North Winds (Old Version)

This was my first cup of the day yesterday, and the cup that started my Whispering Pines day. I know I’ve had this before, but it looks like I never logged it. And unfortunately I didn’t take very good notes yesterday so this isn’t going to be a proper review of the tea either. What I can say was that this was so very chocolatey. Sweet delicious chocolate, with a touch of malt and caramel and just devilishly good.

I like this tea a lot but the first steep seems to have A LOT OF CAFFIENE or is it just me? I needed a boost today so I drank the last (sipdown I suppose) of my free sample! The first steep ahs that great carob Carmel and malt taste the second is more malty not so much carob and I didn’t get much form the third but since I split 1 small sample into 2 different brews I suppose it could be underleafed! Still like this tea a lot and may buy it again. It gave me the boost I was looking for.

So, I ordered a sampler pack… and it came today. This smells pretty good, like malty chocolate. In the flavour I get more fruit, and bread… along with the cocoa. So pretty much it’s chocolate covered fruit, with plums, and some really good bread. Seems a little out of place in the Summer though, I think this is an Autumn morning tea.

My lovely friend JustJames sent me a generous sample of this. I had it yesterday and I liked it, however, my allergies were acting up so I decided to give it another chance.

Today the scent is much richer it has the chocolate, butter and apricot tones I smelled yesterday as well as a lovely bready tone that wasn’t there yesterday.

I remember that the name seemed fitting because this smells soothing and warm, just what you need on a brisk, cool day.

Flavour wise it is smooth with apricot, and bready notes up front and cocoa mixing with butter in the background. There is a slight artichoke note as well hidden among the fruit up front. As it cools the apricot becomes more plum like, a honey note and malt become apparent.

This resteeps very well with fruity notes and malt becoming stronger as the cocoa fades. It is good for at least three steeps.

This tea has a nice simple flavour profile which is comforting delicious and suits its name! Thanks James!

Originally I wanted to make Golden Orchid but I wanted to save that for after work tomorrow since it’s bound to be a stressful day. But North Winds was supposed to be smiliar-ish and since I had gotten that in the three tea sample pack that I had bought, I figured what the heck.
So I was kinda confused on how to make this. The package said use a 1/2 tbsp for an 8oz cup but everyone here seems to say use a full tbsp for their 8-12oz cups. And since there was just the tbsp in the package and I usually make 12oz-ish cups I just dumped the whole thing into the infuser. Kinda bummed that I can’t make another cup, but I guess I should’ve just done the 1/2 tsp for an 8oz cup. Oh well. Hindsight right? Lol.
The brew reminds me strongly of Laoshan Black to be honest. It’s got that same sort of roasty, chocolaty sort of scent that I remember from the Laoshan Black.
Taste wise I get a very heavily roasty sip, with a bit of sweetness in the sip. I don’t really get fruit when I get that sweetness though. Mild-ish astringency. I could see if I drank alot of it that the astringency might get a bit much after awhile. It’s mostly just a roasty sort of brew to drink for me.
After adding a bit of Truvia, the roastyness has backed off a bit and a more chocolaty sort of note has come up. Very nice actually.
Since I used my whole sample for this cup, I’m going to give resteeping this a second try at least. Just to see if that makes a different brew.
But I’m not sure if this is a reorder for me. I’m honestly not too enamored of teas that are so roasty tasting. But it’s certainly still a nice cup of tea to sip at.

I had Golden Orchid yesterday evening, and this morning I had the base tea for GO! North Winds is unmistakably the base blend but it lacks the smoothness and the creaminess of GO. (Those vanilla beans make a huge difference.) It has notes of cocoa, honey, fruits, chocolate, and grain. It’s chocolate but it’s not a DARK chocolate. The fruity notes are simultaneously like plums, cherries, and raisins, but then it’s not quite any of them. There’s a hay-like flavor as well. Some caramel sweetness peeks out in the aftertaste, but it’s subtle. I want to say there’s a somewhat mineral quality to it, too. Maybe I’m crazy!

Now that I’ve had the two, I think the main differences between GO and NW are texture and sweetness. While GO is like satin and velvet—soft fabrics—NW is like freshly sawn wood. It’s soft, but there’s a graininess to it. GO = glossy. NW = matte. I hope that makes some sense.

I hate to compare the two because they are not the same. They are teas for different occasions. (At least for me.) North Winds is for mornings; Golden Orchid is for evenings, a time where you can devote your attention to something luxurious. I now have a greater appreciation for the latter.

Trying out a sample of this, & I want to have more to say about it, but my sipping reverie was interrupted by a client dropping off a harp for restringing, & I lost my train of thought.
I adore both Fujian & Yunnan Blacks, so there isn’t even a chance of this tea NOT being a winner, since it combines the best of both worlds. Toasted honey wheat bread, molasses, chocolate, a lovely thick mouth… sigh…

This sample is also from Nicole (although I did also order a sample of this, hah!). It’s a blend of Yunnan and Fujian teas, which is pretty obvious by looking at it. It has the longer, lighter colored tippy Yunnan leaves and then there are also shorter, darker Fujian leaves. It smells very nice – bready with malt and honey and a little cocoa. Steeped according to the package directions.

The aroma is similar to the dry leaf, with an added dark raisiny note. The taste is definitely a hybrid. It’s like a light Yunnan that has been dragged down into darkness by its Fujian counterpart. It still has those lovely lighter malty bread and honey notes, but there’s an underlying depth and richness from bitter cocoa and syrupy molasses. In the middle is the lovely raisin fruitiness that helps to tie these two together. A very nice combination! I’ll have to be sure to try the Fujian on its own soon so I can fully appreciate this blend.

I will say one thing, this has given me a much greater appreciation of Golden Orchid. While this does have some dark and bitter cocoa flavor, it’s nowhere close to the same. So clearly those little vanilla beans have a huge effect! Can’t wait to try that one again later today… :)

Oh North Winds, you really are quite lovely. Tbh this cup is more astringent than I remember the last one being but it does not mean this is unpleasant in any way. It is chocolate and honey that lingers long after the sip is done. Yum. Thanks again Cavocorax!!

This was generously included as a surprise sample in my Whispering Pines order. Thank you!

I can see why this tea gets a lot of love. Not only does this have that delightful cocoa note that I adore, but the texture is also thick with a milk-like quality.

Although I drank the first steep too quickly to discern any other qualities past “creamy”, I’ve had more time with this second steep. The cocoa and milk are still present, but there is also a distinctive fruity note, like sweet, tangy plums.

It’s a delicious cup, and I think I’ll appreciate its profile even more in the fall or winter. As it was, it turned out to be an awesome rainy evening tea.