing Yunnan black tea with added sweet notes – honeyed, malty, rich.

As for the flavor…mmmmm. This is GOOD TEA. The base is an excellent quality, I picture a lovely Yunnan black bursting with honey and malt notes..then add in vanilla beans. Folks, this is by far the best vanilla tea I have had in my life. The main notes are honey, vanilla and yes…when they all meld together, you get fudge. The sweet notes come out more as the tea cools, and is is just wonderful. I also found I didn’t get a crazy caffeine buzz or have my anxiety act up from this tea – major plus in my books! Oh and this also tasted great, maybe even BETTER, up at the lake with non-filtered water…might have to try that! Or the water is just better up there haha.

So overall, this is a masterpiece. I have told Brenden on FB that this tea is a masterpiece, and I will tell all of Steepster too haha. If you like fudge, vanilla and good black tea, try this. I can’t even imagine how good Cocoa Amore is haha since it also has vanilla and different black teas lol. But this one is a win and a half for me. I am going through my ounce at an alarming rate, and with all the teas I have in my cupboard, I really shouldn’t order any more until Black Friday. But this one might make me…oh how I wish it was free shipping to Canada too! I applaud the maker of this blend! SUPERB TEA.