Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Black Tea
Flavors
Smoke, Sweet
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
High
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Whispering Pines Tea Company
Average preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 4 min, 0 sec 16 oz / 473 ml

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10 Tasting Notes View all

  • “Shared this with a strictly-with-milk tea drinker, and we both loved it. Incredibly robust, a little smoky, some cocoa… I’d say there’s some malt here, too. I loved it black, but it was really...” Read full tasting note
    90
  • “Here’s Hoping Teabox – Round Seven- Tea #19 I had this one a few days ago. This is a good enough black tea with smokiness but if it’s Whispering Pines, I kind of expect more from it. A WP tea...” Read full tasting note
    74
  • “From the Here’s Hoping TTB. This tea has a very unusual flavor. I asked my wife, who is better than me in identifying aromas, and she said miso soup. It’s not an exact fit, but it’s close. ...” Read full tasting note
  • “A bold black tea that went perfectly with my mood while I was cleaning today and ironically organizing my tea collection at the same time. The smell is nice and the black tea very hearty – I added...” Read full tasting note
    83

From Whispering Pines Tea Company

https://whisperingpinestea.com/collections/black-1/products/blackbear-spring-2016

The wildwood within me yearns
For a trillium in the million ferns
For a sweet song of dark tonight
In the soft unspoken fire light.
My mother, Forest, wakes my wonder
By moonlit dance and distant thunder
Her serenade has called to me
And so I listen endlessly.

Blackbear was a project two years in the making — the goal being the perfect smoky black tea. A lot of work went into the creation of Blackbear, with at least 20-30 different teas being tested together in various combinations until the perfect blend was achieved. Reminiscent of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula camping and everything that I love about forests, Blackbear stirs deep within me, reminding me of my love for The Mother.

The aroma is of a forest awakening by the rains of April. A mossy rich forest loam with young wild herbs takes the front with a pine and oak campfire weaving through. It’s like waking up in the morning and foraging closeby last nights campfire. The first sip opens with sweet wild berries and caramel, with balanced smoke layered with pine resin and hints of scotch. Warm petrichor from last nights drizzle fills the room as the sunlight hits the wet leaves, littered with half-eaten raspberries and mulberries. Honey notes are strong throughout the entire experience and a mouthcoating sweetness that reminds me of maple syrup lingers through the finish.

Overall, a beautifully balanced, complex, and heartwarming blend that will have a permanent spot at Whispering Pines Tea Company.

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.

10 Tasting Notes

90
391 tasting notes

Shared this with a strictly-with-milk tea drinker, and we both loved it. Incredibly robust, a little smoky, some cocoa… I’d say there’s some malt here, too. I loved it black, but it was really outstanding with oat milk.

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74
4169 tasting notes

Here’s Hoping Teabox – Round Seven- Tea #19
I had this one a few days ago. This is a good enough black tea with smokiness but if it’s Whispering Pines, I kind of expect more from it. A WP tea has to be magic. Nothing spectacular in either the black tea or smoke. Not bad, but nothing great either.

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314 tasting notes

From the Here’s Hoping TTB. This tea has a very unusual flavor. I asked my wife, who is better than me in identifying aromas, and she said miso soup. It’s not an exact fit, but it’s close. There’s a lot of other stuff in there too: smoke, spice. Reminded me a bit of chai. I found that the more I drank the less I liked it; it was just kind of funky.

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83
292 tasting notes

A bold black tea that went perfectly with my mood while I was cleaning today and ironically organizing my tea collection at the same time.

The smell is nice and the black tea very hearty – I added a tablespoon, so that was more than enough. Steeped for a little over five minutes. I actually didn’t sense any smoke but I’m used to very smokey teas so I could have missed it. A little sweetness on its own, but I boosted it with a little sugar as I always do. Enjoyed the tea, a feel good blend.

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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85
2965 tasting notes

It was raining properly this morning. Dark, stormy, wet, the whole nine yards. Why can’t that ever happen on a morning when I don’t have to wake up and can spend the day lounging and drinking tea in a decadent fashion? No, its only happens on work days, when I need to get up, get dressed, and go into the office.
Bleh.
But no reason not to have a truly lovely cup of smokey tea in the business of the morning.
Blackbear is just such a perfect tea for a rainy morning. I can’t even tell you how much pleasure it can give.

Evol Ving Ness

A whole day when it is raining properly to drink tea and putter and contemplate the world is divine.

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85
1758 tasting notes

Got this the other day. There is some smoke to this but it is not overpowering. There is also a sweet note to it, not sure what to call it. It did not need milk but was fine without.

I steeped this one time in a 16oz Teavana Glass Perfect Tea Maker/Gravity Steeper with 3 tsp leaf and 200 degree water for 3 minutes.

Flavors: Smoke, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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