Featured & New Tasting Notes
What tea goes good with BBQ for lunch?
Lapsang Souchong, of course!
This one is very nice, in that it has the smokey quality, but is not over done. I know from experience that a little maple can really bring out the caramelized sugar flavor of this, but I elected to drink it straight, & it was just so tasty with my lunch.
Mmm, this is delicious! Tastes like a Darjeeling to me so there must be some in there. It’s slightly nutty slightly fruity, very tasty.
I brewed it at 94 degrees for 3 min. Perfect. I am adding it to my wishlist.
Yum!
Thank you for the sample Cavocorax!! :)
SSTTB: Pick #20
Last one of the night. I’ve enjoyed exploring the Pu’Erh in The Box; they’re blends I wouldn’t have picked for myself otherwise, but I enjoyed them all quite a bit! More so than I anticipated, anyway.
This one kind of surprised me; I totally didn’t realize there was Tulsi in this when I was making it – and then, when I was tasting something really funny and kinda odd when I started sipping at it I had to go look up the ingredients. Yup; that weird taste was totally basil. And, now knowing that’s what I’m tasting I like it. It was much weirder when I didn’t know what it was.
The cinnamon was definitely strong and I’m not usually a huge cinnamon person but the Tulsi totally helped temper it for me so that it wasn’t just cinnamon or too much cinnamon. And yeah, this is actually sweet like the name suggests/promises so that worked in its favor too. Actually, I think my biggest dissappointment was that the Pu’Erh base was pretty light/covered up by all the other stuff! I wanted more of the earthyness of it!
Man, I really want to keep playing with this one! I liked it a lot! So I guess my question for OMGsrsly is: would you be terribly upset if I kept the rest of this one for myself?
Tea of the night.
This tea is a lullaby…
It’s comforting, soothing, enveloping, warming, reassuring.
This tea feels like the rain…
It’s calming, cleansing, refreshing, quenching, rejuvenating.
Fresh Michigan pine needles, paired with jasmine green. Brilliant.
Pure and crystalline, this infusion renders a light floral breeze and an almost indescribable fresh evergreen taste. It just sits there on your tongue long after you’ve swallowed. It might be a little more piney and resinous than the previous time I had it, which is fine by me, I love that taste! But it remains very delicate and sophisticated.
I had only a sample before, but now that I have a brand new supply, we’ll be spending a lot more time together…This is a unique handcrafted product, and I’m pleased to say it now has a place of choice in my cupboard.
Oh, my…what a calming review! I think I need you to come read me a bedtime story :)
I need to try this!
I’m jealous! I’ve been dying to try this but when it was restocked I didn’t know about it until it was too late. It’s on my wishlist so hopefully nexttime!
Same here Cavocorax, I just placed my first WP order and it was the one tea I wanted that was out of stock. :( Yes, next time.
The needles for this tea are harvested on the first of each month, and the amount of it available is based on how much I can sustainably harvest…There should be about a pound available on the first of the month :)
Gmathis, wouldn’t that be fun ;-) it’s hard for me to relax at night and this tea did the trick yesterday, it has a very claming effect, just made me feel so good.
Cavocorax and inranger, I sure hope you get the chance to try it eventually :-)
Brenden, the first of the month is maked in RED on my calendar!!
oh I was just thinking about how I had been trying to find a good jasmine before I got side tracked with travel (and some truly awful tea experiences). I MUST try this one! I often drink green jasmine until nearly bed time. this would be better.
bizbee, the base of this tea is our River Rain green tea, which I LOVE for before bed. It’s a blend of mao jian and jasmine yin hao teas from China. :)
well Whispering Pines as soon as you get more in I’ll be “there” I have a whole relationship with bears theme in my life, raising funds for the fortress of the bear is Sitka AK and avoiding bears during my AK swims (I was recently told this year’s proposed route ends near some bears that like to swim out to fishing boats) sleeping bears are a good thing!
So is pine for remembering the bears when I am amongst the palm trees working!
:) Bears rock! It’s too bad the Legend of the Sleeping Bear is not a happy one :(
Bizbee1, that sounds amazing!!!
(Brenden, If the bear dies in the end, I don’t want to know!!)
Well, it IS just a legend… http://www.nps.gov/slbe/historyculture/stories.htm
But yes, there are dying bears involved :(
well to counteract the sadness here is a happy place for orphaned baby bears (htough it has little to do with tea unless we make a tea and use it as a fundraiser). The family that runs the fortress have dedicated their lives to these bears but they give a lot in return! http://www.fortressofthebear.org/
Arrgh!!! I knew i shouldn’t have read the legend…it takes two words to make me cry: cub and death. What a sad story…but I’m sure the dunes created in their memories are beautiful…
Bizbee1, thanks for posting this, it warms my heart to hear about such amazing people :-)
Oh they are more than just beautiful! ;) http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/best_places_USA/sleeping-bear-dunes-michigan-voted-good-morning-americas/story?id=14319616
Awww! You’ve got it all my friend…it’s gorgeous.
And Mario Batali? And cherries, my favourite fruits in the world???
This will be available for purchase in an hour and a half!!! :D That’s 2pm EST, right here: whisperingpinestea.com/the-sleeping-bear-blend.html
ok I want to get some for me and some for a care package going out to a friend so I’ll waaiitt :)
Very limited quantity…so be ready! :D
@Fairy, yes…the best cherries you could ever imagine. I can’t even eat cherries from anywhere else :)
Also, I’m having my first cup of this harvest now. It’s AMAZING. I changed my processing slightly on the pine, so now there’s much more pine flavor and a light roasty hint in the background. Also, new jasmine in it, which is WAY better than the old one. I keep saying this, but I don’t think I can make this tea any better!
Have my order in :)
Yay! :) Congrats, and thank you :)
Oh, I’m SO tempted to grab this, but I just got my WP order in a few days ago, and don’t want to pay $12 shipping for 2 oz of tea. :P Guess I’ll have to wait until it’s restocked later on. Is it always the 1st of the month that you bring it in? I can plan a future order based on that!
Cavocorax, I’ll message you :)
And yes, to answer your question, I harvest on the first of each month. Usually there’s about 10 ounces available, but I’m trying to make that a pound in the future.
I could do a special harvest for anyone that wants 4 ounces or more though :)
Today has been a weird day. Last night I got home really late. I decided I wanted to unwind and watch a little tv before I went to bed but instead I ended up falling asleep very quickly on the couch. I was so exhausted that I woke up around 8am still on the couch with the tv on. I can’t even remember the last time I’ve done that. I felt very disoriented when I woke up and I’m still not feeling quite so normal. This week has been a trip. At least once a year I go raw for a few weeks. I started eating raw food on Monday. Unfortunately, the first day of being raw is horrible. I was so unproductive because I had a bad headache, was very mentally fuzzy, felt pretty weak, and was hungry all the time. By Tuesday I was feeling a little better but still about half productive. Wednesday, I finally felt better and was able to catch up with work. Now I’m feeling pretty good. In a couple of days I will have that raw food energy. Each time I go raw, it gets easier and I have fewer bad days before the good days start. The first time I went raw, I was miserable and extremely hungry for the first week and it wasn’t until the end of the second week that the energy kicked in. Every day I allow one cheat by having one cup of tea. This tea was my cheat today.
I’m sure this tea is even more amazing since it’s the only warm thing I consume. I love this! Honey and caramel are the main notes. It is very sweet and a little malty. I can also taste vanilla, floral, bread, peppercorn, and plum notes. There is also just a touch of chocolate. It is so very delicious! This tea, our Red Queen Cupcake (strawberry, chocolate, espresso, vanilla) tea, and Taste of India (strong breakfast blend that incorporates Assam, Darjaeeling, and Nilgiri teas) will be up on our website by tomorrow.
This is an interesting tea. While it does have some similarities in flavor to the Taiwanese Wild Mountain Black it also has some of its own uniqueness. It comes from Sansia, Taiwan. That region produces predominantly green tea, so this is a bit unique. Also, a local varietal is used Ching-xin Ganzai. The leaves of this tea are also insect bitten, so it does have that honey sweetness. Such a delicious tea!
I couldn’t do any diet that kept me from tea. twitch
You can’t have tea if you’re eating raw?!?! Oh, the humanity!
Also, I want to try this tea :-)
Marzipan-I could use it though. I was drinking way too much tea. This is a nice break.
mj-Well, I could have a white tea that was sundried and steeped cold. I could drink that all day without cheating. This tea is really delicious!
Is this the “new Taiwanese” tea sample I got but haven’t tried yet? Woo! Hope the rest of your Raw Time goes well :)
Stephanie-Indeed it is! Thanks, I’m adjusting quite nicely now and I just got some raw nut cheeze in the mail (that must sound gross but it is amazing) and some raw chocolate torte (pretty awesome since it uses the only kind of sugar that I can have without getting sick.
That sounds pretty tasty to me! Can you make smoothies? I’ve put raw rolled oats in mine for texture/whole grains before and it was pretty good!
Hmmm, I will have to see if raw rolled oats are truly raw because that sounds awesome. I do make almond mylk by letting raw almonds soak in water for 8 hours. If I’m feeling frisky, I add some vanilla bean and blend the almonds in after they have soaked. I could do some ice, almond mylk, and fruit. That would be good. One thing I’ve done is cardamom, papaya, and almond mylk. That is awesome.
If anyone wonders what I eat, here is a link to my instagram: http://instagram.com/butikiteas. There are only 4 raw foods on there but I will be adding more throughout the raw adventure.
Hope that raw energy kicks in really soon ;-)
Last month, I did 30 days of “semi raw” if you will, mostly in the form of green smoothies, vegetal proteins, seeds and nuts…after a few days, I was so energized. I also do that every year!
But I do have my tea, can’t give that up even for just a month! You’ve got a lot of will power my dear!
And the tea just sounds great!
TheTeaFairy-I can tell, it will kick in soon. That’s pretty awesome that you do mostly raw for a month every year! Well, I feel like I can live with just one tea a day. It’s my special reward. No way would I be able to completely give up tea for a month. Not a chance. The tea is wonderful!
Those food pics are gorgeous and all look so tasty! I see shredded green papaya? One of my faves!
Hey BTW canvas get there ok?
No green papaya. There was mango though. Mmmm! Thanks!
The canvas has not arrived. I was starting to think about checking the tracking number.
So…Steepster people. MzPriss and I have been chosen to preview this new creation before its official debut. Yesterday, I received the precious sample and drank it right away.
Beware, I have a lot to say, sorry for the long review, just couldn’t make it a short one!
I will not pretend I have the English skills to describe this tea the way Brenden did so masterfully in his own beautiful “Tolkien-esque” way…
But after reading it, I can tell you that I get what this brand new concoction is all about.
See, I live in a mountainous forestial environment.
Some days, I feel like Alice in Wonderland.
I get inspired by my forest every day….walking by a tall and majestic oak tree, bouncing on spongy velvety mossy grounds, getting intoxicated by the pungent and resinous scent of evergreens, listening to the chant of dazzling birds, secretly meeting with wonderful critters, having mystic encounters with strange and never seen before mushrooms, floating my way through ponds and wetlands, following the curves of sinuous rivers…
Beautiful nature canvases, begging for respect and attention. To experience it all, it is only required to look, smell and listen.
That will be my approach with this tea…
The look:
Stunning. Dark ebony curls and golden ribbons, they intertwine like enamoured lovers. Tea can be such a beautiful thing…Here’s a pic:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/laafeevertee/14514171475/lightbox/
The smell:
Enticing. But not as overly vanilla as I expected. It took me a while to figure out what the dry scent reminded me of…I finally did put my finger on it. I have a Vietnamese Lotus scented tea, and I compared it. Lotus blossoms! In tea, they have a natural floral vanilla scent to them. It’sa very distinctive fragrance, a little earthy and mossy.
Once brewed, the aroma took over the kitchen. Pics right here…but sorry, no 3D olfactory effects!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/laafeevertee/14534509223/lightbox/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/laafeevertee/14491254566/lightbox/
The listen:
That’s the tasting part. This tea embodies someone’s love and respect for his surroundings. That “speaks” to me so I tried to be attentive to fully grasp all its subtleties. To tell you the truth, all I felt like doing when I drank it was to close my eyes, relax and enjoy instead of taking notes…and that’s totally what I did, at least for the first steep. (Lazy reviewer!!)
I initially thought this was going to be Golden Orchid on steroids!!! But it’s quite the opposite. It’s more subdued. In fact, it doesn’t even seem like any vanilla was added to the blend. It feels as if the leaves came from a mysterious and unknown vanilla tea tree variety, an old tree that would have been watered with vanilla scented water for centuries. That’s how natural this is, Camellia Sinensis in all its glory!
I am biased and partial. I already love the two base teas creating this little marvel: Ailaoshan Black and Imperial Grade Dian Hong . How could I NOT like this?
The union of the two create some amazing notes. The first steep was like liquid silk in my mouth, all vanilla and smooth salted caramel. I also got that lotus note.
The other steeps brought more complexity. The mix of the two black teas produced some kind of chocolaty dried cherry notes, so yum. I didn’t get Morels per say as in the description (my favourite mushroom BTW) but a damp yeasty earthiness might be my own perception on the “mushroom” notes. I also got woody and piney notes in the later steeps.
This tea is very potent, I was skeptical that it could yield as many brews as Brenden suggested. But I respected the Master’s instructions and it worked. 5 good steeps and not one weak cup! Well actually, that’s not true. It did get a little weak the first time around. But the sample was big enough for me to have it twice. The second time around, I used less water and it worked better for me. So when I get this baby home, I’ll be using 1 tbsp per cup instead of the recommended 1/2 tbsp. having said that, do try it the way it is meant to be, I’m a heavy steeper :-)
In conclusion, believe the hype people, Brenden is the Tea Whiz of the Woods!
Thank you so much for the wonderful opportunity to try this new beloved blend of yours :-)
I have greatly enjoyed sharing this with you my friend – what fun!! And I agree with you, I will use more than the half tablespoon, but I’m a notorious “heaper” This would also make a great middle of the night tea :)
Me too! It was a lot of fun… And yes, don’t we know about our middle of the night tea ;-)
:) This is such a wonderful review :) Love the pictures!
This tea sounds so special. I have to get some.
The tea was inspiring Brenden!
Boychik, yes, it’s another special one worth trying :-)
This sounds lovely. There’s no way I can resist trying it when it’s available. :)
Jelly!
Yes, can’t wait!
Sounds amazing!
I don’t know why you apologize for your english. It’s excellent! This was a beautiful review :-)
Thanks mj…writing in English just doesn’t come as naturally to me, so I have to put much more effort into it, but I like it :-)
Wonderful tasting note. Much more eloquent than any of my ramblings.
Do believe the Hype!!! Brenden Makes Great Teas!
This was a great review!!
Tea & Cards Travelling teabox
I pulled this one out to give it a shot since i’m always commenting on how much i dislike David’s teas. In the grand scheme of things, while i like that they make it easier for ppl to get in to loose leaf, in the grand scheme of things i’ve never found their flavoured teas to be all that amazing (especially for the price) and their straight blacks have always been….well gross. But, i keep trying them in the hopes that someday..crap work. back to finish in a bit lol
Edit: so anyway…as i was saying. this is another example of how not to do things. I mean CTC’s are not my favourite but this is awful at a 2.5 min steep. i can’t imagine using their FOUR TO SEVEN MINUTE recommendation. this is like stale dark water. i dunno. just ick.
Preparation
I know, the straight teas from one of the David’s closest to me mostly taste stale.
I guess I don’t find them that expensive, at an average of $6 for 2 oz. I know companies charging $5 for a half oz.
But I don’t drink their straight teas, only their juice stuff :)
i guess when i look at the flavoured teas i can get from some of my favourite places, they’re like 4$ for 50g whereas most of the flavoured i like form david’s are closer to 7 for 50, which is what i spend often on 100g.
Also, i’m equating them with teas that are on the lower/medium (eg. S&V; bayswater..) side of things….there are for sure flavoured and straight teas that are way more expensive, but they are generally teas i would drop into the “higher quality” side of things (butiki?)
David’s>Teavana but i’d still generally rather buy from other places…though david’s teaware is super fun :)
I agree, though I still have a few faves :)
David’s>Adagio for me so far though
agreed whatshesad. i despise adagio. pain in the ass to get to canada and their black base is largely “the suck”
Backlog from last night! I got this tea as a swap from Ost. I wanted to purchase it when I made my order, but they were sold out of the 1 ounce packages and I didn’t want to buy a larger quantity not knowing if I would like it. The dry tea looks like mostly rooibos with some flower petals (Della Terra loves those) and some dried citrus peel. I have no idea what the leaf smells like because the resealable bag that it’s in smells strongly of S’mores (the other tea Ost sent me). I brewed 1.5 tsp for 3 minutes.
The brewed tea smelled lovely – like sweet lemon pudding and meringue. Yum yum yum! The taste followed suit. It’s light, sweet lemon at first, with the lovely addition of vanilla. There’s definitely a creaminess that I could associate with pudding and the vanilla kind of translates to meringue for me. The one thing I didn’t get from this was crust, but that’s okay with me. There was a nice lemony aftertaste. Honestly, the flavors were all nice, but this tea came out a bit weak for me. I have enough for a small cup so I’ll try it with a longer steep time for me, and see if that helps. Holding off on the rating until then!
Flavors: Cream, Lemon, Meringue, Vanilla
Preparation
I wanted to like this…just can’t get past the rooibos :/
I didn’t really notice a ton of a rooibos flavor, but that’s the reason I only steeped it for 3 minutes.
Weird that you thought it was weak, it was strong for me. And I usually just use 1tsp. Should have doubled the zip lock on the S’mores…didn’t even think about it. >< I actually thought this tea was stronger, smell wise. So weird.
It’s strong for me when I let it steep for 7+ minutes.
KiwiDelight I have enough left for a 4 ounce cup or so. I’ll make sure to do at least 5 minutes. I’ve just had long steeps make the rooibos overpower in my past experience.
I haven’t really been big on green tea, but a few weeks ago in a swap, Albertocanfly sent me a tea bag of Genmaicha tea. Didn’t think I’d like it at all, but it was so different that I kinda fell in love with it. Ever since I’ve been trying to find who has the best Genmaicha out there. This is the third Genmaicha I’m trying now.
The sample size of this might be one of the reasons why this tea doesn’t smell much. The sample is maybe a few teaspoons, so pretty small. But even when this steeped it didn’t smell really. The flavor is mostly just green tea that’s slightly roasty. Barely a popcorn flavor like in the other two I’ve tried.
So this one is clearly not the best Genmaicha in my book.
The search continues!
http://www.denstea.com/bnew-to-dens-teab-3-green-tea-sampler-for-novices-c-377_386.html
You should get this if you haven’t already. It’s $3 (with free shipping) and comes with samples of like 4 different green teas, one of which is a genmaicha that is very tasty. It also has houjicha, which is very roasty tasting.
I didn’t actually know it was free shipping! :O I will get that nowww. Thanks! :D
Yeah plus it comes with a coupon code for $3 off your next order of $15 or more, so it’s effectively free if you end up liking the teas. :D
Awesome! :D Thanks for the heads up! You’re helping me save a lot of money xD First with WP and now this. You’re awesome! Thanks!
I’ve been on a huge sample kick. I have like seven things coming in the mail, lol. Out of curiosity, what brand was the genmaicha that you first tried and loved?
Holy Shanghai. Where all did you order from??
I have no idea what brand it was. I guess *Albertocanfly*’s dad got it in Japan or something, so it’s all in a different language. xD Nothing from here I am sure haha
I have samples coming from Nina’s, Yunomi, TeaVivre, Green Terrace Teas, and Harney & Sons. And I’m still waiting on my mugs that I bought from David’s which just shipped even though I bought them over a week ago… And I just bought an ounce of Nutmeg Cream from Butiki that was apparently being held for someone so I got it for $5. Lots of mail!
Nice! :D Can’t wait to see all your tasting notes (:
Have you tried making your own? Its really easy. I make mine with green rooibos :)
I’ve never tried that. I’m not too good with making things. xD Does it take long?
madametj, do you mean buying the genmai and adding it to tea or do you mean making your own genmai?
Tehehe, glad I could get you into trying the Genmaichas :D so yummy:D
I still can’t believe you took a chance on sending me a GREEN tea. And I especially can’t believe that I LIKED it, albertocanfly! XD
No, it’s really fast! :P You just take a frying pan/skillet, heat it up, pour some (freshly washed, towel dried but still slightly damp) rice in it and keep moving the rice around the skillet until it turns into a toasty brown color(some of them will pop like popcorn, that’s normal). Then you mix the toasted rice 50/50 (or the ratio you like) with plain green tea. I use green rooibos instead of green tea because it’s caffeine free :P Hope that answers your question as well Cameron.
When you do it that way it’s sooo affordable.
Tehehe, I just packaged you up a sample of a green tea from Adagio… green and Adagio… a double whammy for you.. but hey, worth a shot:P haha.
madametj I had no idea that it was so easy! How awesome.. now I must acquire some brown rice and green rooibos..:P
Hey, well now that you surprised me with the genmaicha I will try pretty much anything else ya send. Haha you broke me down with that one, albertocanfly!
madametj that sounds really good! I will have to look into that…I have never been one to make anything really, but that sounds like it would be worth it. Thanks! :D
No prob!
Oh wow Madametj thanks! Tried it just now and it was a total success. So cool!
Glad it worked for you! :)
Thank you for the sample boychik
This is not my favorite Damn Fine tea, but I’ve loved SO MANY of them so far that this is still a very good tea in my book. Just not knocking my socks off the way the others did. It is smooth and somewhat complex, but lacks any malty or fruity notes to draw me in ;)
I am considering ordering a tin of the Spring Keemun before it is gone. I finished my sample of that one from boychik on my vacation and I miss it already!
I keep looking at that Yunnan Gold Tips… But it’s $25… But there are only 8 left… QQ
The Yunnan gold tips were tasty, but I’ve had other Yunnan blacks I enjoyed just as much or even more and were available in smaller quantities :)
I actually just ordered the free samples for reviewers from TeaVivre and that was one of my selections. :)
Oh good!!!
I just slipped this into our sample section for those of you that want to try before buying. To buy it by the ounce, though, you’ll have to wait until the 1st! :)
http://whisperingpinestea.com/samples.html
Having a cup now since I love it so much. Always hits the spot with that salted caramel note :D
Enjoy!
You guys would add that after I already ordered a sample pack xD Well whenever I put in a real order anyway I plan on ordering that…but still xD
Same here, Ost. I’m now considering a second sample pack… Hm…
Haha, Ost, well it just now arrived! :) Are you order #139?
You could just trust me that it’s awesome and wait… ;)
YOU DO SAMPLES? places order right now
Yay! This was the tea I was waiting for to make a full blown order. I just ordered a sample pack to try a few others before ordering as well.
Yay! This was the tea I was waiting for to make a full blown order. I just ordered a sample pack to try a few others before ordering as well.
I was surprised at the number of people who didn’t know that you offer samples when I posted about receiving them in the mail. You need to add them to your front page or something!
Aww booo one of the ones I want to try is sold out. I wait :)
That’s a good idea, Cameron! I’ll have to figure something out. Maybe make one of my banner images about samples. :)
Sorry this wasn’t in when you placed your sample order today, TeaTiff! Hope you enjoy your samples though! :D
Which tea are you looking at, Stephanie? I can get you an ETA for most of my out of stock teas :)
I want to try one with pine needles in it! :D
Heh, am I order #139? I don’t remember. xD Probably? I ordered two sample packs. The free shipping got me on that one…I love free shipping. xD
Stephanie, from what I could tell they don’t offer everything as a sample. There were some that I wanted to try that were in-stock but just weren’t on the sample list. I was assuming they were teas that they have limited stock or sell out of fast.
Ahhh don’t we all :) Well, let me tell you…I harvest the pine once a month and the stock is very limited. So on July 1st, the moment the newsletter goes out, probably around 10-12 ounces of The Sleeping Bear will be available. Once it’s gone, you’ll have to wait until August harvest to get another chance :)
Ost, yes, we all love free shipping I think! It’s free after $50 on regular orders in the states, after $75 in Canada.
And yes, Cameron is right, we only offer 10 samples and they are all based on availability. Many of our teas, we just don’t have enough inventory to offer samples.
I’ll remember to look for it the first of the month then…thanks!
I can definitely understand that. Luckily for me, most of the ones I’m interested in are fairly inexpensive. :D
No worries, Stephanie! :)
Cameron, I’m glad you like our prices! :)
Brendan is like the Rene Redzepi of the tea world :)
That is a HUGE compliment, Marzipan, and I plan to continue striving for excellence and createavity :D
Yay, let’s get some more Ailaoshan Love :-)
Ack it auto corrected your name wrong :(
Ahh no worries :) I must spend less time on here or I’ll end up spilling the beans on new secret blends. I’m terrible at keeping secrets as long as I plan to. Lol
AAAAHHHH I didn’t know about the samples! I just ordered some :-)
:) Yay! I’ll have that sent out tomorrow :)
This just decided me on the first tea of the morning. I love this one!
Mmmm I might have to have this one this morning too!
Just finished mine. Managed to not lick the inside of the cup when it was empty. I had a cup of coffee :O first but I NEEDED tea. This particular tea.
:) I just had a weird moment when I thought about this tea, I could smell it. Need to make this right now!
NEED more! :)
My morning cuppa and I’m away from the house overnight. I left early this morning to house and dog sit for my parents, they have four dogs and one of them is ill and requires an operation which they have to travel a few hours for as it’s in a special clinic. Their dog Alfie has a liver shunt so they need to remove the sludge from his bladder, remove his testicles (as one is deformed due to the condition) and they are going to sort out the shunt. They are staying overnight in-case anything happens to him.
So my emergency (grab bag in-case of house sitting) tea was picked up and taken with me, The Black Lotus was one of those teas. I’ve had black tea each morning so it’s nice to do so today.
The tea leaves are dark brown/black and are thin and squiggly in shape, most are shortish/broken pieces that average a few mm. I can see they are a blend of black teas as some look like Darjeeling and others are darker and more Assam like. They have a gentle malt scent with a hint of sweet wood.
Once steeped my tea is golden brown in colour with a honey and malt scent. It is stronger than expected in flavour (in a good way) with honey, malt and wood tones (which match it’s raw scent). It’s a light black tea but with medium flavour which I’m finding very pleasing this morning. The sweet honey element makes this tea fairly smooth and easy to drink while at the same time not compromising in flavour.
I love this black tea blend, it’s everything I look for in a black tea.
Flavors: Honey, Malt, Wood
Preparation
I hope Alfie makes it through alright!
Yes good luck Alfie!
good luck to poor Alfie!!
Best wishes for Alfie, poor thing :-(
Thank you everyone for your well wishes. I can happily report that Alfie is out of surgery now and the veterinary surgeon has said that everything has gone well so far. Their were several huge stones in his bladder made from calcium deposits over the years (that’s how long the vet took to find the problem) and they have been removed. Now all we can do is wait for him to recover, the side effect of the surgery are seizures and sometimes dogs get them so severely they need to be put down. Hopefully he will not experience any but only time will tell.
Backlog:
I had this earlier today after steeping it for over 12 hours. The sample came with my tentacle mug that I bought last week.
I was REALLY impressed that this was a green rooibos. I’m getting sick of red rooibos and I find it irritates my throat a little, but green rooibos hasn’t let me down. And this tea, is PERFECT Cotton Candy. It’s light and fluffy (for a liquid) and SO VERY sweet.
I’m not certain if I want to buy more of it because I generally don’t add sweetener to my teas, and this has plenty of sugar in it, but for those who want something sweet and like cotton candy, then this will be your new favourite tea!
Did you taste the mango? It’s in the ingredients list and very much weirds me out. But otherwise I think this would be so good…
That’s pretty much how I also feel about it also :-)
I didn’t actually notice the mango! Mostly just the sweetness and whatever it is that gives it a cotton candy sorta mouthfeel!
It’s a green rooibos?!?! I’ve been asking them for ages to get more green in. I can’t wait to try it!
OMG the balloon mugs are adorable! :3 Yay carnival!
How’s the tentacle mug? I haven’t bought one of their steeping mugs before. Is the design etched into the glass or a white color on clear? Tried to send this as a message but Steepster keeps sending it to a different user. Thanks!
The tentacle mug is cute! I think the tentacle mug was made by applying a blue sticker onto the white mug – there’s a slight ridge along the edge but it feels solid. It was a great price!
Thanks for the tip! Might get a new mug one of these days.
It a rainy day…non stop showers. I know it’s not recommended, but I can’t help it, I went for a swim, it was so invigorating! But now I am freezing to death, water is still at a chilling 67F!!!
I thought S’mores would make me feel warm and cozy inside.
So, you know when I have a new favourite teaware, that’s all I can talk about…sorry if I’m being annoying with…my new 24oz latte mug!!!
I don’t even drink milk, I know…but I like a big cup sometimes! I also love the new vegetal milks I have discovered lately and have been experimenting with them. My newfound love: quinoa milk. So creamy and nutty, without any of the dairy cow milk taste I dislike so much, especially in hot beverages.
So why not try S’mores as a latte and make it a little “chai-esque”?
It’s a hit. Oh, yum. That smoke against the nuttiness of the milk makes it really s’mores graham cookie like!
It’s already the end though, sad face, I’m all out now :-(
On to the repurchasing list it goes!
Oh, and I feel all warmed up now :-)
What mug is this new mug? pictures &/or link?
Haha! Cheri, don’t we like pictures? Look at my post this morning in the what did you get in the mail thread. In the last link, you’ll see my new teaware. “the mug” is in the middle of the pic, it’s very plain looking but I love the shape and size!! And the best part was the discounted price: $7,50!!!
It’s the new fairy jacuzzi mug! Lol. This tea is at the top of my list for my Whispering Pines order…
I actually really love swimming in the rain :-). When I was little, my mom used to have to chase me out of the pool once it started thundering. Obviously, I wasn’t too bright lol
Oh, a fairy jacuzzi, me like that :-)
Hope you will like this one cameron, it truly is a different take on s’mores…I thought I wouldn’t like it cause of the smoke but it turns out the smoke is the reason I like it!
I love huge mugs. But now I’m also loving teeny tiny cups.
I just tried their Campfire Blend, which was very smokey, and I liked it a lot. My first smokey tea. :P So I think I would really enjoy this one. :D
Oooh now I sorta wish I’d grabbed one too, but cupboard space is so limited. :| I ended up getting rid of two mugs to fit my new tentacle mug!
Lol, mj, I’m still lacking in the bright department apparently :-0
Seriously though, it wasn’t thundering, so I took a chance!
Cheri, I so love tiny cups but only for gungfu sessions…
Cameron, yes I remember reading your post, I didn’t have campfire blend yet, so I can’t compare, but I’m assuming Brenden is using the same Lapsang in both blends, so yes, you’d probably like it then :-)
Cavo, I too will have to get rid of some mugs, no room for the new teaware…but that’s ok, I like to gift people with them. The tentacle mug is awesome :-)
Ohhh man…one of my favorite things: Sitting outside in the fall when it’s just a tad too chilly to not have tea, sipping on a heavy mug of strong yunnan black tea or lapsang :)
Huge mugs of giant proportions really are awesome! It’s like a never ending cup of happiness^.^
I think early fall is my favourite part of the year…everything is perfect, no more mosquitos, fresh air but not too cold, colours changing…ok, but lets have a summer before we start talking about autumn :-)
^That
Quinoa milk???? I want that.
My current fave is the almond/coconut blend. But I am determined to find some quinoa milk now!
Sarsonator, I found it last week at my local health food store. They even have sunflower seed milk, which is also very nutty.
But I too adore the almond/coconut milk, but with all these new choices, it’s nice to be able change things up a little :-)
The almond coconut is also my favorite :)
No health food stores anywhere near me…guess I just have to use the forest! :D
Oh, I’m sure you can find a way to make some kind of extra special mushroom/bark forest milk :-)
Hahahaha!!! Mushroom bark forest milk??? I want that!
What about a Mushroom bark forest tea? It could be called: Autumn Fungus or Midnight Morel Madness. LOL
:-) Oh, oh, I think we’re on to something!!!
Funny you should mention that…I had chaga-infused rice milk last week :)
Did you really? Isn’t that the mushroom that grows on tree bark? It’s actually edible?
See, you did make your own bark forest milk ;-)
If the zombie apocalypse happens, it seems like Brendan would be an extremely useful guy to have around with his living-off-the-land-eating-tree-mushroom skills.
Maybe we should start a Zombie Apocalypse Tea survival group. I garden, forage for wild food, and make beer & wine. Brenden lives off the land and eats tree mushrooms. What else have we got? LOL
I’m in for the survival group. I’ll be bringing my friend and neighbor because she is super outdoorsy (like 2 week long camping trip outdoorsy) and has all the equipment. I’ve also already claimed her as one my zombie survival teammates. I bring to the table relatively few useful practical skills, except sailing a boat, swimming well, cooking decently, fishing, sewing, crocheting, and knitting. All my other skills are lab-related.
I should add that I’m not a complete nut job. I own The Walking Dead board game. My friends and I discuss silly hypotheticals while we play haha
Oh, i can negotiate with the wild life, I have Dr, Doolittle skills, no wild critter can resist me, so we can be safe from bears, wolves and coyotes. In fact, we can make them our friends and have them fight the zombies for us :-) Ducks seem to particularly like me, so we could have fresh duck eggs every morning and i could make us some mean omelet as breakefast. Also, I can make fire. Just sayin…
Lol, mj, your crocheting, sewing and knitting skills will be very helpful, you could create decent Pocahontas outfits, I always wanted to of wear one of those :-)
I could probably handle Pocahontas outfits lol. Also, I may or may not have been Tiger Lily from Peter Pan for Halloween for three consecutive years as a kid. So I’ve got a basic idea of the pattern…
Hahaha! “may or may not have been..”
Yep, Chaga is 100% edible. Well, with water or alcohol extraction. It’s considered “the mushroom of immortality” and is used extensively in Chinese medicine. It goes by the name Bai Hua Rong I believe in Chinese medicine, and is considered the king of all healing herbs. Basically if you drink chaga tea every day, you’ll stay at a VERY low risk or be totally immune to cancer cells, your immune system will be godly, and your overall health will increase dramatically. I’m a huge believer in the stuff. I drink it daily along with reishi and turkey tail mushrooms, too. Goes beautifully boiled with some elderberries and black tea.
I don’t like mushrooms for texture reasons, but I wonder how I’d feel about a mushroom tea. Hmm..
I have a lot of new teas and samples I need to be sipping through and writing notes on, but I was craving this one today. Sometimes you just gotta drink what you are in the mood for you know? And today it is flavored blacks :)
Backlog from yesterday, Steepster was acting really slow and would not allow me to do much.
This was a nice houjicha, definitely very roasty and earthy with a slight smoky note. I tried it hot and also over ice, it was good both ways but I wish it was a bit sweeter somehow.
Preparation
Another tea from Miss B ‘s stash sale! (Best deal ever!) I’m not a huge fan of orange in teas…or really anything for that matter. I’m pretty much a purist when it comes to orange in that I like actual oranges but not much else, not even orange juice. Despite all that, I really enjoyed this cup of tea! It was an extremely well done tea. The harshness of the orange was tempered by the apricot and the whole thing was subtle in the best way. This tea had an understated elegance about it. I think that any orange lover would probably cherish this tea like Gollem with the precious.
Also, I had a fabulous Monday and I hope all you Steepster-ites did too :-). My colonies of cells that I carefully tended over the weekend looked good, my prodigal plasmids returned (I found them stuffed in the back of the freezer behind a ton of boxes; not cool, careless freezer-rearranging labmate!), and my best lab friend, whose cells I also tended over the weekend so she could go on a trip, brought me a tea gift! She brought me Coco-lada by Owl’s brew which is “a tea crafted for cocktails.” Yes please! She also brought in some vafler, which we ate with raspberry jam and gjetost during break while I drank this Fauchon creation.
Flavors: Apricot, Floral, Orange
Preparation
Ugh, there are like a billion Fauchon teas I want to try. Stalking Vente-Privee…
A. Did Nina’s ever get back to you about the samples? B. Does steepster hate everyone today, or just me?
It definitely hates me too. I emailed them about it and they said they were having issues too.
So please delete my million comment copies. XD
Haha glad it’s not just me too! :P
There’s no tiny trashcan button! So I don’t think I can delete your comments for you. We all know you were a victim of the Steepster hissy fit
ok it’s a bit funny that your response to the repeated comments got repeated
LOL It totally is
This totally makes me laugh xD I find this just so funny, but maybe it’s just the meds xD
Cameron is really excited about this tea! :D
Miss B sold some Fauchon? I MISSED IT!
This sounds like a tea for me, since I love all things orange.
Stephanie, Miss B wasn’t specifically selling Fauchon. This was more of a grab bag situation where she sold me a box full of wonderful surprises!
Marzipan, I only had a sample size of all the teas I got from Miss B, otherwise I ’d offer to send you some!
DYING. This comment thread made me laugh so hard.
This one sounds nice !
This bright, brisk and elegant tea was my morning cup today. It is a really beautiful tea to look at with a generous scattering of golden cooper downy tips among its dark brown leaves. The tea itself has a nice deep orange red colour after 1tsp was left for a 3 min steep in 225 ml at about 95°C.
This is not a particularly sweet Assam, though it does have some nice bright red fruit and citrus tones in its scent and in its flavour when hot. Also present in the scent were nutmeg and cinnamon, the upper tones fmalt, a hint of biscuit and a very faint note of molasses.
The fruity tones were really only strongly apparent in the hot tea and mixed with malt, nutmeg, cinnamon, the lower tones of malt and a touch of cocoa. It felt light and bright on the tongue, with tannins counterbalancing this by providing a little density in the mouth. As it cools a floral tone mixes with the spice and creates a spicy floral tone like gardenia that mixes with a woody sandalwood like tone. The floral tone keeps the sandalwood from tasting warm and heavy. The tea although tasting a little drier, remains bright and light and a little brisk. These tones come to completely dominate the fruit as it cools. The aftertaste is of spice with the deeper tones of malt. A mild sweetness is provided by the fruit.
The tea resteeps really well with the spice and deeper malt tones intensifying.
Altogether a really nice Assam,with a nice number of subtleties to keep it interesting!
Thanks boychik, this tea has many of the aspects I appreciate in my favourite assam. It is only a little lighter, not as sweet, and the floral spice note is stronger than my favourite. Thanks for sharing this special tea with me.
This has become a great morning cup for me. From your note I am curious as to what your favorite is?
Borsapori Assam from Capital tea Ltd.
http://steepster.com/yyz/posts/167199
http://www.capitaltea.com/shop/product.php?productid=184&cat=1&page=1
It’s almost always in my cupboard if you would like to try some! Capital Tea also has 20g sample sizes.
I have to revisit Borsapori (ifjuly sent me a sample). Steepster is crazy today. I keep sending notes into the space :(((
I know, it won’t let me post this reply and I wasn’t sure if it captured my original note!
Edited this to get rid of all the repeat postings.
I cold brewed this a week or two ago and just found the empty envelope in my cupboard (sipdown!), but I clearly forgot to log it.
The OCD in me can’t let that slide, so here I am.
I really enjoyed this tea cold and suspect I’d still like it hot. I see DT still stocks it, so I will likely pick up a small amount, I liked the creamy coconut with the raspberry. Yum!
There, I feel better now. All is right in my world :)
I almost made this this morning, but I opted to have the last of my Nutmeg Cream.
And on the wish list it goes :-)
Finally! I can “like” this.
MY FAVOURITE DREAM TEA!
I’m definitely going to pick up some more :)
Recommend Dolce Vita too :) Also raspberries and coconut with a black base.
LOL Courtney…. Go look a few reviews down on my page ;)
TeaFairy – yup, hahaha
Haha whoops! So I may be behind on reading notes. Also, ahhh I feel terrible about your experience. It’s true the coconut is barely there, but the rest, le sigh.
Oh, well it has nothing to do with you!! I’m going to keep trying! I have tons, lol
:)
So I start my first actual in-store shift tomorrow at 11am. I didn’t find out until 10 tonight so now I am freaking out a bit and trying to make sure I have everything I need and know everything I should know. Also, during the interview process I was told me friend who recommended me would be training me, which was relaxing given that if I did something stupid, she would be the only one who would know but now she doesn’t start until a couple hours into my shift so I am a little more neurotic than I would have been otherwise. I have been hounding my poor friend for the past hour or so asking a million questions and just generally freaking out. Honestly, I will more than likely be fine but it is still intimidating so, to help me relax, I am enjoying a favorite before bed as I review some of the policies. Wish me luck :)
Goodness, this is an excellent tea. It’s biscuity with deep cocoa notes. There’s also a nuttiness and a smooth, sweet caramel finish. I lowered my water temp to 205° F, and it kept the tea from having any astringency. This is probably the way I’ll prepare this one from now on. It really is delicious. I think I fall in love with this tea a bit more each time I drink it.
I’m bumping my rating up to 100. This is a tea I adore.
(previous rating 98)
Preparation
I love this one too
I have four teas rated at 100, and three of them are from Whispering Pines. I might be addicted. :)
Yeah, it’s a problem. I have the same problem with Mandala and Verdant too
This makes me smile :) So happy that you’re all enjoying my stuff! :D
Good stuff.
I need this one!
@Brenden – I totally agree with MzPriss, good stuff. :)
:) I’m excited for the good stuff that will be released on July 1st! :)
@MzPriss – You and kimquat have me hooked on Mandala. Thank you. ;-)
You are very welcome. It’s good stuff too. And Garret is awesome.
Stuff that was out of stock or new stuff? Or both?
Both.
Marzipan – you really do. Reeeeely
Oh mercy. I made a new deal with myself that I will only make one online order a month. Looks like July will go to Whispering Pines. :)
WOOOOOT! :D
It was out of stock last time there was a % off code. :(
That’s because it’s so f-ing good
Truth! I have never sold out of a tea faster than this one!
Yeah, I have no doubt there will be a rush on this one again. Too many of us only bought one ounce last time. Won’t make that mistake again! I want to try the Bi Luo Chun, too!
Hehe…that’s why I hoarded on it…muahahaha!!!
sooo much to do today. Just catching up on a few backlogs from yesterday. this was another one that i had – i blended this with the cream from tea G to have a caramel cream. i have to say, i am really digging the teas from tea G. i don’t know that i ever want 100g so i may need to only shop there when i’m in chicago…or do split orders with people but their flavours are tasty and i enjoy the base that they use.
Yes, curse you for putting this one on my wishlist!! ;)
haha if i ever do an order via my tea mule i’ll let you know. or if we end up in chicago again – i may have to go for work this summer
That would be sweeeeet :)
I need to try to take a trip to Chicago to visit the harp factory & various tea places. Maybe in the fall.
time it with meeeeeeeeeeeeee!
THAT would be cool! Let me know next time you’re going, & I’ll try to go then too…if I can!
This morning’s project was S’mores with S’mores tea! I think it was a huge success!
I used 1 tbsp of tea per cup, 208 degrees, and steeped longer this time (5 min). I added about 1/2 tbsp of cacao nibs to the steep also, because why not?
I used salted chocolate for the actual s’mores, and since I am not camping and don’t have a gas stove, I toasted the marshmallows in the oven. Broil on high, ONE min per side. Seriously, time it.
I melted the chocolate on a graham cracker for about a min in the micro. That was too long. 30 secs should do it. It may not look completely melted, but it continues to melt after it comes out. Don’t ask me how I know.
The tea and s’mores are amazing together. Salty sweet chocolate smokey creamy goodness.
I had some extra marshmallows, so I threw one in each cup of tea. They weren’t melting fast, so I just put the marshmallow in my mouth and drank the tea. Yumz.
Here are pics of the operation:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124304184@N02/14500425813/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124304184@N02/14479086634/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124304184@N02/14500425323/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124304184@N02/14293852837/
Preparation
Oh yum! Those look awesome! And I love your Weeping Angel mug. I love the ones I got from that lady – I got a baby sloth doing yoga and a Ganesh. sigh I want s’mores now.
I’m such a dork with that mug. I have one at work, and one here. Exactly the same. It is my fave mug for sure, LOL. I really love her work, but I don’t think I’d ever use another mug now. :p
Come over and I’ll make ya some s’mores :)
BTW – your tea should be there tomorrow…
I’m a dork with all of my tea stuff.
That is super. Thanks for sharing! I hope your trip went well. Are you home now?
Those look fabulous.
Is that the BonaVita gooseneck kettle? How do you like it? I was looking at one but I worry that the long spout would lower the water temp between the time it leaves the main pot and enters my mug.
Haha this is awesome :) Do you mind if I share one of these photos on my Facebook page?
Kaylee: It is, and it’s the love of my life. Don’t tell my boyfriend, though I suspect he already knows. I haven’t noticed any temp issues. If you were concerned, you could always add a degree or 2 to compensate. That is the greatest thing about this kettle. If you’d like 178 or 207 degrees, instead of the standard presets, you can have exactly that!
Brenden: I never deny photo usage to tea mixologists. Feel free! :)
Yay! :) Thanks so much! And I totally thought I was following you already. Weird…
Yes, I’m home and my trip went fine, thanks for asking. I travel a lot for work and also for pleasure – this was a work one. I hope you like the Zhu Rong. You too Brenden.
:)
IOU some tea, MzPriss, so if you see anything you like in my notes or stash, let me know! :)
Hahaha, s’mores tea & S’mores at the same time, now that’s true decadence!
I have that exact same kettle in my office, & I SO love it! My old electric kettle is around the corner in the kitchen, & it’s great for when I first wake up & want a full boil, but I love the variable temp so much.
Awesome, now I crave them as well. Maybe I’ll bring them up North next weekend!
Nice idea! I will have to try this tea at some point.
We have the same kettle! :)
I’m actually already nearly out of the s’mores tea, so I have to order more soon. See what you started, Brenden!
Variable temp, FTW!!!!!! I wish it had a bell though, so it would ding when it’s done!
Yum!
Don’t tell anyone, but I kind of wish my kettle would die so I could get a new one :D It’s finicky about letting you do variable temp and the buzzer is just annoying. Does the Bonvita have an annoying beep?
no beep on the Bonvita
I was able to get one because one of my sons gave me aa Amazon gift card for my Bday back in January
Oh good. I will put it on my Amazon wish list for when this one dies. Mine is a black & decker one, and the beep sounds like a server hardware error warning, so it gives the husbeast a twist.
The Bonavita is totally quiet. Too quiet, maybe. I think it’s up to something….
A friend of mine is going through something awful and there isn’t much I can do to help and it makes me sad…
So I turn to Laoshan Black this morning cause it seems to be my comfort go tea whenever I feel life is being unfair.
Its beauty and craftsmanship reminds me that there will always be beauty in this world no matter how bad things get sometimes.
Thanks for the welcoming and warming feeling LB, that’s just what I needed.
(Sorry, see some other notes for “real” description)
Hugs to you and the friend, both. It’s hard when you can’t fix it.
Feeling powerless is an awful feeling, especially when it is in relation to a situation that is affecting someone you love. I am sending of positive chi, warm hugs and sloppy baby kisses and smiles from my little one. Hang in there to the both of you.
All the good vibes!~
You guys are just the best, thank you XOX
Aww…sloppy baby kisses… Will try to channel all the good vibes towards my friend…thanks.hugs I’m thinking a good thought for you and your friend
Big hugs to you and your friend. Seeing someone you love struggle is never easy. I wish you and your friend lost of peace and comfort.
Hope things get better! It blows having to watch people you love struggle, but sometimes just for them to know they have your support is a big help!
It’s awful to feel so helpless in the face of someone you care for struggling through something awful. All I can say is that your support and love probably means more to them than you can understand. Hugs.
I can tell you are a wonderful friend, TF, & sometimes that is all one can be, & sometimes that is all one needs. I’m sending some good vibes from St Louis, on the wings of plucked harp strings.
I hope things turn around for your friend. I’m glad they have someone nice like you to stand with them.
Thank you so much for your kind words all of you…I am in awe at how nice and caring this community is…I’m sending all the good vibes to my friend, she really needs them.
@ all y’all – my cobbler is smelling pretty dadgum good
:)
I can smell it all the way in St. Louis!
It turned out really well Terri – it works really well with the blackberries. I mad some coconut whip to go on it and its great! Thanks for the recipe :)
Now I’ll need to make some this week
Maybe I’ll make some coconut milk black raspberry ice cream to go with it!
Oh that sounds so good
Oo, I was thinking of bringing BBQ home for dinner, maybe I’ll try some LS with it! Thanks for the idea.
Emjoy! :)
smokeypalooza!
I’ll have to try it another night – hubs wasn’t up for BBQ tonight, his tummy was feeling a bit puny, poor thing.
I really need to pick up some maple syrup to try in tea as well, I see people mention it a lot, but I’ve never tried it.