Whispering Pines Tea Company

Edit Company

Recent Tasting Notes

95

This tea blend is Delicious! One of my fav WP blends already I need to get some more. It is very nice and soothing when made warm and it is extremely refreshing when made cold. The notes of pine are perfect with slight minty notes that play really well with the pine. The spicy notes of the cinnamon and cloves are really well balanced too. If I could drink a snowy christmas tree I bet it would taste like this tea, its like a piney winter wonderland in your mouth. Piney and minty with warming spicy notes, it don’t get much better than that. A true wilderness tea, I must get more soon so I can share with my brother. I’m saving my last bit of this batch for us to drink outside by the fire, I think it would be great tea to enjoy outdoors.

TheTeaFairy

hey Tommy, we miss your face around here :-)

mrmopar

Yes we have missed you much!

Tommy Toadman

Thanks guys, i’ve missed being on here too, great to be back :)

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Almost instantly I feel sick. Why am I feeling ill? I have this tea, and I’m about to be ill.

Crap. That’s because it has oolong in it. I keep on forgetting my odd reaction to oolong (several have told me it’s my stomach telling me it needs to ‘get used’ to oolong), and I keep on hoping I’ll feel or find differently. Then, I drink it unawares, and I get sick.

I want to love this. I love everything Whispering Pines. Alas…

Would anyone like the rest of this in swap? Most of the bag is left.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 30 sec
Whispering Pines Tea Company

Aww, sad! Is it just roasted oolong or green oolong too?

MissB

I had a silver tipped oolong that had me reacting the same way, which is weird because I used to drink that exact same tea years ago and loved it. Often. I’ll try and see if it’s roasted oolong or greens as well when I’m feeling a bit better. Thank you for the suggestion!

Plunkybug

I’d be interested in trying some.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Oooh yeah! TY to Brewteally sweet for a sample of this!

Today was another operation mega clean. I gotta say, having american thanksgiving so late in November (vs the Canadian Thanksgiving) means my house is still somewhat clean for Christmas cleaning from cleaning I did for Thanksgiving. A good roasty oolong or more often a pu’er is the tea I drink while cleaning. Must be that getting tea drunk makes for a more fun and productive cleaning.

This tea is tha bomb! I love a good dark toasty oolong and this is it! Tastes like a dark roast Big red robe oolong! Dark chocolate notes, roasty campfire, and creamyness. I might have to buy this tea for my collection in the new year.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
BrewTEAlly Sweet

I love this one and looking at the teas you like I thought you would enjoy this! And I’m so happy you did!! Yay!

BrewTEAlly Sweet

They are having a 10% off sale for the next two days. Use PC10. They usually don’t have many sales either :) just thought I would let you know

Oolong Owl

wahhh tempting!

BrewTEAlly Sweet

Their Fujian black and gold bud look delicious as well! I’m ordering that after the holiday probably:)

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

93

Tea of the morning. This is always such a treat. The combination of flavors is so well done and just plain yummy! It’s lightly sweet and smooth at the beginning with notes of honey, bread, and creamy marshmallow while the dark chocolate and pine flavors linger at the end of the sip. Seriously tasty stuff.

Nightshifter

How did you brew it to get those flavors to come through (especially the marshmallow!)? Mine tasted like a smokey, woodsy mess, lol.

CHAroma

Should s’mores taste like pine? That seems…weird.

TeaBrat

maybe if some pine needles accidentally fell in your melted marshmallow? :)

Veronica

I should have said pine smoke. :) Little bit of smoke right at the end, but it has a definite pine flavor.

Nightshifter – Do you have the old version of this tea or the new one? I’m drinking the old version, and a longer steep time really helps meld all the flavors together. I haven’t tried the new version yet, so I don’t know anything about it.

Sara

Oooooh. I think S’mores is on my Whispering Pines wishlist. Will have to double-check, because your review makes it sound delectable! :)

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

93

Yet another Whispering Pines tea. I’m on a roll!

I’m drinking the old version of this blend. I steeped it for seven minutes and was rewarded with notes of honey, chocolate, malt, cinnamon, bread, and smoke in an almost syrupy thick tea. Oh, so good. I’ve already resteeped the leaves once. I’m going to steep them one more time to eek out all of the yummy goodness in this blend.

I only have one serving of this left, and while the hoarder in me wants to hold on to it I think I’m going to finish it off this weekend so I can get the new version of this tea with my next WPT order.

Win! Win!

Lariel of Lórien

There is an actual S’mores tea? Yums!

Veronica

There is, and it is amazing. :)

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

93

We had a great Fourth of July bbq. Lots of food and lots of laughter. Now we’re in that quiet time between eating too much and going to watch the fireworks. A perfect time for tea. This is the tea I had planned to have tonight when we were camping out (stupid rain), so I thought I’d enjoy it now.

I took Miss B’s advice and over steeped this one. I usually steep it for three minutes, but today I went for six. The results are glorious. The chocolate and honey flavors are thick with the graham cracker and marshmallow flavors mixing in layers. One sip I get more graham cracker, the next creamy sweet marshmallow. High yum factor goin’ on here. At the end of the dip I get the smoke and a light taste of pine. It really brings the whole tea together.

I know this is billed as an autumn tea, but for me this tea will always remind me of summer and simple pleasures.

Preparation
Boiling 6 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
Cameron B.

Oh my goodness, 3 teaspoons?! I will have to keep this in mind, since I just ordered this tea and I can’t wait! :)

Veronica

The directions on the tea say one tablespoon, so yep, three teaspoons. The first time I had this tea I was hesitant to put that much in, but it’s totally worth it! :)

Whispering Pines Tea Company

This tea has been changed though, so, Cameron, you won’t be getting this version :)

Cameron B.

Thanks for the heads up! I generally do what the package says anyway, at least the first time around. :)

TheTeaFairy

CAN’T WAIT to try new version, less smoke is gonna work even better for me!!!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

93

…and it’s gone. Actually, I think I can get one more steep out of the leaves in my brew basket, but then I’ll have no more S’mores. :(

I’m going to miss all of the layers of chocolate, graham cracker, marshmallow, smoke and honey. This tea is so beautifully unique but also fun. (How could a tea inspired by the classic campfire treat be anything less than fun?) I’ve enjoyed it so much this winter, and chances are I’ll be buying it before we start our camping season in May (right after I get my medical bills paid. Eek! ). Until then I’ll enjoy all of the other Whispering Pines treasures I have in my cupboard.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 10 OZ / 295 ML

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

93

Hello Steepster peeps. I’ve missed you. I ended up getting a nasty case of pneumonia that culminated in a short stay in the hospital. Not fun. Even after I got home I spent most of my time sleeping and recovering, so it’s nice to feel like I’m back in the land of the living. I’d much rather be here with a nice cup of tea in my hand while reading all of your lovely tea notes.

Speaking of tea, I’m still loving this one. The warm sweetness, the dark chocolate note, the honey is all wonderful. The first cup had lot more graham cracker flavor than I remember from previous cups, but it was really nice. The second steep offered more of a balance and all of the layers that I love so much. This is exactly what I wanted. So good!

Anna

So nice to have you back, and good to hear you’re feeling better!

Veronica

Thanks!

caile

Glad you’re feeling better!!

Kirlika

Pneumonia sucks! It’s great that you’re doing better now, just don’t push yourself too much!

Anna

Someone else had pneumonia… Ysaurella, I think. Plus something like eight of my friends, my dentist, and my friend’s dog.

Veronica

It sucks, and it totally wipes you out. My house is tiny, and I was exhausted walking from my bedroom to the living room.

Anna, I hope all of your friends – and the poor dog!- get better soon. And I hope Ysaurella is ok!!!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

93

I don’t know if I would have necessarily thought of a s’more if someone had handed me a cup of this tea and not told me the name. What I would have thought is Oh. Holy. Yum. This is delightful!

This isn’t a tea that screams s’mores! (despite its name). Rather it gives you all the notes of a s’more – nice dark chocolate, sweet honey, a touch of bread, smooth marshmallow, and light pine smoke – into something infinitely more sophisticated than your run of the mill campfire treat. I particularly like the honey and pine taste together and then the lingering chocolate at the end of the sip. So good.

My husband saw me lurking on Whispering Pines web site and surprised my by ordering this for me (he’s a good guy). I’m so glad he did. This is easily one of my new favorite fall/winter teas.

MissB

Yay for your husband! This is the one tea from my two orders from them I’ve yet to try. Will do so later today, and thanks for the reminder.

Veronica

Yeah, it was a nice surprise. Looking forward to reading your tasting note. This is a fun tea.

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Aww what a nice guy! Glad you enjoyed it, Veronica! =)

tea-sipper

This sounds GOOD.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

75

Ah, yes. I needed something delicious tonight! A sipdown as well, and yet, one that really fit the bill. I get a bread-y cinnamon from this one, and tonight I definitely taste something icing-like too (although that’s likely the sweetener I put in it).

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 8 min or more
Whispering Pines Tea Company

Try adding a tiiiiny bit of almond milk to bring out an icing-like thing :)

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

75

More decaf teas this evening as I enjoy Lost Girl, a poorly named show with a decidedly sexy sci-fi bent as I write a newsletter, get through oodles of email, and try to finish knitting my first shrug.

This still tastes like cinnamon bread to me, and I so wish there was a hint of icing. ;)

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 30 sec

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

75

Bought this about a month back just after it was renamed. I love cinnamon tea, so this was on my must try-list.

Huge slivers of cinnamon in here makes it a really strong smelling tea, and this is promising for me. Kind of reminds me of Bengal Spice (Celestial Seasonings) my current favorite cinnamon tea, even though I’m loathe to admit it. Bagged, grocery store tea? Sacrilege!

All I taste is liquid cinnamon and rooibos at the end of the sip. This is a good thing (for the most part… there is some bitterness in there). I’m happy to gulp it down with or without sweetener – although sweetener does help it pop more.

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more
Kaylee

Embrace your love of a bagged grocery store tea! If you enjoy it, there’s no point in feeling bad about that. Plus, it’s cheaper and more convenient than a lot of the other stuff we drink :)

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

The Inspiration
Evergreen Spice was inspired by the pristine evergreen forests and deciduous woodlands of the upper peninsula of Michigan! We started with a complex base of traditional-roast tieguanyin and aged yabao before adding wildcrafted green pine needles and roasted red cedar leaves. This beautiful evergreen base is set on top of the perfect blend of organic spices and organic holy basil before being sprinkled with earthy spearmint.

The flavor of Evergreen Spice opens up with smooth green notes and the pine and cedar fuse with the spices for a very unique combination. They are so well balanced that the spices almost seem to be coming from the evergreen leaves, forming a beautiful layer of warmth. The middle of the sip carries creamy floral notes from the tieguanyin that are spun together with the sweet velvety freshness of aged yabao. The yabao naturally has pine notes, pulling all of these ingredients together as one. At the end of the sip, you get warm cedar, peppercorn, and earthy organic holy basil tied together with the earthy qualities of spearmint, and as the taste lingers on your tongue, you are left with the slightest hint of cooling mint — barely there yet vital to the beauty of the cup.

Both the green pine needles and roasted cedar leaves are ingredients only found at Whispering Pines Tea Company. The pine needles are sustainably wildcrafted by the owner and processed similar to white tea. The cedar leaves are roasted under low heat in 1 ounce batches to achieve a complex and sweet evergreen profile.

This is a perfect embodiment of the beauty of northern Michigan and will please any tea lover!

Notes
Pine
Cedar
Caramel
Roasty
Rosemary
Brown Sugar
Earthy
Warm Spice
Mint

How to brew the perfect cup:
Steep 1 tablespoon of leaves
in 8 ounces of boiling water
for 5 minutes.

2nd infusion: 5 minutes
3rd infusion: 7 minutes
4th infusion: 10 minutes

Ingredients
Traditional-Roast Tieguanyin Oolong
Sun-Dried White Tea
Wildcrafted Roasted Western Red Cedar Leaves
Wildcrafted Green Ponderosa Pine Needles
Black Peppercorn
Organic Ginger
Holy Basil
Spearmint
Organic Cardamom
Organic Cinnamon Pieces
Organic Cloves

Caffeine Content
Medium

http://whisperingpinestea.com/evergreenspice.html

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

This has become my go-to tea this month ever since I discovered how much better a 3 minute steep is! Savory, smokey, cocoa and bright citrus notes…I’ve had about 4 cups of this each day for the past week :)

Hopefully the snowy memories that inspired this tea will bring the snow soon!

Happy holidays, everyone!

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
JustJames

you don’t have snow yet? we’ve had it twice THIS MONTH!! and we don’t get snow ever 80)

Whispering Pines Tea Company

We had snow once in Arizona so far and it lasted about a day. :/

Kaylee

You know, for some reason, I thought you were based in the Pacific Northwest…

JustJames

ditto what kaylee said, lol.

Kaylee

Which actually seems doubly silly since the website tag is “Inspired by the true wilderness of Northern Michigan”. But yeah I thought somewhere with forests because so many of your teas are forest-themed.

Whispering Pines Tea Company

:) haha, nope! The business currently resides in northern Arizona, but we’re looking at a move back to my northern Michigan homeland next fall! :D

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

I’ve been working on this tea for quite some time now :)

My goal was to create a tea with cocoa, citrus, and smoke notes that had no bitterness or astringency that would be the perfect companion on full-moon walks in December, when the moonlight reflecting off of the snow makes it as bright as daytime.

This ended up being one of those teas that is so smooth that it’s hard to set down. It’s a rustic blend, perfect for outdoor lovers. It withstands oversteeping very well, making it ideal for the backcountry.

Enjoy! =)

December, you are the month of chills. The month of campfires that die from the bitter cold wind. The month of snowfall and of embers and the moments one cannot wish to describe. December, in all your bright white moonlight and soul-stirring knee-high snowdrift steps, I love you. You are hot cocoa and orange peels with cloves and the warmth of the fireplace dancing across my toes reminds me of nothing but the moments I spent last night shivering cold with snowflakes on my beard. How is it that the bite of your night is so painfully addictive as to keep me wanting more? Perhaps I will ponder your eerie charm with another full moon walk and a cup of tea.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
Bonnie

I hope your as romantic with another person as you are when writing about tea and nature Brenden! Just sayin what others are thinkin! You need to write Call of the Wild or something. (I hope you don’t mind indulging this old woman when I take liberties and speak my mind).

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Oh, I try my best to love my girlfriend the same way I love tea ;)

I used to be pretty into writing poetry but that comes and goes with time. I have many ways of expressing myself — writing, tea, photography, slacklining.

Life is romantic. I feel saddened that not everyone sees romance in nature…I fall in love with pretty much any moment fringed with pine trees or wood-smoke in the air :)

Bonnie

Good for you!(and her!) I’m one of those most fortunate ones who have had the opportunity to live (sometimes for short stints) in the Sierra Nevada Foothills, a historic mining town before it was public land, rural interior Puerto Rico and now Colorado. I’ve seen many majestic places…Alaska, Peru, Kauai,Santorini and the Greek Isles. The redwoods smell the best,blended with ponderous pine, bay, laurel, manzenita and arbutis. (I think I’ve spelled wrong).
Yes, around Santa Cruz…Scots Valley CA has the best Redwood smell!

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Mmm redwoods are amazing. I got the chance to highline the redwood forests in Arcata, CA a couple years ago. It was beautiful :) Here’s a video of someone up there from this year: https://vimeo.com/65440223

Bonnie

That’s where my mom was born in 1924. My grandfather went to work in lumber during the San Francisco dock strike. I have pictures of family felling redwoods with huge 4 man saws. (No chain saws back then). Great picture! Primeval! Redwoods have a way of making you feel small.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

87

I’m at the point now where I’m deciding which tea to drink because it’s literally hitting me on the head when I open my cupboard. This was the first decaf that came tumbling down, and thus I prepped it for drinking.

I underleafed this significantly based on what the website says (1/2 tb per 8 ounces) vs. what my package said (1 tsp per 8 ounces). As I always use the package instructions when steeping (if there are any), I went with 1 tsp – and it seems just peachy at that amount.

This tea reminds me of a hike in dense, moist, cooler underbrush like at Cathedral Grove on Vancouver Island, where I come to a clearing of cinnamon bushes. Seriously. That’s what this tea is to me.

There’s something spicy in there, and I had to double check that this wasn’t a chai initially, because it easily could be. Strong cinnamon flavor with spice, perhaps minty, green, almost pine-like, and then something sweet in there too. I can, and have, easily downed two cups of this unsweetened with CelebriTEA’s turkey tea cups she sent me, and will finish off this sample size with two more cups to go.

A lovely cool weather drink that reminds you how toasty it is inside while still appreciating the majestic outdoors.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
Dexter

LOL you know you’re addicted to tea when….you choose which tea to drink by which fall out of the cabinet. You’re funny…

Whispering Pines Tea Company

most likely what you’re tasting that seems spicy is the tulsi and the sweetness is coming from the elder berries, cinnamon, and lemon balm :) glad you liked this!

OMGsrsly

Oh, that’s hilarious! I was at that point, and now I have an extra basket on the counter of the stuff that kept falling out of the cupboard. At least the basket is easy to move if I need the space for cooking. :)

TheTeaFairy

Very funny! Actually, sounds like an excellent random picking method when you can’t make up your mind, make a wish and just open your cupboard!!!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

76

Tea #25 from HHTTB2

Everything I’ve had from Whispering Pines has totally reminded me of nature and connecting to it and I LOVE it!

All the little safflower pieces in my infuser totally looked like reddy orange feathers floating on a pond in sunrise. It’s unbelievably pretty.

Safflower is the dominant flavor, with it’s savory but slightly sweet earthy flavor. The elderberries lend themselves to the tail of the sip, making it end on a lovely sweet-tart note. This is a really relaxing cup. Definitely a tranquil nighttime kind of blend.

Preparation
Boiling 6 min, 0 sec

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

86

this is very clever. brendan, if your goal is not just to blend a tea then i will state this one an absolute success.

let’s begin however, with what this is not: it is NOT graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate in a tea.

what this is: a snapshot of someone(s) crouched by a campfire, the wind blowing slightly against their favour, trying to pull the roasted marshmallows off their roasting stick without blistering their fingers (they escape mostly unburned, lol).

layers. i really can’t wrap my brain around how you accomplished them.

-i get heat and smoke. they are SEPARATE. and the smoke is not a souchong source. by diagnosis of my tongue it is campfire smoke. the warmth is distinct but seems not to be coming from a spice.

-cinnamon and a cookie qualifier are there… they chime in after the smoke and i would count as layer 2.

-layer 3 is fruit, although very distant and not nameable…. at least not in this first steep.

-4 a softness is beginning to start which i believe will end up as marshmallow.

i don’t know if this is the order that you put them down in, but this is how they manifest for me.

this is an impressive accomplishment. this is less a tea and more a stillframe. and this coming from someone who does NOT particularly favour smoke in tea.

i did amend my methodology given that you are so beautifully purist in your blending brendan: i overleafed (1.5 tbsp) for my 12 oz mug and 2) i used 1 tbsp of coconut sugar. i think the effect is brilliant.

as it cools the warmth is still there, the smoke is SWEETENING, but a charcoal element in also settling in. very, very nicely done.

so if this tea is a memory for you…. let me ask: did your fingers get burned? or was my tongue off? =0)

thanks to MissB for this excellent adventure!

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
Whispering Pines Tea Company

I let my marshmallows catch fire and forgot my s’mores on a hot rock. My tongue was burned yet I managed to save it with some raw honey :)

Glad you enjoyed this memory, James :)

JustJames

so i was in the ballpark, lol. nicely done…. nicely done.

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Thanks, James! I’m glad you’ve had a good introduction to WPTC :D

JustJames

and that’s down to your skill set and MissB’s generosity.

Whispering Pines Tea Company

:) Thanks for the kind words! And thanks for the kind MissB, too!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Thanks to MissB for this tidbit!

this is an unusual incarnation of a mint chocolate chip blend ;0)

okay, i cheated, i peeked at the ingredients, which (because i cheated) revealed absolutely nothing! mint is a given, chocolate too, there would be issues with my palate if i didn’t notice the tea…. but i’m getting citrus! there’s no reason to think the ingredients are other than as listed…. there are lemon breeds of peppermint, sage too for that matter. you can also have one crop affect another by proximity to something like lemon balm or lemon thyme.

the citrus note is neat! very unusual! i FOLLOWED THE DIRECTIONS for the first steep (yeah, yeah— pick your jaws up off the floor, lol) but next time round i think i’d prefer a longer steep.

no numbers til it sits on the counter for 4.5 instead of 3. ;0P

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
MissB

Citrus? Wowza. Yea, it’s a simple tea: black fujian and mint. This is the one I brought with me to DAVIDs the other day and smelled up the joint. Maybe I messed up somehow when parsing it out? Boo.

JustJames

yes! citrus! don’t boo me, lol.

JustJames

okay….. what if there are citrus tones in the fujian? hmm? smarty pants?

MissB

Lmao! Well, of course, it’s possible. I mean, I loves me some citrus. I’ll have to drink some more now to see if I get that, too. I just remember mint chocolate chip ice cream when I had it.

MissB

… and I was booing myself!

JustJames

you weren’t specific about who you were booing!

MissB

Oh JustJames, I’m always booing myself. How on earth could I possibly ever boo, you? Nah, you’re awesomesauce.

JustJames

now, for clarification purposes, is that like the stuff the white spot covers their cheeseburgers in? because that stuff is addictive. it makes me happy…. and now that i’ve thought of it i really want it, DRAT!!!!!

MissB

I’m waving my fist at you, JustJames. Yes, just like that.

JustJames

yay seed planting? =0)

yyz

I could see the citrus. I haven’t had this tea, but I have had several several fujian blacks, some of which have the fruity citrus/lychee note, either underneath or even as a top note at times. So, I could definitely see where that might come from.

JustJames

!!! i have never had a fujian before, thank you for the insight!

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Citrus? Hmmm…very interesting :) Glad you’re enjoying it! Thanks for sharing my tea, MissB :D

JustJames

i have a…..unique….. olfactory sense. i’m the whacko that can taste ingredient 22 in the chocolate chip cookies, lol.

JustJames

lol, sometimes! i smell everything, even the stuff you really have no desire to sometimes! =0\ it also has its perks though! i thought this blend was inspired! very original. what i can’t state for certain is the origin or the citrus i’m detecting. (not my skill set)

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Thanks, James! You should try some of my other teas sometime – they are actually inspired ;) I wish my palette was more refined. It’s getting there :)

From reading your reviews, I feel like you might find a bunch of my teas interesting. If you’ve got a moment, read this and you can understand what I mean :) http://whisperingpinestea.com/whyus.html

JustJames

i agree…. i have to duck rooiboos a bit though =0(

manistee moonrise looks very interesting. i was trained as a painter, i love it if my tea paints a picture, has a story…. odd though that may seem.

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Oooh not odd at all! That’s the entire reason I blend tea! :)

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Also, I blend upon order, so I can replace rooibos with something else if needed

JustJames

that’s a helpful tidbit to know, thanks much!

Whispering Pines Tea Company

No worries :) Love your reviews!

JustJames

i enjoy your craft!

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Also, MissB – the sample I gave you in your last order was changed. The lemon verbena is now lemon balm and theres no longer any chicory root in there. Sorry you didn’t get the final version :/

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Thank you Brenden for this sample tea!

I prepared this tea as Brenden recommended using 1 TB in a Gaiwan. The steep time was what I’d call immediate. Glad I had a nice little strainer to catch the pine needles that tried to escape.

There wasn’t a mention of what the green tea was, but when I tasted the tea, my mouth told my brain that the pine and tea was similar to the taste of a very good jasmine silver needle.

I’ve tasted some rather dull silver needles that have a dusky, murky flavor and that isn’t what this was.

You can almost sense a light effervescence.

There’s always something mesmerizing about this type of tea that takes me back to my childhood camping trips.

We camped less than two hours from home along the California Coast at Big Sur State Park http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/images2/McWayFalls1.jpg . There were streams to swim and fish with huge boulders and deep pools of clear water which smelled fresh. This water, pine and rock scent is what I associate with tea like Sleeping Bear Blend.
The Ponderosa Pine, Redwood trees, Cypress and Oak created an earthy perfume that I associate with Puerh. Campfires at night, bacon and eggs over the woodfire in the morning…that’s my Lapsang Souchong tea frame of reference.

So much about drinking tea is also about memories and about how the tea makes you feel as a whole person.

I shared some of this tea in a tasting with my friend Eric the scientist (who likes to take tea into the mountains to drink when the weather is nice).
He loved it.
Thought the use of pine needles was brilliant.
This approval came from a plant nerd and is high praise indeed. (Eric likes to nibble plants that only he can identify while walking through the forest)

Lovely tea Brenden!

Fuzzy_Peachkin

These Whispering Pine Teas always sound so good! I really need to try them one of these days!

Whispering Pines Tea Company

We’re here and waiting for you! :) Thanks for the lovely review, Bonnie! So glad you’re enjoying them all! :D

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

I’m, umm, not even going to put this one in my cupboard. The rest of the sample will go to my mom and brother. Thanks, Dexter3657, for sharing. :)

Interestingly, even with a 5 minute steep, the leaves are still fairly tightly curled. I wonder how long it would take for them to look like leaves..?

Smells like burnt chocolate dirt pie. It’s a flavour in tea that I just can’t wrap my head around, and I really can’t stand. I know other people like it, and more power to you if you do!

I’ve had two sips. I can’t drink this tea. If you like those dark roasty chocolatey earthy teas then you might like this one. I’m going to have to pass.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 5 min, 0 sec

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

The Inspiration
Our goal for this blend was to create a unique synthesis of complex flavors reminiscent of all the hidden wonders in the deep forest — a chai for all the wonderers, adventurers, and naturalists!

Woodland Chai has layers upon layers of complexity created with a fantastic malty blend of premium black and oolong base teas. This flavor fusion is achieved with creamy, cocoa, and sugarcane notes from our Yunnan Bi Luo Chun Black Tea, spun together with our dark chocolaty Fujian Black Tea before finally being completed with a brandy oolong carrying barley and heavy apple notes. Steeped, this tea has the aroma of fresh baked apple pie and spiced hot chocolate! The base tea takes the stage as the perfect blend of organic spices form a beautiful background nuanced with warm peppercorn, sweet safflower, and earthy spicy holy basil.

This chai is best in its natural state — enjoyed plain without milk or sweetener. I would recommend enjoying this chai inside on a cold winter day or sipping it from a thermos on an early morning springtime walk through a deep deciduous forest.

Notes
Apple
Fruity
Malt
Cocoa
Creamy
Sugarcane
Earthy Sweetness
Floral Warmth
Balanced Spice

How to brew the perfect cup:
Steep 1 tablespoon of leaves
in 8 ounces of boiling water
for 5 minutes.

2nd infusion: 5 minutes
3rd infusion: 7 minutes
4th infusion: 10 minutes

Ingredients
Black Tea
Oolong Tea
Organic Ginger
Organic Cardamom
Organic Cinnamon
Black Peppercorn
Organic Cloves
Organic Holy Basil
Safflower

Caffeine Content
Medium

http://whisperingpinestea.com/woodlandchai.html

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

90

Had a huge mug of this tonight. For some reason, it felt like it stripped my teeth of enamel in a very slight yet significant way. Still tasty, and perhaps I brewed it incorrectly somehow.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 7 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 18 OZ / 532 ML

Login or sign up to leave a comment.