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Newest offering! :-)

Our Traditional Tieguanyin is a medium-roast oolong from Anxi, China. With a very satisfying mouthfeel, this tea opens with clean mineral notes followed shortly by wafting florals comparable to honeysuckle and orchid. A touch of pear is notable mid-sip, and a warm, toasty finish is also present. Traditional Tieguanyin is rounded out with hints of honey, nutmeg, and cinnamon. A very satisfying and fresh oolong that reminds me a lot of springtime! :-)

http://whisperingpinestea.com/traditional-tgy.html

Small batch of Willow available now! http://whisperingpinestea.com/willow.html

Also a small amount of Mirkwood is also available now :-) http://whisperingpinestea.com/mirkwood.html

Sometimes I watch the fog floating on a hazy forest breeze. I admire the way it flows through the trees and over the mossy stones beneath my feet. The rain-kissed wind whispers in my ear. I can’t quite understand it, but I know it tells me stories of the willow groves from which it came. If I lie down and look towards the canopy, I can see the fog dancing with the leaves. It’s soft and slow, spending a little time with each leaf before floating onto the next, but always leaving a touch of itself behind — a memory that will drop to the floor, nourishing the ferns, wildflowers, and mushrooms. I believe my heart is a forest, and each experience is a limb of my infinite trees. I like the fog. I like the way it touches every one of my leaves and creates these nourishing raindrop memories — memories that I can’t help but replay in my dreams. Memories that I wish I could capture forever. Maybe with enough of them, the raindrops will grow a new willow grove. I can already feel them growing in my woodland heart. Perhaps the new willow trees need the fog. Maybe the fog needs the new trees to create new memories with. And maybe, if we’re all lucky, the fog will never get tired of dancing with the willows.

Willow combines all things that touch me deep in my soul. From morning walks with a cup of hot cocoa picking wild mushrooms to smelling the sweet aroma of maple syrup on my pancakes after that walk. The essence of the woodlands that formed who I am, Willow is one of my proudest creations. Willow is made with a base of North Winds and the addition of sweet candy cap mushrooms, which are known for their heady maple syrup aroma and sweet, woody flavor. Steeped, the aroma of Willow is complex, with maple syrup, chocolate, and mushrooms. The taste is smooth, sweet, and creamy, opening with identical notes as the aroma. The balance is absolutely perfect, with all notes showing up individually, but none overpowering each other. Immediately following the base notes come hints of stonefruit and oak. The addition of the strong maple note transforms the graininess of North Winds into definitive buckwheat pancakes with a touch of cherry preserves. Clean woody and maple notes linger past the finish, slowly fading into mushroom and oak. I highly suggest enjoying this innovative and unique blend in a big thermos while walking your favorite woodland trail. Breath life, sip inspiration.

Firstly, Cyber Monday is on! 20% off sitewide at www.whisperingpinestea.com

Secondly, I believe an introduction is in order! :-)

The first private-label pu-erh pressing under the Great Lakes Label! These 100 gram cakes were pressed in October 2014 from Spring 2012 Xishuangbanna material, and are composed of 100% Gold Needle grade pu-erh, tested clean for pesticides and contaminants!

A beautiful pu-erh that was produced in Xishuangbanna province but stored away from the intense aging conditions there after production. All of the rough earthyness has faded already and this shou shows great potential for further aging. This high-grade shou pu-erh was an exciting find. Gold needle grade generally accounts for less than 0.5% of a fermentation batch, and is usually used sparingly to smooth out blends before pressing. Finding gold needle grade shou pu-erh is exceedingly difficult because of this.

Our Huron Gold Needle is the silkiest tea we have ever tasted. It feels at though there isn’t even tea in your mouth, and the flavors are being magically transported by a thick, weightless warm air. It floats across the tongue and down the throat on a carpet of moss, cocoa, and sweet fruit with a lasting creamy warmth in the aftertaste.

These cakes come packaged individually in 100% recycled heavy-weight envelopes, which are ideal for storing to age. These cakes have amazing aging potential, and will only get better!

There were 300 cakes produced, and only 30 available for the initial release. The rest will be available in February 2015.

After months upon months of sampling and finally choosing the right tea for the job, our newly-redesigned house black tea, North Winds, is now available! Read about the inspiration and new flavor profile below!

Michigan is full of wondrous little towns known for the things they have perfected and small spots of nature that will take your breath away. This tea is inspired by the entire northern area of Michigan, from Traverse City to the Les Cheneaux Islands.

Traverse City is in the northern lower peninsula of the state. They are widely known for their amazing cherries, which are sold alongside other fruits from roadside stands during the summer months. You can get anything cherry here, and it will spoil you for cherries forever. I’ll never be able to eat cherries elsewhere! =)

Heading northward from the cherry capitol of the world and over the longest suspension bridge in the northern hemisphere brings you to Mackinac Island. This island is full of little shops, cafes, and bakeries, and they are very well known for their fudge. Any flavor of fudge you can imagine can be found on this island, but you can never go wrong with a piece of dark chocolate fudge as Autumn is closing in!

As the north winds bring you higher and the first snow begins to fall, the Les Cheneaux Islands and surrounding area of the upper peninsula will send chills down your spine. The wind picks up, the lake begins to freeze, and a snowstorm will keep you indoors with a hefty cup of black tea as company. Looking outside at the winter wonderland, you can’t help but notice that you are in the most beautiful place in the world.

Our house black tea for good reason — North Winds is the essence of northern Michigan. Sweet fruity notes of apricot and white grape bring you to Traverse City while heavy dark chocolate notes allow you to have that Mackinac Island fudge desert without having to take the ferry. Notes of toasted rye with cherry preserves show up mid-sip with a beautiful malt and wildflower honey finish. These smooth, decadent notes combine into a medium-bodied tea with a bold and rustic feel that makes for a perfect breakfast tea — but you’ll want to drink this all day long!

North Winds is blended seasonally to achieve the most balanced flavor profile. The current offering is a blend of Spring and Autumn 2014 material from Fujian and Yunnan provinces of China.

Available here: http://whisperingpinestea.com/north-winds.html

Available for pre-order as of right now! Shipping by the 17th :-)

Enjoy!~

http://whisperingpinestea.com/rivendell.html

And there’s also this :D

Time for Second Breakfast — A Baggins’ family recipe, passed down through generations of Baggins’s (thank you, Gollum, for that word)! I was told to keep it secret and keep it safe, but it’s so precious that I had to share!

A day in the Shire wouldn’t be complete without Second Breakfast! This blend is a tad lighter in body than your average breakfast blend, but a whole lot heavier on the flavor! Smooth, sweet, and thick, Second Breakfast is bursting with berries and chocolate. The body is silky and caramelly-sweet, coating your mouth with honey and stonefruit. Red berries can be noted in the middle of the sip along with a hint of pine. The finish is wildflowers and salted french baguette.

Enjoy a journey picking berries on the outskirts of the Shire with your Second Breakfast!

Notes: Berries, Chocolate, Stonefruit, Caramel, Malt, Pine, Salted French Baguette, Wildflowers

http://whisperingpinestea.com/second-breakfast.html

Well, this happened :)
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Rivendell is a majestic Elven outpost in Middle Earth, filled with lush vegetation, towering waterfalls, and clean, pure air.

Our Rivendell blend was inspired by this ethereal place. With a base of sweet Anxi Tieguanyin, roasted cedar leaves, and hand-cut Tahitian vanilla, this tea is the essence of purity.

Rivendell opens with the taste of cedar, cherry, and caramel flowing through a luscious sweet body. The middle of the sip coats your mouth with a nectar-like sweetness and hints at vanilla and chocolate, with a touch of pine nut and mineral, reminiscent of spring water that has flowed over miles of untouched granite. The finish is clean with hints of lilac and pear, leaving an aftertaste of cedar and caramel. It tastes as if the purest water in the world flowed through miles of sugarcane fields, scattered with nectar-filled lilacs and orchids, passed through a forest of cedar and cherry trees, then poured over a pristine granite cliff straight into your cup. It’s pure nectar and caramel with light florals, a hint of berries and chocolate, a touch of pine nut, and heady evergreen sweetness.

If there ever was a fruit fit only for the elves, this would be its juice.

Notes: Cedar, Cherry, Caramel, Vanilla, Mineral, Chocolate, Pine Nut, Lilac, Pear

http://whisperingpinestea.com/rivendell.html

New blend! :-D

The Legend of El Dorado tells of a majestic place deep in the wilderness of South America. With streets paved of gold and sacred temples of silver, this mythical place was filled with riches…

Luckily for you, you don’t have to search the jungles of South America in search of untold riches, for you can find them in your cup with El Dorado Chai! With a base of our Bi Luo Chun Yunnan Black, hand-cut Madagascar vanilla, holy basil and the four classic masala chai spices, you’re sure to strike gold with your first sip!

This lightly-spiced masala chai is smoother than a street of gold and sweeter than untouched jungle spring water. El Dorado Chai opens with pure wildflower honey and creamy vanilla, giving way to a hint of pine. The body is rich like a fresh croissant filled with the finest dark chocolate. A warm, tingling spice lingers near the end of the sip, reminiscent of the sweet spices on an apple pie crust. The finish is mouthwatering, with a full honey sweetness and a touch of malt.

Enjoy the immeasurable riches of this golden chai fit for the Gods!

""Over the Mountains
Of the Moon,
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,"
The shade replied—
“If you seek for Eldorado!”

-Edgar Allen Poe

Notes: Honey, Chocolate-Filled Croissant, Cream, Pine, Vanilla, Malt, Apple Pie Crust

Ingredients: Bi Luo Chun Yunnan Black Tea, Organic Ginger, Organic Cardamom, Organic Cinnamon, Organic Cloves, Hand-Cut Madagascar Vanilla Beans

http://whisperingpinestea.com/el-dorado-chai.html

A forest is more than a grove of trees. A forest is the wind sweeping across the pines, the wood thrush calling, and the blankets of mist covering the mossy earth below your feet. A forest is the sweet vanilla scent of spring wildflowers and the babbling brook feeding the blackberry bushes. A forest is the morel mushroom hiding under the wintered oak leaves. A forest is everything that we should strive to be — strong, wise, and tranquil. Elder forests are filled with complex ecosystems. Every corner of the woods presents a new biological wonderland, and every inch of the void between organisms plays a vital role in the full picture.

At Whispering Pines, we appreciate complexity. There are, of course, great things to be said about intense singular notes and the boldness of strong lingering aftertastes. However, in the ancient forests crawling with the fingers of fog and ethereal thrush melodies, it is not the plentiful pine we seek. We enter the deepest realms of the forest in search of diversity and the beauty that lies behind the entrance to the trail. A book is not a book without the words within, and a venture into the unknown is not complete without every aspect present.

This is why we chose to seek the complexity of the highest grade Chinese black teas available as the base for Elderwood. This is why we sought the most complex and balanced Tahitian vanilla bean we could find. For the sake the the primeval forests and the immense biodiversity within, we could not choose to cut corners on complexity.

Inspired by the deepest and most ancient of forests, Elderwood carries base notes of warm pine, oak, and cocoa, with sweet vanilla, caramel, cherry, and morel perfectly balanced in the background. A sweet and earthy moss-like aftertaste with hints of vanilla and oak linger for hours past the last sip of this strikingly smooth brew. The aroma is pine, cocoa, and stone fruit, and the color of the tea is dark amber with a slight tinge of deep purple.

The overall experience of this tea is only comparable to what you can imagine drinking the finest hot cocoa infused gently with cherry, and aged in oak barrels beneath the forest floor would be like. The richness and depth of Elderwood can truly only be done justice by experiencing the masterpiece yourself. We highly recommend enjoying Elderwood outdoors. Allow the brew to warm you on a chilly day while walking along your favorite woodland trail.

In honor of all beauty that mother nature has provided us with, and in honor of those moments where you realize just how big the full picture is, I give you Elderwood.

Notes: Warm Pine, Oak, Melted Chocolate, Vanilla, Chocolate-Covered Cherries, Plum, Cream, Salted Caramel, Morel, Moss

Ingredients: Imperial Grade Dian Hong, Ailaoshan Black Tea, Hand-cut Tahitian Vanilla Beans

http://whisperingpinestea.com/elderwood.html

After some testing, and thanks to Veronica for pointing it out, I’m changing the recommended steeping temp of this tea to 205ºF. Everyone with this tea should try it that way and let me know what you think :)