Whispering Pines Tea Company
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Another tea I couldn’t resist trying. This one smells quite similar to Golden Orchid, though the base is obviously different once brewed – I can taste some chocolatey undertones, and the vanilla is less prominent. I definitely prefer Golden Orchid, both because I love that strong vanilla, and because I’ve had more chocolatey blacks and wish one of them was the base instead. Overall though, tasty enough.
Preparation
Golden Orchid is certainly yummy. And I agree with you that I prefer the vanilla over chocolate.
This makes me not regret not spending the exorbitant amount of money to buy this tea! Because I already have and love Golden Orchid :)
I prefer this over Golden Orchid
Me too. this is one of my favorites.
Picked some of this up recently because I just had to know how it tasted. Turns out, it’s pretty good, but not worth the steep price (to me). Don’t get me wrong – it’s absolutely delicious. Wonderful malty, chocolatey base tea, and an excellent vanilla aroma and flavour (although it’s a little different that I was expecting; I think I have an altered perception of how vanilla is supposed to taste). It’s just a little too pricey for me, and I am happy enough with straight blacks. I will certainly enjoy this bag of it though.
Preparation
Wow, I’m the first to review this tea here. Pressure. xD Just is kinda lame since I’m not a green tea fan, unless they are genmaicha or it’s a flavored tea that hid the grassy taste I usually get from green teas.
Added this to my last WP order because I was just under the free shipping mark and this was pretty cheap with the discount. I planned on trying it once and sending it off to Albertocanfly, who loves green teas. xD I’m sure she will give this a much better review!
First off, this is an adorable tea, I really love how it looks. It’s just so cute like the Golden Snail, except it’s green. _
Now for how it actually tasted; the first cup of this tea was super light. Steeped it the exact time that it said on the bag and I couldn’t figure out what it tasted like. I spent about ten minutes trying to just think of what that first cup tasted like. Finally I gave up and brewed up another cup, because I just had to figure out what it tasted like.
Steeped it for a bit longer and decided that it tasted a lot like spinach, just like the aroma when it was steeping. The second cup was stronger, but not too overwhelming. I love spinich, but in tea form it doesn’t really work for me.
All this to say, it was an alright green tea. I’d drink it if I were stuck with it. But I would rather send it to someone who I know will love it!
P.S. Albertocanfly, you should be super proud of me for trying another green tea! XD And I’m pretty sure you will love this one, then you can come back and write a better tasting note than this one! XD I’m sending this in your next package! :D
Flavors: Spinach
I get spinach notes from a lot of green teas, especially Japanese ones.
Really? I usually get grassy notes. xD But I don’t like either haha!
I have drank this tea twice, but can’t seem to give it an official note. I got more of a steel cut oats and bok Choy flavor to it.
Mmmmm!
I’ve had such a bad day, but this seriously was the best part. I was kinda getting sick of drinking decaf teas earlier, so this one was perfect.
I do love a good floral oolong.
I cannot resist.
Don’t think I’d buy more of this unless there was a really good sale, but I do love having this ounce! It’s a delicious tea! :D
Flavors: Floral, Flowers, Orchid, Perfume, Smooth
This was one of the teas I was most excited about in my last WP order! I love love love floral oolongs, and from TheTeaFairy’s note, this tea was pretty floral.
She was not wrong. xD
Tried this one yesterday and really enjoyed it.
Not too much butter notes, mainly floral, and orchard-like. That’s not a word. And I’m not really sure how to describe it. It’s just one of those teas that makes you feel awake and like it clears your senses. It’s refreshing and smooth. It reminds me of flowers and being outside, which I usually hate, but in this instance I think of it in a good way…But I just can’t describe it.
The first cup of it was really light, the second time I steeped it longer and it brought the floral notes out better. I really am going to enjoy the rest of this.
Probably won’t buy more just because I can get cheaper floral oolongs elsewhere. But I have really wanted to try this one and I’m so happy I did! I will savor the ounce I have of it! And maybe in a really good sale I’ll pick up more!
Lovely tea, and the color of the dry leaves is absolutely gorgeous!
Another fantastic tea from WP! :D
Also, this is my 500th tasting note! Woo! I thought that reviewing this tea would be pretty fitting since the first tea I ever reviewed was an oolong. So why not mark a milestone with another oolong? :P Definitely prefer this to Teavana’s Monkey Picked Oolong, which was the tea I first reviewed. Mann I really was missing out for so many years! XD Anyway yah for 500!!
Flavors: Butter, Floral, Flowers, Perfume, Smooth
woohoo! grats on 500!
Happy 500!
Thanks (:
Way to go!
Congratulations on 500! :)
Congrats on 500! And ah, I’ll deffo have to try this if they have it in stock (or a similar TGY) when I next do a WP order – they’re such exquisite teas!
Definitely worth a try, lovely tea, Red Fennekin!
Woo 500!
I finally finished off my 2oz of this one. Took me ages, but it was a satisfying sip-down. I have to say I didn’t find this as interesting as others did. It was a pretty middle-of-the-road shou. General earthy flavors, but with a nice thick mouthfeel. No noticeable qi. I relegated this one to helping with occasional after-dinner bloat, rather than drinking it for pleasure.
Overall, not a bad shou. Nothing particularly offensive about it, just a bit dull.
Flavors: Earth, Wet wood
Preparation
I’ve a couple of new-to-me Whispering Pines blends with me today at work. After my success with Woodland Chai yesterday, I’m looking forward to trying some more! I chose to start with this one, because I wanted something fresh and clean tasting to chase away my grogginess. I used 1.5 tsp of leaf, and gave it 1.5 minutes. It got boiling water because I was sleepy and not really concentrating, but fortunately it seems none the worse for it.
To taste, I’m primarily picking up a wonderfully sweet, refreshing combination of spearmint and peppermint. I like to see spearmint in mint blends because it adds a sweetness and a lightness that I sometimes find lacking in peppermint. For me, peppermint adds a stronger, cooler mint flavour. The combination here is just right, making this refreshingly minty without being overpoweringly toothpaste like.
I can taste jasmine in the mid sip, and it lingers as a light floral in the aftertaste. I’m a little sensitive when it comes to jasmine teas, but this one isn’t too perfume-like. It adds an extra bit of sweetness, and works better with the mint than I was expecting it to. The green tea base is fairly unobtrusive. In fact, I probably wouldn’t have known this was a green if I’d not read the description. That’s how I realised I should probably have left the water to cool a little – looking at the dry leaf, I think I pretty much assumed this was a herbal. In any case, it’s very smooth with no bitterness or astringency.
While I’m enjoying my cup, this probably isn’t unique enough for me to want to keep it around all of the time. There are other mint blends I prefer, but It’s undisputedly well done, and I’ll certainly have no trouble finishing my sample pouch.
Preparation
Went for the full 1 tbsp of leaf this afternoon, and a 5 minute steep in boiling water. It came out quite dark and strong-looking, so I added a splash of milk. I’d secretly hoped that might be the case, because I adore a lovely milky chai. It’s one of my favourite things about winter!
I like this as much as I did my first cup. The spicing is perfect for my tastes – lots of ginger/cinnamon to add a spicy warmth, and enough clove to contribute that deep, almost damp-tasting depth. I can also clearly pick out the orange. I like the creaminess the milk gives this one. It’s such a smooth tea anyway, but it’s delicious and comforting like this.
I think it’s safe to say that this one is well on its way to becoming one of my favourite chai blends!
Preparation
I can’t believe no-one else has tried/reviewed this tea before now! I picked it up a while ago and have been saving it for the winter, and today seemed like the perfect day to finally give it a chance. It’s a cold, crisp, chai day!
The dry leaf is really interesting to look at. The three varieties of tea are easily discernable, from the golden, slightly downy Bi Luo Chun, to the wiry black Fujian, through to the rolled, slightly greenish pearls of Brandy Oolong. Then there are the cloves – so many cloves! – and the red streaks of safflower. It really is a beauty. The scent dry, and while brewing, is very chai-like. Spicy, with hints of ginger and orange, and the slight dankness of clove. I used 2 tsp of leaf, and gave it 5 minutes in boiling water. No additions.
Brewed, the liquor isn’t as dark as I was expecting — it’s actually a red-brown, and the scent is both spicy and chocolatey. It really is reminiscent of spiced hot chocolate! It actually reminds me in scent along of both Bluebird’s Dark Choc Chilli Chai, and 52 Teas Mayan Chocolate Chai. I didn’t really care for either of those, but perhaps this will be an exception. I’ve not had a bad experience with Whispering Pines yet, after all.
The first thing that struck me about this tea is how smooth it is. It tastes almost glossy. It’s also deliciously chocolatey, and it’s pleasant to know that this flavour is a natural aspect of tea varieties used, rather than an artificial addition. It’s a dark chocolate flavour, and slightly dry in the way of cocoa nibs, beautifully complemented by the spice notes (which are actually second to emerge in the flavour). I can pick out cinnamon, ginger, cardamon and clove, with maybe a touch of orange zest right in the background. At the end of the sip, there’s a definite baked apple note, and just a touch of vanilla sweetness. As this one cools, it develops a distinctive barely or grain flavour, but retains a sweet cocoa-tinged maltiness.
This is a perfect cold-weather tea – beautifully warming and comforting! I can imagine taking this one with me on a long walk – it may become a future timolino companion!
Preparation
I put some of this in the GCTTB – one of the participants asked me to share some WP teas, so I did.
WP asked that this tea be discarded from the GCTTB because it may contain pesticides.
I apologize to the participants of the GCTTB and everyone else I sent samples to. I was unaware of this situation and would not have shared it with others had I known.
If this is enough of a concern for them to ask that it not be passed around, I feel I should let others know who may have it in their cupboard. I’m not sure why a participant in a traveling tea box would be contacted but not customers that bought the tea. If anyone has this in their cupboard, you may want to contact Whispering Pines Tea for more information.
This tea and some other teas that I’ve sold in the past were not of a high enough quality to merit testing, so I discontinued them instead. I’m not saying they are unsafe to drink, just that they don’t meet my standards anymore. People that drink WP because they believe in the quality I strive for might drink this tea, and knowing that they might be drinking a tea with pesticide residue is enough for me to want it removed from a box meant to allow people to try different teas for possible purchase. I can tell you that I did not taste or feel effects from pesticides in any of my discontinued teas, which I generally can even on very low pesticide residue. I’m 95% sure they are safe, but I’d rather that others don’t take the chance. I also didn’t contact customers that bought the tea because it’s been a VERY long time since I’ve sold them, so I figured they’d be out of existance by now, and since my last website update, I no longer have a list of who bought them.
I put some of this in the GCTTB – one of the participants asked me to share some WP teas, so I did.
WP asked that this tea be discarded from the GCTTB because it may contain pesticides.
I apologize to the participants of the GCTTB and everyone else I sent samples to. I was unaware of this situation and would not have shared it with others had I known.
If this is enough of a concern for them to ask that it not be passed around, I feel I should let others know who may have it in their cupboard. I’m not sure why a participant in a traveling tea box would be contacted but not customers that bought the tea. If anyone has this in their cupboard, you may want to contact Whispering Pines Tea for more information.
Dexter I wouldn’t worry about it to much. From what I understand Brendan decided to make sure that all his teas could at least meet thee EU standard. There were a few that he was unable to confirm this information from the supplier. To test individual batches of tea for residue is very expensive so he discontinued those teas. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the tea itself is toxic.
He asked that tea I bougtht and passed on to my friends be thrown out because it may be contaminated – that causes me concern.
I think that having asked that he needs to clarify. There is a big difference between this tea may contain some pesticide residues and this tea is known to exceed safe levels of pesticide residues and should not be drunk.
This tea and some other teas that I’ve sold in the past were not of a high enough quality to merit testing, so I discontinued them instead. I’m not saying they are unsafe to drink, just that they don’t meet my standards anymore. People that drink WP because they believe in the quality I strive for might drink this tea, and knowing that they might be drinking a tea with pesticide residue is enough for me to want it removed from a box meant to allow people to try different teas for possible purchase. I can tell you that I did not taste or feel effects from pesticides in any of my discontinued teas, which I generally can even on very low pesticide residue. I’m 95% sure they are safe, but I’d rather that others don’t take the chance. I also didn’t contact customers that bought the tea because it’s been a VERY long time since I’ve sold them, so I figured they’d be out of existance by now, and since my last website update, I no longer have a list of who bought them.
i have this tea. its delicious and im not going to throw it out. no way. i had several sessions and no ill effects on me.
I don’t understand.
If it’s not a tea you’re comfortable letting others try, what about those who have purchased it? It’s either safe for everyone, or it isn’t, and if you don’t want your name on it, maybe you should issue a recall or a credit so that people who have bought it (like Dexter) don’t have their money wasted because you changed your standards.
I just know that if I had decided to share some expensive teas with people, and they were told to throw them out instead of sharing them, I would be upset. The tea in those boxes are good – not just the dredges in our cupboards – and if I knew they were going to be tossed, I’m be disappointed that I wasted money buying that tea, and shipping it in the box. If you don’t think it’s good enough to share, you should really be contacting the people who bought it because some of our teas can sit in our cupboards for YEARS.
Unfortunately, I do not have a list of customers that have purchased this tea, and if I decided to do a recall, I would instantly go out of business.
I had assumed that asking for the teas to be removed and also stating that they aren’t dangerous to drink would have shown that I am leaving this up as an option for the people that put together the box.
I personally love this tea and I drink it occasionally. This has nothing to do with it being dangerous, but rather that it’s not worth it to verify that it’s completely clean when there are other sources for me to get better tea that has been verified.
I’m sorry that this has caused such an issue for some people. I had hoped it would have been viewed as a positive move. I would be happy to donate some of my current teas to the box and to Dexter to offset the loss of tea.
But, if they’re not dangerous to drink, why ask to remove them. Again, I’m confused by this whole thing.
I’m with Cavocorax, it’s either safe or it’s not, and an effort needs to be made to contact those who have purchased the discontinued teas from you. You can see a list of Steepsterites who have said tea in their cupboard. Contacting them alone would do wonders to restore your image here on Steepster. Saying that if you were to do a recall, you would go out of business just isn’t good enough. These people have spent good money on a tea that you are telling them not to drink. They deserve something. You should have been upfront from the beginning instead of privately contacting one person and asking them to throw out tea someone else had purchased and shared with them. You need to let as many purchasers of said teas know the issue with the teas and let them decide whether to get rid of it or not. If it is safe, but doesn’t meet your standards, then say so. Let the customer decide if they want a credit or not. If it is unsafe, then do the right thing, dang it, and let people know.
Regardless, this is an error on your part, Whispering Pines, and you need to face the consequences. It’s great that you’re willing to donate to the GCTTB and Dexter to replace what was lost at your request, but what about the others following this saga? Don’t they deserve to be compensated for tea that may or may not be clean? I drink a lot of tea from a lot of companies, and this issue, not the issue of cleanliness but the shady way it was handled, will keep me from purchasing from Whispering Pines, and I know I’m not alone in this.
@Cavocorax, I decided to ask them to be removed because I strive for complete honesty and transparency. This is a well-liked tea that I sourced from a friend of mine, and when he didn’t even know the location it was harvested in and no knowledge of the origins at all, I decided that I would rather not sell it.
Also, it is my understanding that traveling tea boxes are meant for people to try teas from different companies to see where they may like to purchase tea from in the future. If teas that I am no longer selling are added to a tea box, I think it’s probably safe to say that there’s not much of a loss by removing them.
I strive for honesty, and I want to share the best teas I can find. Honestly, this is not one of them. Again, I would be happy to replace it with one or two that are.
Okay, adding Whispering Pines to the list of companies I most definitely won’t buy from EVER. Will be very vocal about dissuading others as well, I can definitely promise you that. This is one of the most unprofessional things I’ve ever seen.
If you strive for complete honesty and transparency, then you would have made a post for everyone to see that explained your actions. This was not honest or transparent, it was shady.
TTBs are meant to let others try new things, it’s not all about purchasing. Your understanding of them is dead wrong. That is only an aspect of the TTB.
I have written a post to hopefully clear up my motives for this. Again, I’m sorry this has upset some people. It was not my intention: http://steepster.com/discuss/10174-why-i-discontinued-huang-zhi-xiang-phoenix-mountain-oolong
I think people need to stop and take a step back and think logically about this. Comments are getting to be defamatory and it is not necessary to go down that road. I have edited the title of this tea, as I think it was uncalled for to change to to “unclean”. Please feel free to lambaste me for it, but I think it is the right thing to do.
Steepster has always been a fair and friendly community, and I hope we can all strive to keep it that way. Mistakes were made, lets move on.
1. What Blodeuyn said.
2. Cross-posting this, also in the the WP thread about this issue:
I am seldom, if ever, accused of being the voice of reason. I’ve been reading the threads on the Great Whispering Pines Debacle 2015. I’m dismayed by what this turned into. I am passionate and opinionated and the first to jump in when I think something is WRONG. But I’ve also defended other tea companies when I felt like things were going a bit far – in one case, a Steepsterite making accusations of deception on shipping policies to another country when it was clearly NOT deception by another of my favorite tea companies and another case when a new-to-Steepster tea company who has great tea posted reviews of their own tea, promoting it without understanding the way things worked. In both of those cases, I did not believe (and still don’t) that they were intentional abuses of the tea buying public. I chose the path of understanding and benefit of the doubt.
I most emphatically don’t believe that is the case here either. As has been repeated, well, um repeatedly, there isn’t any indication there is pesticide in the tea. And he found better tea so he quit selling it. As he noted – HE STILL DRINKS IT. I don’t think there is anything wrong with the tea. He never one time said there is pesticide in the tea. He said he couldn’t confirm the origins and never had it tested. This is someone who is picky about what he puts in his body almost to the point of religion and HE STILL DRINKS IT.
But he screwed up. He did some things wrong. He handled this clumsily and dug himself a hole that will be hard to get out of. And that is unfortunate. We aren’t talking about a multi-national corporation here with handlers and PR people. We are talking about 24 year old PASSIONATE tea lover with rigorously high standards who made a mistake in the way he handled those standards. Someone who keeps looking for better and better and better tea. Someone who cares about the PEOPLE who drink his tea to the point that he posted this on Facebook on New Years Day:
Happy New Year! As a thank you to all of you and a way to start fresh, I’m taking my list of customers that owe money and tearing it into pieces. You all get a fresh start! Hope 2015 feels as good to you as it does to me! Cheers.
And he was caring for people when he saw the tea in the tea box – the tea isn’t noxious poison that will affect chromosomes and your children will be born looking like the three-eyed fish on The Simpsons. But he has ridiculously, and almost unattainably high standards. He keeps looking for better. And I like being able to buy better. But he made a mistake in the way he handled it and the way he phrased it and apparently no amount of explaining will satisfy some. Unprofessional? I guess, in one sense of the word. In the sense that he isn’t slick and polished always knows exactly the right thing to say every single time. Clearly he doesn’t. And I’m guessing he’s mortified that above all else that he made Dexter feel badly.
I will continue to drink it because I’m freaking PICKY. And I will I drink a lot of Whispering Pines tea. A lot. Because I trust it. I trust Brenden and I’ve seen how much he CARES. It’s easy for things to escalate on the internet. We see it time and time again. When I look at the level of civility over the recent Steepster issues despite MASSIVE frustration, I find it hard to believe I’m on the same site today. I think everyone deserves a chance to rectify mistakes – most especially when they are mistakes that come from the place of trying to do good – no matter how clumsy and awkward.
I’m already well beyond the TL; DR point, so I will shut up now.
Holy Shanghai. Now that was a good reply. +1 for MzPriss!
I’ve been a member here for four years…I’d like to think I have acquired a certain credibility over the years.
I’ve seen lots of companies come and go. Only a few have earned my business.
Whispering Pines is one of them. Full proof. I KNOW Brenden, I TRUST him. I’ve been his client for a while now, and BECAUSE he so transparent and has so much integrity, it’s pretty easy for me to know that he meant well.
The commotion about this whole thing doesn’t worry me. Brenden is respected and loved here for many good reasons. He built his reputation step by step… he has and he’s still learning from his mistakes cause he’s humble enough to admit to them. You don’t get as solid as he is now by bullshitting people.
Some of the comments I read were hurtful and without substance and although everyone is entitled to speak their mind, some were just so harsh. I say “some” cause other comments were brought up as genuine concern. (Dexter, I know you and understand your initial preoccupation and where it came from).
See, most companies wont even tell you how they source their teas, and certainly wont guarantee they are pesticide free. I could name a list of those companies, VERY popular ones. People still drink them without knowing. The fact that Brenden attempted at doing so, even if there may be NOTHING WRONG AT ALL with that tea, gets my applauds. Now HOW it was done, well yeah…what MzPriss said. I wont reiterate what she already expressed so well.
But I will take a stand and support him without hesitation. Cause I CARE about him and his company, yes, but mostly because I know HE cares about his product and about his CLIENTS. If I wasn’t 100% sure of that, I would not even get involved.
Bashing is disgraceful. Steepster is a place where the drama is kept at a minimum. That’s why it’s the only online forum I participate in. Thank you Blodeuyn for reminding us of that.
Cheers and peace good Steepster people.
Steepster is Fairyland, and that’s awesome on a personal level, as it keeps forum bickering to a minimum.
However, one of the issues with Steepster in terms of reviews of small tea vendors is exactly this – a bad review is considered equal to “bashing”, making “defamatory” statements or as perpetuating “drama”.
I’ve talked to numerous people who feel uncomfortable posting less than stellar reviews of vendors who participate on Steepster – one of the most common examples is WP, then there’s obviously 52 Teas – and so on.
Honestly, the perceived need to post nothing but stars and unicorns and sunlight regarding Steepster-participating vendors borders on mass psychosis.
“Cheers” and “peace” and the “path of understanding” are all excellent, but they REALLY don’t help me pick a tea company that delivers in terms of exceptional products and customer service. We all use Steepster differently, but, in the end, the majority of us are here to find good teas, and the right companies to buy them from.
Namaste.
I don’t understand. WP said they could not verify that the tea was clean…how is that not a cleanliness issue?
There is a thread over on the discussion board about these issues that has been linked to in these comments. Can we stop spamming poor Dexter’s inbox now?
Quick work sipdown of this tea right now! This was delicious and I will hopefully always have a Yabao in my cupboard, I still have Verdant’s so I won’t be ordering this for a while, but it was a really good one! Made Western this morning, steeped w/ boiling water for 4 minutes. Sweet, tasty, good! See previous notes on this tea :)
I haven’t written a note on this yet? Haha oops! I have had this tea for quite some time, in fact, my package is labelled ‘Wild Winter White Buds’, the previous name of this tea! Ah well, luckily it is somewhat of a puerh tea, so it has been um, aging? :D
I didn’t take detailed notes on this one, but I had a nice little gongfu session with it, did 2 rinses then short steeps. I combined later steepings into my mug, and actually got inspired to paint! I did my first ocean painting of the pictures I took on our trip and I am very pleased with how it turned out! Haha, but this note is supposed to be about tea, so I will talk about the tea.
This is a very tasty Yabao, with the delicious brown sugar notes I adore in it. It was woodsy and fresh yet still sweet. I think this one is even sweeter than Verdant’s version. It was perfect for a frigidly cold day and perfect to inspire me to paint. It also may have been the cup I was drinking the tea out of that inspired me. Regardless, this was a very tasty tea, and I plan to do more gongfu sessions to use up a bit more of my bag of this. Very good tea!
Picture from the session:
http://instagram.com/p/xclCIWOsJO/
I sipped this down grandpa style in my travel mug. My initial feeling was one of regret, since it seemed weak and kind of travel mug flavoured, but the longer it steeped the better it got. Rich cocoa notes came out and this was just delicious, without ever tasting over steeped.
I will have to pick some of this up in the future.
I’m excited to be finally getting to sample more Whispering Pines teas, thanks to Lindsay.
Golden Snail is pretty lovely. Very rich tasting, with notes of cocoa, bittersweet chocolate, sweet potato, and malt. There’s a surprising floral note that pops up for just a moment mid sip, and then fades out to a malty sweetness.
Brewed according to directions, this is quite bitter, but it’s a very pleasant bitterness, the way that dark chocolate or olives are bitter. Only the mildest hints of astringency.
The only thing I’m not enjoying about this cup is the faint smell of feet after it cooled. What the heck? It isn’t affecting the taste at all, and disappears as soon as I pull my nose away from the cup, but it’s definitely there and weird.
Oh well. This is still totally drinkable and delicious.
Flavors: Bitter, Cocoa, Dark Bittersweet, Malt, Sweet, Sweet Potatoes
Preparation
Ok, ok, I know, I know…I just reviewed this tea a few days ago…but fuck! It’s so good!!!! (Oops, can we say fuck on Steepster? Cause well…um…I just did…sorry :-/ )
Yes…that’s all I have to say. See previous review. Get this. It’s yum.
And yo! I’m having it with the Teaplets this morning, weehee!!!
Tea party, heeeeeey!
As long as you’re not trying to sell services in Jakarta or offer illegal movie streaming, I think you’re okay.
I still need to try this one.
You better be ok, because I swear in my tasting notes all the fucking time ;)
Yeah! Fucking swearing! Wooooo!
hahahah one of the funniest reviews yet xD
@haveteawilltravel: always happy to entertain ;-)
I finally got me some of this, it is fucking awesome!
@Thomas lol, it seems that I’ve started an official curse thread with this review, bless my heart!! I’m so glad you like it, isn’t it amazing?
So yeah, Mirkwood… I just watched The Hobbit movie for the first time so why not review this tea now.
When I think Mirkwood and Hobbits, I think of course adventures, deep dark forests, and… mushrooms!
But maybe that’s just me… see, I have a thing for mushrooms. I love them…I observe them, I photograph them, I eat them, and with this tea I now drink them more than ever (!!!)
Cause people, mushrooms will you find in this tea. Not any kind of mushies… Da Best!!
Attention, attention: Morel alert!!! YES!!! If you are a bit of a foodie like I am, you know what morels taste like. They are so scrumptious and fancy. They make me drool.
But who could think of adding them to puerh?
Who? Well, a Tea Hobbit of course.
Attention, attention: Puerh alert!!!! YES!!! Ontario 1357 is the base tea!
Brace yourself and prepare for an effective and very warming qi. (Just read some of the Ontario 1357 reviews if you want proof)
But enough bells and whistles…how does it taste, right?
Think creamy and buttery mouthfeel, with woody notes.
This mushroom soup renders a light saltiness. Yes, it’s a little briny, as if a few drops of soy sauce were added to the cup. I know, I know, it sounds weird, but it works! Makes the tea somewhat savory, and combined with the natural sweetness found in 1357, you get full on umami taste! If you’ve had a good asian broth, you know what I mean.
This is very different, fresh, innovative.
I love being taken out of my comfort zone without being too shocked. Cause as surprising as it is, it’s still very comforting. The only shock you will get is how good it is. Yes, it’s shockingly delicious!
P.S. So you’re not a mushroom fan? No worries…morels don’t taste damp and very earthy like most mushrooms do. I promise, there are no residual taste of Hobbit feet in this tea.
Pics of the session:
http://instagram.com/p/xX1kDNQh_F/ (Big chunks of morels!!)
Man, that sounds so fascinating and cool; it’s a shame I’m like super allergic to mushrooms…
Allergic to mushies? Man, that really suck!! :-(
No residual taste of hobbit feet? What’s wrong with hobbit feet?
I have to try this tea now, though. Your review is filled with awesome.
@ThainofBuckland: lol, thank you! And nothing wrong with Hobbit feet, love them, just don’t want their juice in my tea! And yes, you MUST try this blend ;-)
GCTTB
This tea has such fantastic reviews but for me it’s just not working. I had this tea this morning and did a 2nd infusion; but each time all I got was a dark roast. I couldn’t pick up much of anything else. So back in the box this goes for someone who will appreciate it more than me. It’s just personal tastes but I’m really glad I got to try it out.
Mmm fudgey, chocolate, vanilla and malt. A very tasty, smooth way to start my morning.
Thank you so much for sharing, Lindsay! I can see buying some of this someday, when the Canadian dollar is stronger, but I can definitely live without it for now, especially since I have Tippy’s Not So Vanilla.
Flavors: Chocolate, Malt, Vanilla
Preparation
I’m so pleased to be finally trying out some Whispering Pines teas, thank you to Lindsay.
This definitely does not disappoint. Lots of chocolate and a distinct vanilla that’s nice and creamy.
The chocolate notes are very similar to the base of Underground Pumpkin that I was drinking earlier, quite rich and distinct. Great for my chocolate mood today.
Flavors: Chocolate, Creamy, Smooth, Vanilla
