Whispering Pines Tea Company

I was way eager to try this, but chose it as my first cup of the morning, at 4 AM, so I can’t say that I really let the flavours speak to me, but I did get very obvious and lovely cocoa notes. More on this later, because it’s my ride-the-metro tea. The metro is the french subway train btw lol.

Sipdown (insert melodramatic tune here). Every time I drink this, it reminds me of good chocolate milk: sweet, creamy, with rich chocolate and a bit of malt. So long Golden Orchid. We will see each other soon, I swear.

I’m almost out of Golden Orchid. And that’s just very upsetting. This is my daily “cheer myself up when I miss my baby too much” tea. I feel like I’m having something I shouldn’t have when I drink this. It’s so rich and lovely. I’m going to miss you when you’re gone but we’ll be so happy when we are reunited my little tea!

Yup this tastes exactly like my favorite chocolate milk: creamy, malty, chocolate-y, vanilla magic.

Marshmallows, chocolate, vanilla. Umh. YUM. I want to drink this now. And later. And after that. I might wake up in the middle of the night for it. If anyone at work asks me to try it I’ll say “Oh you won’t like it”. Because I want to keep it all. For me. HA!

Oh my. This is a good one! The dry tea leaves smell like malty cookies with a hint of jasmine. Malty Jasmine cookies! I want to bake some to go with this tea.

The brewed tea smells less floral and more sweetly malty. And the flavor… it’s very sweet on its own, without any additives. I love that. It tastes malty with a honey flavor.

This is a really impressive tea. I was confused to see a Bi Luo Chun as a black tea, since I thought that style was only green. Really, though, this tea is excellent. I don’t care what you call it!

So this has turned into a sipdown Saturday for me which is a good thing since I have quite a bit of tea on its way to me. Finishing off teas that I only have one or two teaspoons of seems like a good idea.

This tea is earthy and fruity. There’s a wood note along with leaves and wet earth as well as a sweet general fruitiness. The combination is very nice.

This came from the Butiki Educational Traveling Tea Box, but since it is labeled as a Whispering Pines tea I thought I’d put it here rather than under Random Steepings.

There is a strong cedar smell to the dry leaves. The leaves are semi-long and wiry, tightly wound and, of course, golden and black in color. Once steeped the cedar smell diminishes quite a bit. The infusion taste of forest floor with notes of cedar. As the tea cools there is a honey like note at the end of the sip.

I really enjoyed this tea. It’s not my favorite, but it is a good consistent Yunnan.

I finally opened up my stash of this yesterday. It will not be here for very long that is for sure. This is such a wonderful and different black tea. I am not sure how to describe the flavors. It is sweet, hints of fruit, but their are also hints of bread.

I received a sample of this from MzPriss and I also got to try this again at the tea party Nicole hosted in KC. Thank you ladies for sharing this one.

I think Nicole put this best. It is a creamy malty tea. It is a flavor I haven’t really had in black tea before, and I really like it. It is an amazing cup that kept me going back for more. I will be excited to pick up some more of this tea.

I used my last bit of this earlier this evening and have been resteeping it all night while switching between watching old Friends episodes and reading . Yes, my life is that exciting. Back to the tea… the combination of floral and mint is so relaxing, and the tea has a natural honey-like sweetness that I really enjoy. There’s also a smoothness and an almost creamy texture which plays well with the honey note. Some steeps (I did five or six, I’m not sure) were almost entirely floral with the honey only becoming noticeable as the tea cooled, but most of the steeps were consistent with the mint, floral, and honey flavors throughout the sip.

I feel like this is a running theme for me and Whispering Pines teas, but I need more of this. Must have all the teas. :)

This lovely tea came to me by way of kimquat. Thank you!

When I say this tea is lovely I mean it. The blend of jasmine and mint with a great green tea base is so soothing. This is the type of tea I’d want in my cup after meditating or at the end of a long stressful day when I just need to relax. It’s also perfect for a Sunday afternoon while watching baseball. :)

I already have this tea on my wishlist, and it’s going to stay there because I need more of this. A lot more.

I ordered this one on a whim when I was placing my Whispering Pines order. It sounded good, and I was looking for more cold tea options.

This one is really nice. More cinnamon than mint this time, but the mint was there, too. Earthy, minerally, just a touch minty. It was energizing and refreshing. It’s a nice summertime morning tea, or while working in the yard tea.

I put mine in my Mist pitcher yesterday around lunchtime, and just let it go. It was about 20 hours from when it went into the fridge to when I had it. That was a good amount of time.

This was a good tea, but I wasn’t blown away. Interestingly, the dry tea smells like pumpkin guts. That’s the second time I’ve smelled tea leaves with this aroma within a week. It’s very pleasant, but I’m a little confused.

That being said, I didn’t pick up on any nuances in the flavor. The flavor here seems heavier. I think this tea may be a little more oxidized, and maybe I just prefer the more lightly oxidized oolongs.

It has been a lousy kind of day today. So I’ve been drinking WP teas to keep me company. They’re the bright spot to my day. Definitely.

This tea has been keeping me company all day. Creamy and buttery, green and barely floral and slightly nutty. Yum in a cup.

I’d forgotten I had this one! I found it while digging through my pantry for something for my drive to work this morning.

This was not my drive tea. That was kinda lousy.

This tea was not lousy. It was perfect. It kept me company all day. I started with short, quick infusions and slowly, slowly increased the time. The last was 9 minutes, and I think I could get more out of it if I were willing to wait, but I’m just about to head out to the gym so I’m calling it good.

This tea is buttery and delicious. That is what I will say about it.

It’s good company on a long Monday.

I really like this tea. It’s nice, just a touch floral, just enough nutty. It’s incredibly buttery. I had one of my guilty pleasures, ramen noodles, for lunch today (Yes, that’ my entire salt intake for the day, and I didn’t even use half of the packet) and this tea surprisingly went perfectly. I’m happy as can be.

This is a really nice tea. Buttery and smooth drinking, just a touch floral. A creamy kind of nuttiness that once I re-read the description I agree is yes, definitely like a chestnut. I hadn’t tried this one before ordering it, but I’m really glad I got it.

I’m on my third infusion right now, but I can tell there are several more left in these leaves. I really need a better gaiwan since I don’t really like the one I have. I’ve been doing these western style with my in mug infuser. (Nothing wrong with that, but it makes for a lot of tea.) I’ve actually got a 5oz finum hot glass system coming today, so I think that’ll work for now.

Ya, ya, I’m drinking and reviewing Port again.

What can I say? I have become a total Port-head.

Not my fault…it’s highly addictive. I don’t even think about stoping, that’s how hooked I am.

I continuously think about how good my next fix will me. I can smell it even when it’s not around.

I get tremors of anticipation as I prepare it in my little clay pot.

The taste is so complex, I don’t even know how to describe it anymore…see pervious notes!

Never thought I’d say this, but I love being a Port-head!!

As Amy Winehouse’s song goes…«they tried to make me go to tea-hab, but I said no, no, no!!»

I was just gonna sit with this tea , enjoy it and be happy.

But it has put a spell on me and I feel compelled to write another review.

Ever since I’ve been using my Vanilla Dream yixing pot, this tea keeps getting better and better. Having this gives me the same warming feeling a good quality sheng does. Yes, it’s as rewarding. Any sceptical tea purists in the house? Well let me tell you how much you are missing on if you’re a non believer. This tea is a “whoa” inducer, goes straight to your senses.

This blend is innovative and completely unique. It almost creates a new flavour that doesn’t exist, making it almost impossible to describe. Sweet, savoury, salty, spicy, but not quite umami. The vanilla bean renders a rich and heavy mouthfeel. To make things even more complex, a fresh eucalyptus finish emerges at the end of the sip…mix that with the minerals of the clay pot, and you get a taste that lingers in the mouth forever, just like any good oolong or sheng pu’erh would. Complexity at its best…

Although I don’t drink much heavy liquor, I would compare Port to a fine aged whisky…something you can’t put a price on cause every time you drink it, you feel lucky you got the chance to experience such a gem.

Whoa! Port in a little pot.

Ambrosia, liquid gold for the gods.

So I now have this little yixing clay pot seasoned especially for Whispering Pines’s Vanilla Dreams collection.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/laafeevertee/14709714692/

Though it is hard to decide, Port is probably my favourite in that collection.

It’s got such distinctive notes of eucalyptus and camphor that marry so well with the saffron and the vanilla. I love that you can definitely pick up the saffron, it brings the flavour to another level, hard to describe…almost savoury, umami…

Not easy to go back to regular stuff once you’ve experienced that. This tea is like no other, and though it might not be for every palate, it’s a must try.

Every time I have it, I’m loving it a little more.

(I’m at infusion six right now, and it keeps on giving…)

I usually don’t cold steep spent leaves unless I drink oolong or pu’erh, they have so much to give, I often stop my sessions and just cold brew the rest.

Yesterday, this one was weak for me at the third cup. I would normally just dispose of it. But I thought that maybe the vanilla bean in it could still gift me with some goodness, so I tried.

It filled a 24oz jar for 20 hours in the fridge. I thought this is way too much water for such a little bit of tea, it will probably taste like noting…WRONG!

OMG!!! It’s hot here today and this is soooo refreshing!

It tastes like vanilla sugar, so deliciously yummy.

I conclude that this tea might be expensive but out of 1/2 tablespoon, I got three hot 8oz cups and a 24oz jar of iced tea!

I’d say not a bad yielding ratio :-)

Port in the afternoon? Hey, why not!

I’m an advocate of drinking my best teas at very ordinary times. Why wait for a special occasions? Just make the ordinary extraordinary!

This is fine tea, I mean REALLY fine.

Brenden suggested I use one of those little Chinese Gongfu stainless super fine stainers for his vanilla tea. I’m all out of Golden Orchid (new batch on its way, yay!!!), but I thought I’d give it a try with Port.

I already see a difference by looking at the tea through my doubled walled mug. Last time I had it, I used a regular strainer and the infusion was a little blurry. It’s crystal clear now. The difference is subtle, but I can see how the taste seems different, “cleaner”. Hard to explain and fully grasp cause I drank Port only once before.

There aren’t many of them, but I see little hairs of red saffron in the blend here and there, and they do render a Spanish savoury flair to the cup and a beautiful bright amber copper liquor.

First thing to notice is the delectable and creamy vanilla, its feels organic and a little earthy. Paired with the exquisite and sweet black base, and the “cederness” of the roasted cedar leaves, this tea turns into a sophisticated caramel infusion, with floral and fresh evergreens notes.

Yes, it’s very expensive, but it delivers and I think everyone should experience it at least once. (The problem is I am now hooked and I know I will reorder when I’m out!!)

Just a superb creation.

The moment has arrived, people. Today is the day I try Port for the first time.

At $22 an ounce, this tea is dressed to impressed. It wears a garment made of pure Madagascar vanilla beans and colourful saffron. (Spanish saffron, not the cheap imitation stuff)

Yep, that’s how Brenden rolls apparently.

But will all that glitter hold enough substance or will it fall flat?

I really want to like it and do it justice, so I decide to meticulously follow the master’s instructions.

Alright, alright, alright … The smell. Oh my, that smell. I could bathe in this. Miaow.

Torture, now I have to wait until it cools down? Or should I burn my tongue just a little?

Ok, I wait.

What I taste is beyond description cause it tastes like no other tea I’ve had before. The first thing that hits me is that creamy exotic vanilla. So different from your generic vanilla flavour. So organic.

Then, the unusual…a fresh eucalyptus mouthfeel is shinning through the base tea. What is this black tea from Dehong, China? I’d be really interested to try it on its own. There’s a certain earthiness to it. Sophistication meets rustic.

I will make sure to extract every little bit of flavour left in these very special leaves.

This is a pure delight, so happy I went with my gut and purchased it, well worth the investment…good job on this special creation of yours Brenden :-)