Painted Paradise Tea from Whispering Pines Tea Company

by liberteas

paintedparadise

Tisane Information:

Leaf Type:  Yerba Maté

Where to Buy:  Whispering Pines Tea Company

Tisane Description:

A wonderful and highly energizing blend of Yerba Mate, Safflower, and citrus hints to enjoy hot or cold. This very unique blend is the perfect thing to keep you going!

Learn more about this tisane here.

Taster’s Review:

Nice!

I am really enjoying the combination of the slightly smoky, slightly earthy taste of the Yerba Maté together with the citrus notes in this Painted Paradise Tea from Whispering Pines Tea Company.

Yerba Maté is not always a flavor that I favor, because it can sometimes come off as too earthy for my taste.  But in this blend, there seems to be a pleasing balance between earthy notes and the sweet citrus tones.  The citrus notes really brighten up the cup and keep the earthiness in check.

It is a little bit sweet, tangy, earthy, vegetative and even just a wee bit smoky.  It’s a well-rounded cup, and it’s very invigorating!  I love the citrus tones to this … just the kind of tisane you want to sip when you want to start the morning off right!  It has a nice sweetness to it – no additions needed – and it tastes great hot or iced too.

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Yerba Maté

Ancient Forest Rooibos Blend from Whispering Pines Tea Co.

by liberteas

ancientforeset

Tisane Information:

Leaf Type:  Rooibos

Where to Buy:  Whispering Pines Tea Co.

Tisane Description:

Sweet notes of mint and tart hibiscus with just the perfect elderberry twist flow smooth as water through the rooibos base – It’s like a cup of serenity pulled straight out of the deep northern forests!

Learn more about this tisane here.

Taster’s Review:

This Ancient Forest Rooibos Blend from Whispering Pines is really quite nice!  I was surprised to find that this has hibiscus in it, because, while I do taste the hibiscus, it isn’t a strong, prominent flavor … and hibiscus is one of those herbs that tends to get strong and prominent in no time at all.  And I steeped this tisane for 10 minutes!  But … it did not get thick, syrupy or overwhelmingly tart!  Hooray for Whispering Pines Tea Company … they know how to blend with hibiscus!

The hibiscus here seems to accentuate the elderberry flavor … and I like that just fine.  I’m not a fan of hibiscus (as I’ve said many times before) but, I don’t mind it if it’s done right, and Whispering Pines did hibiscus right with this blend.

The spearmint is done right too – it’s not a powerful minty taste … it is crisp, cool and refreshing … but it doesn’t taste like toothpaste!  There is a really enjoyable balance of flavors here.  Even the rooibos – which is another herb that I’m not particularly fond of – works well with this blend.  The natural nutty tones of the rooibos melds nicely with the berry notes and the minty notes, while the sweetness of the rooibos offsets some of the tartness of the cup.

A really enjoyable blend, this Ancient Forest Rooibos Blend!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Rooibos

Blackmint Oolong Blend from Whispering Pines Tea Company

by liberteas

blackmintTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Oolong

Where to Buy:  Whispering Pines Tea Company

Tea Description:

A warming blend of o’olong tea, mint and cinnamon! Crisp, smooth, minty perfection at its finest!

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

This Blackmint Oolong Blend from Whispering Pines Tea Company threw me for a loop when I first tried it.  I visited the website and looked under black tea blends, and found two with mint … one with an Assam base and one with a Lapsang Souchong Base.  To tell the truth … this tea didn’t taste like either!

So I emailed the company for verification, and they got back to me promptly (I love it when a company makes themselves available promptly to their customers like this one does!  It makes me feel comfortable doing business with a company when they’re there to answer questions … and they do so right away!) and they told me that Blackmint could be found in their Oolong section!

That surprised me, because while the tea base tasted smooth and had a thick, somewhat creamy mouthfeel the way dark Oolong teas do, it had a certain strong quality to it that I wouldn’t normally associate with an Oolong.  This tea has a very pleasing, rich flavor that would satisfy even those who usually prefer black teas over Oolong.  The flavor isn’t quite black tea-ish … but, it has a bolder flavor than many Oolong teas that I’ve tried.

And to be paired with the minty duo of spearmint and peppermint, it would need to have a strong character!  The minty flavor is powerful, but, not overpowering.  I love the way the mint and the Oolong work together – it makes a minty … creamy kind of taste that reminds me a bit of the creamy consistency of a minty milkshake (you know which one I’m talking about right?  I passed by some golden arches yesterday and the sign in the window says they’re back for St. Patrick’s Day!)

The cinnamon in this tea … is less noticeable.  Perhaps this is because the mint and the Oolong are both so prominent that the cinnamon plays more of a background note, but, I tasted some earthiness from the cinnamon but not so much of that zesty cinnamon edge.  However, I can’t say that I missed the cinnamon because I found this tea to be so enjoyable just the way it was.

A really delightful blend … I’m really glad I got the opportunity to try it.

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Oolong

Manistee Moonrise Black Tea from Whispering Pines Tea Company

by liberteas

mainstee

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Whispering Pines Tea Company

Tea Description:

The Manistee river is a river running 190 miles through the northern lower peninsula of Michigan. This beautifully peaceful river is home to very abundant wildlife and is a sanctuary for an endangered bird, the Kirtlands Warbler. A river fringed with flora and fauna — not much can give a person a deeper feeling of freedom.

Manistee Moonrise Spirit Blend weaves a wild bramble of blackberries through a pine-fringed river scattered with fresh spring grasses with wildlife in the air and water. You can taste the juicy berries and catch a hint of a campfire upstream. This blend is the essence of freedom.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I am really impressed with this Manistee Moonrise Black Tea blend from Whispering Pines Tea.  I really didn’t expect to have a camping trip in a teacup when I brewed this tea today, but, that’s exactly what I have!

As some of you are probably well aware, I’m kind of a wimp when it comes to smoky teas.  I have finally come around to Lapsang Souchong … but, I won’t even consider trying it without a quick preliminary rinsing of the leaves … and it took me a long time to get to that point.

So when I read on Steepster that this tea is smoky, I did a quick rinse before infusing.  And while this IS a smoky tea … there is just so much more going on with it.  The smoke is subdued,  It sort of weaves its way throughout the sip, but, it never overwhelms the palate.  That is to say, it’s always there … but it’s not assertively THERE.

The berry flavor is prominent, and it is delightful.  There are notes of lemon that brighten the cup – tasting tangy but not overly tart.  There is a crisp hint of mint … not a strong note, but something that sort of sits off in the background … like the crisp mountain air where mint grows.  You can sort of taste it in the air, but it is not an aggressive taste.  And then there is the pine.  It has a sort of resinous flavor, again, like the flavor of the mountain air while out on a hike.

And as I stated, this tea truly tastes like a camping trip in the woods, a lovely log cabin, the fireplace roaring with a fire, and the taste of berries found while hiking and the air that one would inhale during that hike.  Such a lovely translation of flavors … such an inspiring tea!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Black Tea, Smoky Tea

White Lemon Tea from Whispering Pines Tea Company

by liberteas

whitelemonTea Information:

Leaf Type:  White Tea & Rooibos

Where to Buy:  Whispering Pines Tea Company

Tea Description:

This buttery smooth light citrus white tea has the perfect blend of organic white tea, organic lemongrass, and a hint of organic red rooibos. Smooth and delicious!

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

When I opened this pouch of White Lemon Tea from Whispering Pines Tea Company, I noticed the rooibos, and I worried that I’d be tasting more rooibos than white tea, and I also wondered if the lemongrass would have a difficult time competing with these flavors.

And while the rooibos does overpower the white tea a bit, the rooibos does not completely overwhelm the white tea.  The white tea does manage to shine through, although, I find myself wishing that I was tasting less rooibos and more white tea here.

But, on the plus side, I find that the lemongrass comes through very nicely, and provides a very pleasing, smooth, buttery taste that melds quite nicely with the woody/nutty taste of the rooibos as well as the delicate flavor of the white tea.

The lemon taste is a sweeter lemon flavor, as if the usually tart lemon has been sweetened with a touch of honey … but without additives!  That I like a lot!  I also like that this is an organic blend, and that there are no artificial flavorings to mess with the taste buds.  I taste pure rooibos, lemongrass and white tea … and nothing else.

A really nice, relaxing blend.

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Rooibos, White Tea