Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Chinese Black Tea, Organic Vanilla Beans, Saffron, Wildcrafted Roasted Cedar Leaves
Flavors
Brandy, Cedar, Leather, Smooth, Vanilla, Alcohol, Dates, Herbaceous, Plum, Red Wine, Sweet, Menthol, Roasted, Scotch, Wood, Eucalyptus, Malt
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
High
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Whispering Pines Tea Company
Average preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 8 oz / 236 ml

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28 Tasting Notes View all

From Whispering Pines Tea Company

The Inspiration
Tucker Lake is an inland lake in Glen Arbor, Michigan. In the summertime, a thin layer of fog forms around the lake during the night. Each sunrise brings a light breeze to the lake, pushing the fog northward. If you row out to just the right spot and wait for the sunrise, the breeze pushes the fog right into your canoe. There is a freshness to this fog that defies all explanation. Through the trees to the south of the lake and over Dunns Farm Road, the essence of this place becomes captured in the fog. The journey begins at a small dock across the road at Fisher Lake where the rustic scent of old wooden boats and crystal clear water billows into the fog. Warm and inviting, the fog pushes through the narrow stream connecting the lakes, rolling over summer trilliums and whispering through the pine trees, becoming as sweet and warm as everything it touches. When the sun rises, the fog warms, energizes, and just before disappearing, it reaches your canoe. The last breath of fog is vanilla-sweet and saffron-warm with an energy I can not even begin to describe. As the sun rises above the trees and the bald eagles soar the skies above, you wonder why you’d ever leave.

Port was inspired by this unexplainable scent and moment in time. I wanted to create the best blend I could, something to match one of my most beautiful memories. The base of this tea is a wild-picked black tea from Dehong, China, carrying intensely complex notes of sugarcane, eucalyptus, and barley over a deep rustic body. I tried all of our usual herbs, spices, and flowers, but nothing came close to matching the freshness of this memory, so I took the plunge and used the two ingredients that I knew would bring me back to Tucker Lake – organic madagasgar vanilla beans and spanish saffron. The result was a more perfect incarnation than I could have ever imagined. Port has the most beautiful vanilla notes, a rustic base tea, perfect saffron warmth, and is rounded out with the evergreen sweetness of roasted red cedar tips.

I can proudly say that this is my greatest achievement!

Notes
Vanilla
Saffron
Evergreen
Cedar
Sugarcane
Eucalyptus
Barley
Summer

How to brew the perfect cup:
Steep 1/2 tablespoon of leaves
in 8 ounces of 200ºF water
for 3 minutes.

2nd infusion: 5 minutes
3rd infusion: 8 minutes

Ingredients
Wild-picked Chinese Black Tea
Roasted Red Cedar Tips
Madagascar Vanilla Beans
Spanish Saffron

Caffeine Content
High

http://whisperingpinestea.com/port.html

About Whispering Pines Tea Company View company

Whispering Pines Tea Company is dedicated to bringing you the most original, pure, beautiful tea blends. We use only the highest quality ingredients available to create additive-free teas teas inspired by the pristine wilderness of Northern Michigan. Our main focus is on customer satisfaction and quality.

28 Tasting Notes

85
15006 tasting notes

Another lovely, amazing, generous sample from Dexter in my quest to try more WP teas before i make my first purchase. I know this wasn’t the tea for dexter, so i wasn’t sure what to expect. Especially since i also know that my dear teafairy enjoys this one.

After brewing this one, and trying a few steepings, i’ve come to the conclusion that i don’t know how i feel about this one. On the one handle i enjoy the complexity and the “different” feel of this tea…on the other – it’s fairly expensive a tea, and not likely something that i could afford to drink often, so is it worth it? I have other teas that i ADORE that are less expensive and bring me great joy. I enjoyed the cedar notes in this, and i really do love the base than brendan uses. I think though, that i’d be better off to splurge on another tea for the price. that being said, i did enjoy this tea and i can see why others have fallen in love with it. It’s just not high enough on my list to warrant purchasing :) At least not often heh. Thanks again Dexter!!

Dexter

You can thank Brendan for this one – it was a free sample in my order. I can’t get past the “cedar notes” (aka tree taste). This one is pricey and it might be a good thing for my wallet not to love all of them. :))

Sil

Nice. And I totally agree….

TheTeaFairy

Hehe! I’m glad you got to try it lovely girl :-)

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1040 tasting notes

I have two samples of this in my house – the lovely TheTeaFairy was kind enough to send me some, and then Brendan included this as a sample with my order. Thank you very much to both of you.

This is wasted on me. Sorry guys, can’t do it – I can not get past the pine/eucalyptus/cedar, whatever that tree taste is. I’m not getting any saffron, very little vanilla – it’s just lost behind the tree taste.

Maybe I’m too much of a city girl to appreciate this…..

OMGsrsly

It sounds like a neat blend, but I’m the kind of person who chewed on spruce sap in the winter, and pine buds in the spring… :)

Dexter

LOL then you would probably like this….

OMGsrsly

Maybe. I tried the white wolf from Bellocq, but I found the mint took everything over.

I seriously need to consider a Whispering Pines order. One day. :) Maybe when I have fewer teas!

TheTeaFairy

Oh noooo! So sorry you had such a bad experience…And I’ve been bragging so much about it, lol. Oh well, at least you can scratch off your list :-) i like it so much, I’m dedicating on of my yixing clay pot just for it!

And OMGsrsly, I’m like you!! Totally chewing on pine buds :-)

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Aww sad you didn’t like this one! Definitely not for everyone. I think you should give Golden Orchid a try next though ;-)

OMGsrsly

Just be careful with the spruce sap, TeaFairy! If you don’t get the right variety it dissolves instead of acting like gum. And if it dissolves it’s so gross. :D

Sil

Lol “tree taste”

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92
694 tasting notes

This sample is courtesy of MzPriss. Thank you!

I can’t believe you shared this one with me:) This is such a special tea. I will be honest, I was really scared to try it for fear of the price point and the hype. I finally caved today. This is all it is cracked up to be. This tea brings me back to all of my favorite back packing trips, staring at stars around the fire in places that make you feel so small. I can’t really explain the flavor. There is a lot going on here. Black base, sweet, vanilla, cold figure tips and chilled nose. Opps, I am letting my memories slip into my taste buds. This is really good and it has brought a smile to my face this evening! Thank you MzPriss for this special treat.

SarsyPie

I love teas that evoke lovely memories! This one is definitely awesome.

MzPriss

You are so welcome! I’m really glad you like it so much!

TheTeaFairy

This is gold…

Cheri

This is one of those teas that I really want to try, but I think I’m not quite ready for. (Brenden even told me he thought I’d do better with another tea for now.) I love love love saffron, and for that reason alone, I’d love to try this tea. Maybe in a few months….

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90
1429 tasting notes

I love everything evergreen in my tea, and this one fully delivers. I’d previously pegged down White Wolf, from Bellocq, as my quintessential, super-expensive, cedar-vanilla tea but this one is really good too.

Port has a nice balance of flavours: cedar, smooth vanilla bean, and accents of salt and of something “nippy” that is distinctly eucalyptus. It’s a nice level of eucalyptus, and not at all like the time that I put a little too much eucalyptus oil on my hot hand towel and inhaled deeply- when hot, that stuff burns with righteous intensity. I probably won a Darwinian award somewhere in that story.

This is a “darker” tea than my other cedar-vanilla option, which has a white tea base. However, it also isn’t as cold, and so set in the dead of winter, as my other one. I can drink this at the lake camp in the midst of a broiling summer too, or on a foggy autumnal day.

I haven’t had a lot of exposure to saffron and I’m going to have to carefully budget it out, but I love this tea and I want it to be a part of my life! Also, the dry blend reminds me ever so slightly of marzipan. It also resteeps well, although the cedar is more pronounced in the second steep.

Flavors: Cedar, Eucalyptus, Malt, Vanilla

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec
TheTeaFairy

It is expensive, but it is so worth it, I love Port. Have you tried cold steeping the used leaves? I put them in a mason jar for 24 hours and I get so much vanilla goodness!

Crowkettle

I haven’t yet, but I’m planning too; my other cedar-vanilla tea cold steeped really well too. Do you think I’d get any flavour out of leaves I’ve already steeped three times?

TheTeaFairy

Yes!!! I did mine after 3 steeps!! i figured I pay big bucks for this baby, might as well get the best out of it…minimum 24h or more…it tastes like vanilla water, subtle but very yummy.

TeaLady441

Guess this is going onto my shopping list! :P

Crowkettle

Ok, I’m looking forward to revisiting that jar in a 24h time period. Fingers crossed!

I can send you a sample, Cavo! It’s so expensive, I’d rather you tried it that way, especially if you’re not a crazy cedar fan like I am. :)

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75
761 tasting notes

This one comes from the ever so lovely CrowKettle along with a few other WP teas and a few other odds and ends. This one caught my interest when she said recently that it tasted like marzipan, or somewhat dessert-like. Then today when she gave it to me, she also mentioned the cedar and eucalyptus notes. Colour me intrigued and confused.

So I went to look at steeping parameters, and it said to use 1 tablespoon for 8 oz, and I was like, huh? Thinking it was a typo and that it was 1 teaspoon, I opted to try the smaller amount. I’m not sure if it is in fact a typo, but that is how I made it.

The liquor is much paler than I was expecting. Which maybe is under leafing? I don’t know. I went into drinking this one with the hopes I got a more dessert-y feel, and I did, though I can kind of pick up that slightly minty-ishness of the eucalyptus. It is sold of like a coolish feeling going down, but not like peppermint or spearmint or anything really strong. I can kind of pick out the sweeter vanilla note, but not sure on the saffron or really what that should taste like.

I did use sugar for both of my steeps which makes it less woodsy to me. I’m not the hugest fan of woodsy, to be honest, and that part of the description is what threw me off on wanting to try this, until it was compared to marzipan. I can’t quite say it is like marzipan, but I can get a sort of dessert note, probably from the vanilla and saffron. Marzipan is a bit more almondy.

I’d have to say this feels like a masculine tea, playing a bit of dress up, and trying on a little bit of a feminine feel. I have to say I am a little confused and mystified about this one. I have enough for another serving, and I can probably get one more steep out of this. I might look at cold steeping the last bit, or a steeping from the last bit, as was suggested.

I can’t say whether I would recommend the to anyone because it is such a peculiar yet specific note that the person really has to like more woodsy notes in their tea. But that’s just not my thing. For what it is, I like it more than I thought I would based on the description alone. Thanks again to CrowKettle for sharing this with me, and pushing me out of my comfort zone.

Crowkettle

I think it smells like marzipan more than it tastes like it, in a David’s Tea Alpine Punch kind of way, but yeah.. lots of interesting things going on in this cup, for sure!

Plunkybug

I can pick that up, with you having said that, but not sure I would on my own…but def a dessert quality.

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Just updated the steeping info on Steepster. It should have read 1/2 tablespoon in 200ºF water for 3 minutes. If you’ve got enough for another steep, I’d love to hear if your opinions change at all! :)

Plunkybug

I used a heaping teaspoon, so that should have been about 1/2 tablespoon, but it was for 12 oz. I have a little sample left, so I’ll how much is left in that.

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100
359 tasting notes

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.

MzPriss

The vanilla yixing makes all those Vanilla Dreams teas so much better and they are already amazing to start with. I’m not having vanilla this morning (yet) I’m having an excellent post-Dark Beauty cup of Jabberwocky

mj

Great review! It made me think of this song haha
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwXai-sgM-s

TheTeaFairy

The Jabber really “wocks” missy, as I like to say :-)

Lol, Mj, good call and thanks, and I always loooved that song!! Have you ever heard the Nina Simone’s version?

SarsyPie

O. M. G.

Nina Simone is just amazing! I love her so!!!!!!!

TheTeaFairy

That’s right sarsy, Nina simone is a queen and I worship her…

SarsyPie

Just one more reason that you’re so awesome… The list keeps growing…

Cheri

I will have port one of these days. Brenden recommended I not go for port just yet, and thought I’d like cocoa amore better (LOVE IT!) although I did decide to go with jabberwocky this morning when I was debating between the two.

Cheri

Sars, I love that one.

SarsyPie

There’s an amazing remix with Nina’s vocals and an upbeat track. It’s amazeballs. I couldn’t find it on the YouTube. :(

mj

I’d never heard of Nina Simone before today. Thanks for introducing me, ladies :)

christeana1

No picture today!

TheTeaFairy

Cheri, I think I understand why Brenden told you to start with some other VD tea. It’s so different from any other tea I have ever tried, it kind of surprised me the first time I had it.

And yo, cocoa amore!!!

TheTeaFairy

The remix is awesome Sarsy, thanks for sharing!

Mj, So happy this made you discover Nina!

Sinnerman is the most popular remix I think…it played in movies and commercials, maybe you’ve heard it without even knowing it was her voice…

http://youtu.be/0hcEiEyylEA

TheTeaFairy

Lol, Christeana, I thought I’d give you a break of my pics. But I drank some amazing tea this morning and will review with pics later :-)

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90
278 tasting notes

I am drinking this little lovely while watching the super moon! I love the creamy vanilla scent of this tea. It also tastes a little spicy today. Weird!

I added a little maple syrup, even though I also like this plain. Saturday night yums!!!!

Edit: Now I added kirschwasser! I love tea!!!! Yay!!!

TheTeaFairy

Good tea habits ;-)

Whispering Pines Tea Company

This one takes wonderfully to a splash of Baileys, too :)

SarsyPie

I am in my tea happy place!!!!

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95
117 tasting notes

I’m drinking my fifth steeping of this today, after forgetting the leaves for a day or two… It’s not as fantastic as the first few, but still good. I’m sad today and I have zero energy right now, so I hope tea will help…

__Morgana__

When I first saw the name of this I wondered whether it tasted like the dessert wine, but then I read the description and found out I was barking up the entirely wrong tree. ;-)

Iridium

Me too, actually, but I’ve found that smelling it is a little reminiscent of enjoying a glass of wine by the lake, under the open sky, after a day outdoors… I’m not really sure why, must just be the memories it brings back.

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