Whispering Pines Tea Company
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My first tea from Whispering Pines Thanks so much Boychik!!!
I can see why everyone is raving about this one. Strong cocoa and fruity notes make this one very appealing. Bold and malty and rich! Nom nom nom…perfect for breakfast, or in my case for an afternoon pick-me-up!
:D
Ok I had to start this review over because I accidentally deleted the whole thing before I posted it somehow.
I’ve been waiting on this one for a while, I was lucky enough to get to taste a sample of it a while back and i knew right away that i must have more of it.
The aroma is slightly floral and slightly fruity at the same time with the floral aroma being similar to an orchid type aroma and the fruity aromas being like that of plums or dried cherries, very nice.
The major flavor notes are those of smokey pine, raw cocoa and honey with a pleasant sharpness or dryness on the end/aftertaste.
The minor notes are ever-changing and make the profile of this tea quite complex and hard to write a review on but I’ll do the best I can…
There a very slight floral note at times when the tea is warmer those match the orchid notes in the aroma as the tea cools a bit those very slight floral note turn into slightly citrus type note somehow. There is also a slight sweet note throughout this tea that also changes, at the start it is a fruity type sweetness and on the end it is more of a floral or honey type sweetness.
This tea is also very forgiving and can handle abuse of oversteeping and still come out tasting better than ever with no bitter or astringent at all in fact To Me it actually got much smoother with a longer steep and even more mellow as it cool.
Overall Pine Peak is a great Name for this one because the smokey Pine notes are dominate in this one,a wonderful good Keemun IMO that can be enjoyed many ways, I bet It would make for a really great iced tea also.
P.S Also I tasted it with some sweetener just because, I DO NOT recommend that at all, This tea is best enjoyed as it is without added sweetener.
Flavors: Cocoa, Floral, Fruity, Honey, Pine, Smoke, Sweet
I got this as a sample with my Whispering Pines order.
This is a very smooth tea. The first sip of it I seriously felt like I was breathing in ocean air. I wasn’t… i was standing in the breakroom at my office, but it definitely has a very present oceanic taste and scent at first. It mellows out as you drink it though, and I thought this was a very pleasent cup of tea.
Preparation
Thick, honey, malty, smooth, cocoa-ey, molasses-y… good for 2.5 steeps of long length. I seriously regret not buying a larger amount.
This. Is. Freakin. Good. Tea.
Preparation
mmmmm
This review singlehandedly made me add this tea to my wish list. Lol
What whatshesaid…said. Well that was awkward lol
That’s what sometimes I call her whatsherface giggling
Er…why not what
I’m ready to change my name but fear no one would know who I was, haha
dont change, its fun
im not happy with mine, what the hell i was thinking…
Aww.
as long as you keep the picture the same for a while, name changes are doable. i think
Sil you’ve changed pic several times. When notifications come its by name. And I like her name;).
I think it still keeps people following you. I know I’ve had “new” people show up in my dashboard and had no idea who they were until I figured out that they had changed their name. :) But I like everyone’s names. :)
haha yes, i change pics instead of names :)
boychik, I love your name!
Terri, that’s how my late grandpa called my son. I dunno why I picked it. I just miss him a lot
Lets just keep it the way it is, I think I’ll start freaking out;)
I think boychik is adorable, and that explanation is so worth keeping it :-)
You can always change the display name but keep the url name the same. Like how Sil’s or Nicole’s display names are different from their urls. :)
Never noticed that before!
shhhhhh angrboda!
i agree…boychik cannot change names! :)
Getting to the bottom of a 1oz bag so there are lots of cinnamon chips! I used water that was a little less than boiling. The tea smells—and tastes—like fresh red apples to me. It’s sweet with a little bit of a tart nippiness and a little bitterness that makes me think of biting into apple skins. (That bitterness is NOT a negative quality to me at all.) It’s spot-on! SO hard for me to believe there aren’t actual pieces of apple in this tea. The cinnamon makes it taste like apple pie filling. There’s a slight roastiness to this tea; a light mineral taste lingers after every sip. I’m wishing that the tea base was a little lighter, maybe more buttery or floral…but I know that’s where the apple taste is coming from. Guess I’m just being picky. It’s still a decent cuppa. (:
Flavors: Apple, Cinnamon, Mineral, Wood
Backlog:
I thought that this would taste “smoky” because … something about the name just … sort of insinuated it to me. But this isn’t a smoky tea. It’s a lovely combination of mint (spearmint and peppermint) and jasmine and green tea. A tasty combination.
Not overly minty. Crisp and cooling, but not in a sip of mouthwash sort of way. I taste green tea and jasmine along with the mint, and it’s a very refreshing, interesting combination. The jasmine notes build as I continue to sip.
Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/04/13/whisper-of-the-woods-green-tea-blend-from-whispering-pines-tea-company/
The base tea for this blend has changed since I last had it! I ordered an ounce of the new one, and this is only my second cup. It certainly is different. The smokiness is more pronounced, melding perfectly with the peppery spices. It’s making the back of my throat and tongue tingle a little. It’s very woodsy! Makes me think of campfires. There’s also an earthy, grounding quality to it as well. While the old tea base tended towards caramel, marshmallow sweetness (at least for me), this tea base tends towards honey sweetness with an undercurrent of freshly cut wood. Honestly, I prefer the former in a black tea…but that’s not to say I don’t like this one too. Looking back at my other tasting note, I mentioned that there was bitterness in the other cup. There’s NO bitterness in this one. Going back to the spice blend for a second…I like it. It’s warming, like an afghan thrown across your lap as you stare lazily into a roaring fire. Yeah. It’s nice. The peppercorn seemed a little strong in the first cup. I think that’s what made my throat tingly. The base tea comes through much better in the second infusion: it’s smoother, less smokey, more wood and honey. Would I reorder this? Not sure. I think there are other chai blends I prefer, but this would be nice to have around in the winter months.
Flavors: Campfire, Honey, Pepper, Smoke, Spices, Wood
[OLD Blend!]
Got a sample of this one from Veronica. Thank you muchly. (:
In hindsight I should have done a quick rinse before brewing. Oops. This was the last scoop in the bottom of (what looks like) a 1oz bag, so I went in knowing that the ratio of spice blend to tea was going to be a little skewed. That’s okay though. Smelling the dry leaves, I recognized a light smokiness that is very similar to the smokiness of Manistee Moonrise (am I right?). Brewed, the tea liquor was a deep reddish gold. The smell is campfire smoke, spice, and a hint of sweetness.
It calls to mind specific images, like red autumn leaves littering the forest floor. A fire crackling as dusk turns to night. Tree bark. It’s earthy and grounding. The blend of spices is pleasant and it reminds me of VT’s chai spice blend, which is the first chai I ever really loved. There’s a nice balance between all of the flavors; smoke is ever-present in the foreground. (Almost overwhelming, but not UNpleasant. Like I said: should have rinsed first!) There’s a slight bitterness along with the earthy, woodsy tones. It seems to fit and I can’t explain how. As the tea cools a silky sweetness steps up and just hangs around in the back of my mouth. It’s kind of caramelly. It’s gooood.
In the second cup, the smokiness is turned way way down. The liquor is a mellow gold and I can pick out the scent of cinnamon and clove more than I could in the first cup. I’ve learned by now that this is a tea better served medium-warm, so that’s how I drink it! And oh is it good. The smokey notes are more suggested than stated. Kind of wispy, like after a candle is snuffed out—not like the smoke coming off of a roaring fire. This cup is more woodsy. (For the record I LOVE the smell of wood.) The sweetness is more intense, curled around the spices like a cat’s tail. The spice leaves a nice tingle in the back of my throat and the sweetness lingers long after I’ve taken a sip. If I push my tongue around my teeth, the sweet flavor is paired with the sensation of biting into a puffed marshmallow. That’s the only way I can think to explain it. Really unusual and unexpected! I like it. There’s a slight drying quality to it as well.
I wish I had more of this tea to play around with. (: As far as chai goes, I’d say it’s definitely one of my top 5.
Flavors: Campfire, Caramel, Cinnamon, Earth, Marshmallow, Smoke, Spices, Wood
Wow, what a review!
So glad you liked this! The lapsang in here has actually been changed. It’s a bit more smoky, way sweeter, and incredibly smooth!
Hope you get to try the new one at some point to compare!
I hope so! I’m excited to try some of the other chai blends too. I’m surprised they haven’t gotten very many reviews. I want to try them aalll. (:
:) I really like the Mint Chocolate Chai!
I’m glad you liked it! I didn’t think about the spices being stronger at the bottom. Oops. :) I adore this tea. It is hands down my favorite chai and easily one of my all time favs.
one of the greatest things about swaps is that things arrive on your doorstep that you may never have chosen. thanks so much to kaylee for this!!! i really never would have chosen it and it’s outstanding….
the risk with pine is it can punch you in the nose while it’s going down. is there even a hint of that in this blend? nope!
this really is a masterpiece, brendan. very, very fine. the lightest hints of pine that behave as mint with an essence of eucalyptus, but mostly a very sweet green. no vegetal tone. no seaweed. not nuts…. a pure, light chlorophyll element, as though the components were freshly gathered.
sprightly, subtle, anything but boring…. i foresee an order in future…. thank you so much kaylee!
Preparation
I also fell in love with this blend, so delicate, so perfect!
Always a favorite of mine. :) I love how different processing brings out different flavors in the pine. I processed this last batch similar to a jade oolong, which brought out really beautiful notes, buttery, lightly minty, VERY sweet. Glad you enjoyed it!
Seasoned my first yixing! Yes! It was gifted to me over a year ago by some tea-drinking friends. It took me a year to get over how intimidated I was of using yixing teaware. I believe it was purchased at Teavana, and as I’ve never used a yixing pot before I can’t speak for the quality. It should do just fine. I rinsed it with boiling water several times, then left some of GTT’s Honey Black steeping overnight. Later in the day, I rinsed again with boiling water, then left it in a pot of hot water with some Laoshan Black and SOT’s Coonoor Nilgiri. Waited several hours, then removed it and rinsed with boiling water again. There’s no residual clay smell that I can tell. The maximum capacity is just under 8oz, if I fill it nearly to the brim. I decided to test brew some Ailaoshan Black in this little pot. Maybe I should stick to lighter teas, teas with strong notes of honey and baked bread? I haven’t decided. I might simply use it for my favorite black teas; they share many of the same qualities, though not all.
Anyway, there is an intense honey sweetness to this tea that wasn’t present before. Brewing in the yixing also upped the buttery, baked notes that the tea already had. There’s cocoa and malt but it’s a little subdued. The stone fruit, cherry flavors are also barely present. The finish has a touch of caramel; it’s creamy and full, then it recedes into a more crisp, floral aftertaste. I’m wondering if some of the chocolatey notes are hiding in the yixing somewhere, to reappear later in a different cup, with a different tea.
This was more a record of my first yixing experience than the tea itself. For a better description of the tea, see my other tasting note.
If anyone has advice or opinions about yixing dedicated to black tea, leave a comment. I’ll be happy to hear it!
congrats on seasoning your new pot :)) I waited forever seasoning my first one too – then quickly added several to the collection. They aren’t as scary once you start using them regularly
Thanks! I think my friends may have unwittingly given me a new obsession. I’ve brewed many cups of several different teas, and every one has been a perfect cup. Lush and rich and absolutely delicious. Do you designate your yixing to certain flavor profiles, or more general types of tea? It’s too soon to tell what my preferences would be, but I’m curious.
I have one for dark oolongs – but really I mostly drink DHP.
I have one for sheng – I don’t drink a lot of it so that’s fine
I have one for shou – I drink most shou from the pot with no issue
I have one for Special Dark – this pot is larger and I LOVE Special Dark western steeped – I also don’t really want those heavy chocolate notes in my regular shou pot
I have one for blacks – I really only drink Yunnan and Fujian blacks – so I’m not too worried about that (if I was into Darjeeling – I would do that in a separate pot)
I have 3 more that I haven’t seasoned – I think I’m doing to do one for aged sheng…. but I haven’t really gotten into that yet… Probably do another one with just general shou.
I just like them – they are so cute and I like how the tea steeps in them…. :))
I agree. And I can definitely see myself getting overly attached to my teaware this way—like each one has its own distinct flavor and personality. They are cute!! I drink mostly Yunnan and Fujian blacks too, so I don’t see it being a big problem. I will probably get several more in the future and season them for different things. And wow, you seem to have a lot of teapots. :P
I have a bit of a problem….. I also have 2 glass and a ceramic and a ru kiln and a couple of gaiwans – those are all small for gongfu. I don’t want to talk about cups – :)
https://instagram.com/p/wpvh-POE4n/?modal=true
https://instagram.com/p/wpvUVuuE4Q/?modal=true
I’ve bought more since these photos – I’m just hanging head in shame and checking myself into rehab….
Can you say “best problem ever”?! I’m so jealous of your collection. Now that I’m past the “MUST TRY ALL OF THE TEAS” phase and comfortably settled into what I know I like, I’m beginning to enter an “I NEED MORE TEAWARE NOW” phase. There is a coffee shop near me that hosts handmade pottery shows/sales every few months. When they have their next sale, you know where I’ll be…
Should I admit that I actually started taking a pottery class thinking it would be cheaper to learn to make my own than continuing to buy….. ((LOL it’s NOT – really really hard to make cups – fun but HARD) I’ve bought some amazing pieces locally. Go to the sale and let the addiction begin….
I did that too – stopped buying ALL THE TEA – needed to cupboard reduce so stopped buying tea and just moved right into teaware. Oh well it’s fun and it could be worse…. :)
Oh, yeah. Making pottery is not easy. I’m a fine arts student at a university; I’m considering taking a course in Advanced Ceramics next semester so that I can fuel the addiction. All I would make is teaware. And everything I make would probably be off-center, because making pottery is HARD. It’s fun and meditative but wow. There are a couple of people here who are fantastic potters. I’ve considered commissioning a tea set from one of them, but it’s hard to justify the expense. (Though I will probably end up spending loads of money on teaware in the long run, anyway…)
Oh my god. This is too good.
At first I get the impression of red fruits, then a deep, chocolatey note that is soon joined by sweet caramel. It’s roasty and savory and wonderfully complex. There is a touch of astringency. It might be remedied by a lower brewing temperature—I prefer not to use boiling water on black tea anyway. (Or any tea…except for puerh.) The taste that lingers behind is SO WONDERFUL. Dark chocolate, some grapey-ness, some sweetness. No doubt, this tea is special. I’m enamored.
It’s soo hard to find words to describe this tea. Why is it so hard?! The fruit flavor is difficult for me to pin down. I’ve just brewed a second cup and it smells strongly of cocoa and baked bread. Too hot to sip but you’re damn right I have my nose stuck in the cup. (:
Now that it’s cool enough to drink (just kidding, I burned myself)…I’m getting more roasty, nutty notes, more chocolate, a little more caramel, and this gooey baked pastry flavor. It’s so smooth. No astringency at all in this cup (lower temp), and it coats your tongue HEAVILY with malt and sweetness. The dark fruity undertones pervade throughout, and the overall flavor sticks around forever. It sounds gross, but it has me licking my teeth. It’s too good. I can’t handle it. It…it might be perfect!
(The gooey, caramel, marshmallow-like sweetness intensifies as temperature cools. The last lukewarm mouthfuls at the bottom of the cup DEFINITELY tasted like marshmallow to me.)
Note to self: try a gong fu session with the rest of this sample. Thank you Veronica!
Flavors: Baked Bread, Berries, Caramel, Chocolate, Cocoa, Grapes, Malt, Nuts, Raisins
oh wow. I gotta try this!
It’s almost gone!
Don’t say that! D: I can’t place another tea order until next paycheck. Nooooooo
Now I have to ask: If I miss it this time around, how soon would it be available again? I’ll probably end up squirreling the rest of this sample away until then. That bums me out.
Well, it’s officially gone :( I’m planning on getting another shipment as soon as possible after the move. I’d say that most likely it will be available by the end of June at the latest :)
End of June? That’s not so bad. It gives me more time to save for a bigger order—yay! (:
Ginger tea because my tummy is being mean to me and I figured that this would help a bit.
It’s a nice ginger tea! Definitely not as spicy/ginger-y as DAVID’s Super Ginger haha. Dude that one was super peppery. I liked this one a lot! I like the pairing of the rooibos and the ginger.
Still getting used to ginger teas and I feel like these are great for when I’m a sicko on bed, or if I just have tummy problems.
Thank you MissB for sending me this tea!
Preparation
The dry aroma on this tea is really interesting. It smells malty, and there’s a general roasty aroma. It smells like something I have smelled before, but I cannot place the aroma.
The tea steeps to a light yellow amber color and I taste the same malty/roasty type scents from the aroma.
It’s a little pricey, and while I think it’s very good, I didn’t love it.
Preparation
This one is really intriguing. The smell of the dry leaves was a little off-putting to me, because I could smell a LOT of smoke with a little lemon thrown in. I once had a horrific experience with a Russian caravan blend with Lapsang Souchong, and I’ve been leery of smokey teas ever since. Reminds me of roasted pork or barbecue meat smell…ANYWAY, getting sidetracked. This tea doesn’t smell like barbecue. Just smoke, like woodsmoke. Campfire smoke. The brewed tea aroma is more gentle. I can pick out notes of lemongrass, red berries, a hint of spearmint, and it’s all tied together with this light woodsmoke aroma. It all reminds me of wet leaves crushed underfoot. Like a forest after the rain. Very outdoorsy. It’s an absolutely fascinating blend, and it’s making my mouth water.
Lemon and mint are the dominant flavors for me. It’s a much brighter, more “cheerful” tea than I imagined. And it’s very calming. Like I said, forest after the rain. I barely notice any smokiness from the tea—it’s soft at the end of each sip, like an afterthought. (Note that I did rinse the leaves for 10sec before brewing.) Woodsy, earthy, no astringency whatsoever. It’s really nice. It doesn’t blow my mind, but I can see myself keeping it around for a cold, rainy day. It really seems to lie in the fall-winter category. I would LOVE to take this tea on a camping trip. I think it would be perfect.
Now that the tea has cooled off a bit, the berry notes are more prominent. The spearmint and lemongrass are more balanced, whereas before it was like they were having a loud argument and lemon was winning. It’s a LOT softer now. Silky and smooth, rather than bright and chipper like it was when it was piping hot. Wow. Wow wow wow. It’s so much better now. I’m going to give it a higher rating than I originally planned. (:
Thanks so much for the sample Veronica!
Flavors: Autumn Leaf Pile, Berries, Earth, Lemon Zest, Tobacco, Wood
Preparation
Thank you Oh! Mighty creator of this blend.
My lullaby tea.
I was thinking today about choosing ONE favourite tea from WP… And the winner is…….at least 10 of them!!!
I just can’t make up my mind…but this sleeping beauty is certainly one of them.
It smells like a forest, tastes like the rain, feels like a cloud. It’s a hugger.
That’s why I like to drink it at night, so calming and soothing.
This tea is a light in the dark…
Here’s a pic:
The different tea every day, think of the problems of different, the tea will be with you a beautiful life
Thank you Shutao for your wise words :-)
Now I want to see your light fixture!
Haha me too Marzipan!
i want to try this one sometime heh
Wait for next month’s harvest, Sil…It’s going to be AMAZINNNG!
this is the one that sells out like day one right? I’m travelling so not sure how easy it’s going to be for me to stay on top of that..
Yep yep. I could reserve an ounce for you :)
With so many truly exceptional teas in your cupboard and so many wonderful Steepester friends, I hope the only darkness is when your sleeping.
Lol, marzi and mj: try a simple flashlight ;-)
WP, it’s ALWAYS amazing to me, but I don enjoy the difference between harvests every months :-)
looseTman, thank you, what a nice and thoughtful thing to say <3
WP, I meant “I DO enjoy the different harvests”
Brendan – I’d love that
Sil, I really think you will love this one…
I’ve marked you down for one ounce, Sil! :-)
awesome. Did you want me to PM or email you so you have my info etc? CLEARLY i’ll be adding more to my order than that haha
Nah, I have a list pinned to the fridge for tea to reserve, so when the 1st rolls around, you’ll be guaranteed to have one ounce. I’ll send you a PM at that time to let you know how to order it. Generally I update inventory based on the reservations when an item comes back into stock. For instance, if there’s 16oz available but 6oz reserved, I update the inventory so reflect 10oz, and when someone that has reserved buys their 1oz, I bump the inventory back up to 10oz. Basically unless it’s all sold out by the time you place your order, you’d just add it as usual. Otherwise I’d set up a 3-letter custom order code for you to use here: www.whisperingpinestea.com/custom.html
It’s a pretty flawless and awesome system that’s easy on everyone involved :-)
I’m finishing a cup of this beautiful tea. My night cap.
Can I reiterate how much I like it? You already know that. Well, I like it. A lot. There, now you know even more.
Just want to share that like most of you, I would like to get some sleep now.
But…my dog Dexter has decided to land on my legs. What’s the big deal, right? Well, he’s kind of heavy and he’s playing rag doll. It’s like there’s no bones in that body. There’s no way I can move him. So, I tried to contort myself from underneath him, and now I must make myself as small as can be so I can fit on whatever space is left on the mattress. I do have a queen size. He’s not only big…he’s tall.
I remember when he was a few months old, a friend told me «don’t ever let him jump in bed…Dobermans are velcro dogs. They stick to you like glue…»
Sigh…he was right.
Aww that’s adorable. xD Haha I at least love when my dog is on my bed with me :P But he’s not as big or as tall as yours!
Your dog is such a cutie :-)
Can’t imagine – my cat can take up 2/3 of the bed when he sprawls out, your dog could probably take up the whole space and then some. It is funny that we will contort around our pets rather than just kicking them out of bed….
One of my cats can take up half of my half of the bed without a problem. Another one of my cats (only when the first cat isn’t around) likes to wait until I’m asleep and then climb on me and sleep sprawled out all crazy like.
My oregano bush is in bloom, and like every year, it hosts a bumble bee party. So cute to watch them working their little butts off.
Thank you bees for all your hard work…because of you, my oregano looks like a micro forest!!
I had Sleeping Bear in the middle of the afternoon. I usually have it at night. But it was raining and this tea reminds me how rain tastes in my forest, so it was the perfect companion.
I’m on a “monthly subscription” for this tea…meaning, I buy it once a month cause it’s that good and I get to have the newest harvest every time.
Out of the three different harvests I have tried so far, this one is the best. It’s a little more piney than the others, and the jasmine is just perfect. The scent is therapeutic, it elevates me…I feel like I’m resting on a little cloud made of jasmine blossoms and soft pine needles.
So good that I re-steep it. Yes, cause Whispering Pines has made a re-steeper out of me!
Teehee bumble bee party! http://tinyurl.com/n95df9w
We had two big fat fuzzy bumble bees wrestling inside an okra flower at my house yesterday, too funny!
I would imagine bumble bee wrestling to be similar to sumo… Lol!
Lol, most of them are actually regular working bees, but I like saying Bumble Bee, makes me happy :-)
Lol, Cameron, that pic is cute!
Stephanie, i think Cameron is right, two big fat bumble bees fighting together = sumo bee wrestling :-)
I usually think of the small “regular” bees as honey bees, and the extra large extra fuzzy variety as bumblebees!
They were totally sumo wrestling, LOL
Awwwwwww I love bumblebees! I got stung by one when I was two because I tried to pet it. Surprisingly not traumatized xD
Yeah, re-steepage!!!
Also, sumo wrestling bumbly bees is the cutest image ever.
I’m totally crashing that bumblebee party!!!!!
Haha! KiwiDelight, kudos for petting a bee, so cute!
Sami, except when I do gongfu sessions, I was never much of a re-steeper…now, with those WP teas, it just breaks my heart to throw them out so I can’t help re-steep most of them!
Sars, I was hoping you’d crash ;-)
Bees are so awesome! I went to an insect behavior lecture a couple of months ago (just for fun) and learned some about them. Did you know that all the bees you see outside the hive are female? They are the workers and soldiers. The males stay in the hive and care for the larvae. Fun facts :)
YOU GUYS if you like bees, you need to read this novel.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/25/books/review/the-bees-by-laline-paull.html?_r=0
TTF: You know I can’t resist a party!!!!!
Suddenly The Tea Hobbit has turned us into re-steepers LTF
I’ve learned here on Steepster that resistance is futile Sars…
MzPriss…let’s face it. We are total re-steepers. But only with tea hobbit’s teas… I still dump my other used tea leaves with no guilt after one steep!
The two I actually res-steep are GO and this one. I wih I had some right now. But it’s not long until the 1st. The Tea Hobbit is also lightning shipper
The firsssst…. it nearsssss…. Need teasssssss :p
Where do you get your “subscription” for this tea?
Lol, it’s a joke hippiechick, I said that cause I buy it every month, just can’t live without it, and I easily go through my 2oz within 30 days :-)
Oh ok I was going to order some, due to your amazing review, but it is out of stock. :(
This tea is available in small quantities starting on the first day of each month :-)
Usually sells out pretty quickly, so keep an eye out for it!
Thanks I will!
Not feeling so good tonight, I’ve had a really hard time sleeping this week end, worse than usual…running on just a few hours of sleep, I thought of drinking this tea. Cause it’s my lullaby tea, puts me in a gentle state of relaxation :-)
There’s something enchanting about this blend… From what I understand, Brenden the owner of Whispering Pines, goes in the forest every month to harvest a new batch of pine needles, just the right amount to keep it sustainable. The fact that he harvests his own product makes it that much more special. And every time I buy this tea, I can be sure it’s at its freshest.
When I opened my pouch of this month’s blend and inhaled its beautiful fragrance, I noticed something different. It seemed more piney and a little more earthy, also less jasmine scented than usual.
I asked about it and was told that the pine needles were now lightly roasted. I’m thinking this process might concentrate the flavours and make the needles a bit more fragrant. A new jasmine green is also in the mix. I like that I can smell more pine, but that the scent remains so soft.
The taste is as delicate and fluffy as I want it to be. The difference from before is very hard to describe though. It’s like rain in the forest. Have you ever opened your mouth while it’s pouring in the woods, and try to catch the droplets? You know it doesn’t taste like regular water, but how do you describe it?
This tea has an undulating texture, it just coats the entire mouth with something floral, buttery sweet and evergreen. It’s not exactly jasmine, it’s not exactly pine, it’s just the perfect fusion of the two…symbiosis, I’m drinking “jaspine”.
It’s sweeter than the previous blend. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted something so fresh and clean. It truly is wonderful.
Being already in love with it, I was skeptical about the change, cause I thought it was just perfect the way it was. Well I must say, it is better.
And yes, another WP blend I don’t see myself living without.
I hope you get some rest & wake up refreshed, my dear TF.
This is another one I’ll have to sample sometime.
Sweet dreams!
I agree 100%. This blend is perfect for me. I wasn’t sure if I should order it since I don’t really like jasmine. But it so subtle and it’s still there. And this combo with pine makes it kinda cooling sensation. I’m wishing you good night sleep. :-)
Aww, you gals are sweet….I’m chilling now, I should be ok <3
Terri, I can send you some whenever you want :-)
Boychik, the fact that you don’t like jasmine but appreciate this blend says it all!
I just need time to sort through all of my untasted WP, Mandala, and Verdant teas to try my SB. Sounds like I need to make time for this one. But…..so many choices, so many teas! :)
Haha! I hear you inranger!
ah you make me want to taste some Whispering Pines teas…I love the name of their teas and your reviews really exhort me to try them !
This sounds bear-rilliant. That’s another one to add to the wish list then.
Ysaurella, WP teas are full of magic :-)
Dr. Roughage, with bear-serker and now bear-rilliant, i officially declare you my favourite bear pun maker… Keep them coming please, bear puns make me beary happy :-)
Gahh I now want to order this iteration of sleeping bear! I’ve tried 2 in the past and loved them both, and if this one is even better…. :D I see yet another tea order in my near future lol
Truly addictive MissLena, but there can never be too many WP orders :-)
Don’t worry, Tea Fairy, I have bearly begun. ;)
The amount of awesomeness happening here right now is almost unbearable ;)
Sounds like I am not the only one with bear puns bruin! ;)
Awww, These bear puns make bears sound like the sweet things they are and much less barbearian.
Haha that one’s good…You got me laughing on the floor doing bear-a-rolls!
We should stop before I go into kodiak arrest!
Ok, that one is hilarious….but no worries, if you keep eating elder-bear-ries, no risk for Kodiac arrest…
Whew…bearly made it out of that alive!
Oh lord! Gotta love those bears.. Did you see the strawberry???
Hahaha yes!
You guys are unbearably cute, I can barely bear to be-hear, big bear hug to all!
<3
Those are awesome bear puns, Whispering Pines. I shall make sure to use them all as soon as I possibly can. My friends will hate you for this! ;)
This all started with Goldilocks Dr. Roughage, remember?
:)
I do indeed remembear, Tea Fairy. I still need to write the best-selling children’s book ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bearserkers’. Maybe I should make it a horror story instead …
Meme bear puns = all kinds of awesome! Super cute and funny and fuzzy. I can bearly stand it
Haha! Glad you enjoyed mandy :-)
I ended up just googling bears and annoying my boyfriend with my constant “OMG baby look he’s soo cute I could just die! Wait no, look at this one! Babe, get me one! Babe, I want. Babe, babe, babe”. I’m pretty sure he hates me now, lol
Ok, you know by now I’m a notorious insomniac.
Been drinking this tea every night this week and it has helped a lot sending me into Morphée’s arms. (Morpheus in English?)
I’m not saying I sleep all night, but it induces a certain sense of euphoria, calmness.
This tea was meant for me… I am the restless type, always doing something. I exercised today and did too much. Overachiever, I do pretty much everything “too much”.
This whispers “STOP” to me. Forces me to pay attention and let it invade me with its soothing effect.
It’s a a tea that says “relax, everything is going to be ok”, and I just let go…
It’s jasmine but with such a twist…who knew pine tasted so good. Now I want to go outside and hug all my pine trees to say thank you! Have you ever hugged a tree? If not, I strongly suggest you do.
I lost count of how much I ordered recently…did I get enough? Hope I did, cause I now NEED this, powerful stuff, really…
If you read my profil, you’ll see that music is one of the most important thing in my life with tea and art. Listening tonight to the beautiful music of Black Dub…that voice, instant shivers. (MzPriss, hope you enjoy ;-))
So notorious ;-)
Lol….that’s how we meet at night :-)
Can’t wait for mine to get here!
Mandy, you’re lucky, you’re in the States, it’ll get there in no time!! I have to patiently wait for Canada post to move their butts :-)
Good thing I’m a night owl then :-). Totally love to stay up late, but we can’t all be fairies so I also need my beauty sleep
Lol, I need it too, believe me, not such a glorious fairy after all!!
That sounds exactly like what a glorious fairy would say….your “hiding in plain sight” strategy does not fool me at all!
Hahaha! you are just adorable mj :-)
I got me an oz of Sleeping Bear yesterday. Lets see if it will work on me. Good night ladies;)
Hope it does boychik :-)
Go to bed!
Haha! Kaylee, doesn’t work like that!! How bout yourself?
Well, it’s 3:25am and I’m checking my dashboard every 5 minutes, so it’s possible that I have a bit of a sleeping problem myself.
Haha! Well, I feel less lonely already…although the tea did relax me a lot, it did not send me to bed tonight :-\
Aww, sorry to hear that. But hey, relaxed and not-so-lonely is good too! We should start a Steepster Insomnia Support Group. It will probably have some overlap with the Late Eating and Impulse Purchasing support groups.
Lol.
Reddit is good when you have insomnia, it goes all night.
(I LOVE that song!!) I did actually go to sleep for a change. I’m hoping all y’all are still sleeping
Good to know Marzipan, thanks..but I usually devour books during the night… And wander around Steepster a little :-)
MzPriss, So happy you got your beauty rest for a change!
MzPriss,
(Now it typed your name twice? What’s wrong with my posts lately? Steepster keeps playing trick on me!!)
my dogs are rioting all over the bed. I’m not all the way awake- only had two sips of tea and they’re play-growling and barking
Oh wow, Black Dub is Daniel Lanois and has Brian Blade in it too. This is good!
Black dub was kind of Daniel Lanois’s music project…The signer is Chris Whitley’s daughter. Im glad you know Lanois, not everybody does.
Lol, it must be quite a riot indeed with two dogs in the morning!
Oh yeah, I love Daniel Lanois’ Acadie record – his song The Maker is so beautiful. I love Emmylou Harris’ version and Willie Nelson’s but I love Daniel Lanois’ the very most. I really did like Chris Whitley as well.
Wild dogs.
thanks for sharing music teafairy. really enjoying this, this morning
Happy to give you some of my music vibes with Sil :-) nothing like dancing with a cup of tea in hand early in the morning!!
TheTeaFairy, thanks for the compliment of eight hours ago :-). I went to sleep and just saw it lol
That’s because you ARE adorable mj :-)
Oh wow, sounds like an amazing tea. I wonder if the pine needles open up the lungs. I have asthma and been looking around for alternative supplements and teas.
Ubacat, I don’t have asthma but I have severe year round allergies. I will let you know when I get it if it helps open up your air passages. You know also when I tried some sheng with camphor menthol notes, I felt so much better. White2tea White Whale was unbelievable. I need to write a note for it
boychik – really… hmmmm
Tea of the night.
This tea is a lullaby…
It’s comforting, soothing, enveloping, warming, reassuring.
This tea feels like the rain…
It’s calming, cleansing, refreshing, quenching, rejuvenating.
Fresh Michigan pine needles, paired with jasmine green. Brilliant.
Pure and crystalline, this infusion renders a light floral breeze and an almost indescribable fresh evergreen taste. It just sits there on your tongue long after you’ve swallowed. It might be a little more piney and resinous than the previous time I had it, which is fine by me, I love that taste! But it remains very delicate and sophisticated.
I had only a sample before, but now that I have a brand new supply, we’ll be spending a lot more time together…This is a unique handcrafted product, and I’m pleased to say it now has a place of choice in my cupboard.
Oh, my…what a calming review! I think I need you to come read me a bedtime story :)
I need to try this!
I’m jealous! I’ve been dying to try this but when it was restocked I didn’t know about it until it was too late. It’s on my wishlist so hopefully nexttime!
Same here Cavocorax, I just placed my first WP order and it was the one tea I wanted that was out of stock. :( Yes, next time.
The needles for this tea are harvested on the first of each month, and the amount of it available is based on how much I can sustainably harvest…There should be about a pound available on the first of the month :)
Gmathis, wouldn’t that be fun ;-) it’s hard for me to relax at night and this tea did the trick yesterday, it has a very claming effect, just made me feel so good.
Cavocorax and inranger, I sure hope you get the chance to try it eventually :-)
Brenden, the first of the month is maked in RED on my calendar!!
oh I was just thinking about how I had been trying to find a good jasmine before I got side tracked with travel (and some truly awful tea experiences). I MUST try this one! I often drink green jasmine until nearly bed time. this would be better.
bizbee, the base of this tea is our River Rain green tea, which I LOVE for before bed. It’s a blend of mao jian and jasmine yin hao teas from China. :)
well Whispering Pines as soon as you get more in I’ll be “there” I have a whole relationship with bears theme in my life, raising funds for the fortress of the bear is Sitka AK and avoiding bears during my AK swims (I was recently told this year’s proposed route ends near some bears that like to swim out to fishing boats) sleeping bears are a good thing!
So is pine for remembering the bears when I am amongst the palm trees working!
:) Bears rock! It’s too bad the Legend of the Sleeping Bear is not a happy one :(
Bizbee1, that sounds amazing!!!
(Brenden, If the bear dies in the end, I don’t want to know!!)
Well, it IS just a legend… http://www.nps.gov/slbe/historyculture/stories.htm
But yes, there are dying bears involved :(
well to counteract the sadness here is a happy place for orphaned baby bears (htough it has little to do with tea unless we make a tea and use it as a fundraiser). The family that runs the fortress have dedicated their lives to these bears but they give a lot in return! http://www.fortressofthebear.org/
Arrgh!!! I knew i shouldn’t have read the legend…it takes two words to make me cry: cub and death. What a sad story…but I’m sure the dunes created in their memories are beautiful…
Bizbee1, thanks for posting this, it warms my heart to hear about such amazing people :-)
Oh they are more than just beautiful! ;) http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/best_places_USA/sleeping-bear-dunes-michigan-voted-good-morning-americas/story?id=14319616
Awww! You’ve got it all my friend…it’s gorgeous.
And Mario Batali? And cherries, my favourite fruits in the world???
This will be available for purchase in an hour and a half!!! :D That’s 2pm EST, right here: whisperingpinestea.com/the-sleeping-bear-blend.html
ok I want to get some for me and some for a care package going out to a friend so I’ll waaiitt :)
Very limited quantity…so be ready! :D
@Fairy, yes…the best cherries you could ever imagine. I can’t even eat cherries from anywhere else :)
Also, I’m having my first cup of this harvest now. It’s AMAZING. I changed my processing slightly on the pine, so now there’s much more pine flavor and a light roasty hint in the background. Also, new jasmine in it, which is WAY better than the old one. I keep saying this, but I don’t think I can make this tea any better!
Have my order in :)
Yay! :) Congrats, and thank you :)
Oh, I’m SO tempted to grab this, but I just got my WP order in a few days ago, and don’t want to pay $12 shipping for 2 oz of tea. :P Guess I’ll have to wait until it’s restocked later on. Is it always the 1st of the month that you bring it in? I can plan a future order based on that!
Cavocorax, I’ll message you :)
And yes, to answer your question, I harvest on the first of each month. Usually there’s about 10 ounces available, but I’m trying to make that a pound in the future.
I could do a special harvest for anyone that wants 4 ounces or more though :)
First, thank you Brenden for including this sample in my order, I appreciate it.
My inner girly girl is really pleased when she looks at this blend. So delicate and pretty.
If the Bear is sleeping on a comfy cloud made of these mellow pine needles and this fragrant aromatherapeutic jasmine green tea, I’m afraid it will never wake up!
Since I had only one shot at making this cup as delicious as it should be, I followed Brenden’s parameters to the letter and it turned out perfect!
What a nice flavourful combination this is. It’s not an in “your face” piney taste, but rather a very subtle essence, rounded by the beautiful jasmine green floral notes. It is sweet and very soothing.
I’m listening to some music for the Gods while sipping , Viktoria Mullova playing Bach’s sonata…perfect afternoon.
(Oh, I really wish this hadn’t been out of stock when I placed my order…)
I can not WAIT to harvest the next batch of white pine for this! I’m going to give it a slightly longer oxidation and also work on bringing out more of the buttery flavors. Harvest time should be mid-June :)
Yay, that sounds amazing, I will definitely return for it :-)
That sonata was beautiful! Thanks for sharing :-)
Mj1851, as much as I love modern music, I also need my classical… glad you enjoyed, Bach is my favourite composer :-)
Aw! I almost bought this, but chickened out because of the pine. Now I know :)
I love a little of everything, but grew up playing classical, & still love to return to it often.
Virginia, I don’t think you will regret buying this one, now i’m sad I don’t have more!
Terri, I think classical is the only music that will bring me to tears. I,m mostly a fan of soloist work though. I love melancholy, big happy symphonies are not my thing…
This was my morning tea today.
It was a pretty good black tea, though I really didn’t get any cocoa notes in this one. Nothing like North Winds or the Fuijian tea from WP.
I’m too lazy to look up what the differences between all these black teas are, but of the three straight blacks that I’ve tried from WP, this is the one with the least amount of mind blowing flavour and excitingness. I don’t honestly think I was able to pull any specific flavours out of this, maybe a slight hint of fruitiness though don’t ask me to specifically name any fruit or you will be given a blank stare in response!
That being said, I’m still working on bringing my tastebuds up to speed, one cup at a time, so maybe this will blow someone else’s mind!
Thanks to Brenden for including a sample with my order :)
This tea is not in what I would have called my tea wheelhouse. I’m not a fan of black teas, really, unless they’re flavored. But I ordered a sample of this one just based on the inspiration from the website. (Seriously, read the whole description of this tea. I mean read it. Traverse City, Mackinac Island, bridges (although I have to point out that you can’t take the Mighty Mac to the island), yes, this tea is supposed to remind me of a trip Up North.
So I added this sample, because I’ve been wanting and needing a trip up north (we’ve got one scheduled for next month, but that’s sooooo far away!)
And wow, you nailed this one. It is sweet, almost like a cherry, not quite, but yes, and chocolaty, like good dark Mackinac Island Fudge. I love the malt in this one. Not too malty, but just enough.
This mug really makes me want Northern Michigan all that much more. If you’ve never been, I suggest you go sometime. It is peaceful and laid back in a way that I just can’t explain. And beautiful. I love Michigan. I love Up North.
I’m really enjoying this tea. Like I said, it’s not my normal tea, but it is nice. I would like to have this one occasionally, when I need an escape Up North.
Preparation
you convinced me. I’m going ;)
I’m finally moving back…in a week! I can’t even contain my excitement!!!
I’m so glad that you get the references in my descriptions…I feel like a lot of people don’t TRULY understand Up North. I know that before I lived there, if you had told me that the most beautiful place in the world is northern Michigan, I would have laughed in your face ;)
I’m sooo happy for you! If I could live way up there, I would, but my spouse’s job does not allow for telecommuting most of the time. (Mine does, so I can work from anywhere he needs to be.)
I’ve been to both of these places, and I just love it up there. At least it’s only a “short” drive to Traverse City or the UP and we can make long weekends or even week long get aways.
Yay, to returning to a place you love Brendan! Up north, what a term… Growing up, up north was anywhere North of Barrie(less than an hour from Toronto). I don’t know why because I’d been to Wawa on Lake Superior a number of times when I was little, but the ridiculousness of my perspective didn’t hit me until I worked in Chapleau for two summers and experienced the 8-12 he drive up there and entered the Arctic watershed while watching the seasons regress that my perspective changed and even then several members of Steepster live in places much further north than that. I lived in a Crown Game Preserve and experienced worse culture shock coming home than when I returned from India. There is something amazing about being surrounded by life! The furthest North I’ve been is Iqaluit but only for a short period of time.
In metro Detroit, the term Up North is loosely interpreted as anywhere “north” of here, although it can also mean west in some cases. It’s getting out of the Big City and into the “wilderness”. Where I grew up, Up North was my family cottage 45 minutes away, about 2 miles north, mostly to the west. But it was on a lake and out of suburbia. Interestingly enough, that’s now mostly suburbia out there as well, so I’m not sure it counts as Up North anymore.
It’s always changing isn’t it? How awesome to have a cottage only 45 mine away. My cousin’s is in a beautiful spot it’s on a finger bay off Georgian Bay. It’s private enough that it seems to be on a private lake but they have easy access to the Great Lakes watershed. There is a wildlife reserve on one side ( The first time I was there, I went jogging and saw a bear), but it’s @2.5 hrs to get there.
Yep! I don’t think I could consider any larger cities “up north”. I’m moving to a city of 450 people (White Pine, MI) right next to the Porcupine Mountains. Now THAT’S up north ;)
I haven’t been to the Porcupine Mountains, but it’s on my list of places I want to go in Pure Michigan.
Well if you make it up to that area, let me know and we can break out some of my reserve teas! :)
Definitely!
LOL I grew up in Florida, so up north was anywhere north of the mason-dixon line.
Funny you say that. I have a friend from Florida who is coming to visit later this summer, and he said that it’s his “first trip up north because it’ll be the first time [he’ll] be north of the mason-dixon line.”
That is funny! He definitely picked the right time of year to visit “up north”.
I really was surprised by this one. Everyone said great things about it, but it really, truly reminded me of the tasting notes from their website.
Yes ,its really good. i want your opinion on Golden Orchid.
Golden Orchid…same as this but with Vanilla beans, right? YUM
I wish I’d gotten some of this, just to try it.
Yay! Good first impressions :) hehe
Edit…mine was supposed to say THAT not THIS as in I wanted to try Golden Orchid…. Geeze Louise! It’s been one of those days. Need to go home. Need stronger tea.