This was the chai I chose when making my Whispering Pines order. Looking back, I’m not sure why I chose this one, I must have been in a chocolatey mood! And I do enjoy the tea used as its base – their Fujian Black. Anyway! Dry, it has the small, dark Fujian leaves mixed with chunks of spices. I see whole cloves and cinnamon bark among other things. I have to say, the smell shocked me. It is so gingery! And for some reason I get menthol (I don’t think I selected to have the mint added, but I may be wrong!). It’s like inhaling Vicks Vaporub, and it definitely clears your sinuses! I am not the hugest ginger fan, so this got me worried…

The brewed aroma is less intense, but still smells strongly of ginger. I can pick up on the other spices now, particularly the clove and cinnamon. The taste is also extreme ginger. I had to add sugar and vanilla soy milk to be able to drink it, really. But once it has additions, it’s pleasant enough. I can taste the chocolate (definitely a milk chocolate with the milk added) and the ginger is quite strong but the sharpness is reduced. I would definitely drink this one latte-style from now on, so I can add more milk without watering it down.

Overall, I’m not going to rate this one because whether or not someone likes ginger is definitely a personal preference. It’s weird, I didn’t see anyone mention super strong ginger in their notes. I guess I could try stirring up the tea some more, but considering the super strong ginger and menthol aroma, I doubt that would change it. I’m definitely not in love with this one. :(

Flavors: Cinnamon, Clove, Cocoa, Ginger, Menthol

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
SarsyPie

My motto is: there’s no such thing as too much ginger. LOL. I can see that you and I do not agree on this motto. :)

Whispering Pines Tea Company

The menthol is most likely from the cardamom. It has a very cooling aroma.

Interesting that you got so much ginger out of it…Perhaps try giving the bag a nice mix-up? Or perhaps you have a more sensitive ginger sniffer? Hehe :)

Cameron B.

Yeah, I’ll be sure to dump it in a tin and stir it up the next time I try it. Hopefully there will be less ginger! :P

Whispering Pines Tea Company

:) I’m a ginger lover, too…so maybe I am heavy on the ginger? But yeah, I haven’t read that in other notes. hmmm

SarsyPie

If all else fails, you could pick out all the ginger pieces and send them to me. LOL :p

Cameron B.

Hah, will do Sarsonator! Crazy ginger person.

yyz

Ginger makes a chai for me too. Where I was in India in late winter to pre-monsoon drought it was the most common flavouring for tea. Sometimes that was it ( except for the milk and sugar, of course)!

boychik

I had a cup of El Dorado last night and it has pretty strong ginger, but it tasted soo fresh. I liked it with maple syrup.

SarsyPie

I adore fresh ginger!!! Soooo good!!!

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Chewing on fresh ginger root is amazing :)

SarsyPie

Hey Cameron, maybe you would like wild ginger. I find it to be milder.

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Comments

SarsyPie

My motto is: there’s no such thing as too much ginger. LOL. I can see that you and I do not agree on this motto. :)

Whispering Pines Tea Company

The menthol is most likely from the cardamom. It has a very cooling aroma.

Interesting that you got so much ginger out of it…Perhaps try giving the bag a nice mix-up? Or perhaps you have a more sensitive ginger sniffer? Hehe :)

Cameron B.

Yeah, I’ll be sure to dump it in a tin and stir it up the next time I try it. Hopefully there will be less ginger! :P

Whispering Pines Tea Company

:) I’m a ginger lover, too…so maybe I am heavy on the ginger? But yeah, I haven’t read that in other notes. hmmm

SarsyPie

If all else fails, you could pick out all the ginger pieces and send them to me. LOL :p

Cameron B.

Hah, will do Sarsonator! Crazy ginger person.

yyz

Ginger makes a chai for me too. Where I was in India in late winter to pre-monsoon drought it was the most common flavouring for tea. Sometimes that was it ( except for the milk and sugar, of course)!

boychik

I had a cup of El Dorado last night and it has pretty strong ginger, but it tasted soo fresh. I liked it with maple syrup.

SarsyPie

I adore fresh ginger!!! Soooo good!!!

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Chewing on fresh ginger root is amazing :)

SarsyPie

Hey Cameron, maybe you would like wild ginger. I find it to be milder.

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Profile

Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron! I’m a 30-something software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include piano, knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, planners, bento, KBeauty, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2024 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- January Sipdowns: 6
- Total 2024 Sipdowns: 6

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I steep Western style, and fluctuate between using big mugs or small teapots depending on the season. Occasionally I’ll brew Gongfu style when I’m in the mood. I’ll also often use a kyusu for Japanese teas.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, oolong, and herbal varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however. I also enjoy maté, rooibos, and honeybush. I love matcha and drink it often! Fruit tisanes are not a favorite, but I’m always willing to try them.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia.

Fruit: All of them! My ‘go-to’s tend to be in the red fruits, stonefruit, or citrus spectra. I also really love apple, banana, berry, fig, lychee, melon, pear, and rhubarb flavors. Tropical fruits aren’t among my favorites, but I still enjoy them once in a while – especially passionfruit, mango, and pineapple. I am not generally a fan of coconut in tea, though there are some exceptions.

Dessert: I love creamy vanilla and marshmallow flavors, along with anything in the caramel family such as butterscotch, toffee, or maple. Chocolate is also a favorite, though I’m often disappointed by it in tea. And don’t forget anything buttery, cakey, or cookie-y!

Floral: I’m a little bit more particular in this category. I very much enjoy jasmine, even strong jasmine, along with sakura, chamomile, and elderflower. Osmanthus is also a favorite of mine. But I’m not crazy about rose or lavender flavors, and I prefer hibiscus in moderation only.

Spices: I don’t generally find myself drawn to masala chai, but I do enjoy spices combined with other flavors. My favorite spices are the warm ones, especially cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, and cardamom. A bit of heat from black pepper or chili is okay too, as long as it’s not overwhelming! Ginger can be a lovely accent, but I find it difficult to drink as a starring flavor.

Aromatics: I’m obsessed with Earl Grey! I also love cooling flavors such as mint (especially spearmint), pine, juniper, and eucalyptus. I am not a fan of strong rosemary or sage in tea.

Favorite Companies:
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Old Barrel Tea Co
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age or scent contamination.

Cupboard Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZEuKf1-ppR-VXajO4vV39zU1N3zjFJteEPAynqD2yl0/edit?usp=sharing

Location

Austin, Texas

Website

https://www.instagram.com/tea...

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