Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Candy, Cocoa, Maple, Mushrooms, Wet Wood, Cherry, Earth, Grain, Malt, Maple Syrup, Mineral, Oak, Pancake Syrup, Vanilla, Dark Chocolate, Grass, Tea, Brown Sugar, Stonefruit, Bread
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
High
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Whispering Pines Tea Company
Average preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 0 sec 8 oz / 236 ml

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From Our Community

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15 Want it Want it

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19 Tasting Notes View all

  • “Brought this tea with me to Utah while visiting family this past week or so. I was so gooped to see that I still had some of this squirreled away! I almost left this behind in my cupboard, but I am...” Read full tasting note
    87
  • “Good morning :) I realized today I hadn’t made a bacon and eggs breakfast since moving from the city. I flipped my egg and it flopped under the range grate. What the heck? At least the smokey...” Read full tasting note
  • “GCTTB I pulled this one from the box to try out, since i’d like to get through some of the samples quickly so VariaTEA can come pick up the box whenever. I wasn’t sure what to expect since i ...” Read full tasting note
    76
  • “So today I decided to pull out something different and make my brother drink it with me. I kind of lied about it because I told him we were going to drink mushrooms straight up. He gave me an ugly...” Read full tasting note

From Whispering Pines Tea Company

Sometimes I watch the fog floating on a hazy forest breeze. I admire the way it flows through the trees and over the mossy stones beneath my feet. The rain-kissed wind whispers in my ear. I can’t quite understand it, but I know it tells me stories of the willow groves from which it came. If I lie down and look towards the canopy, I can see the fog dancing with the leaves. It’s soft and slow, spending a little time with each leaf before floating onto the next, but always leaving a touch of itself behind — a memory that will drop to the floor, nourishing the ferns, wildflowers, and mushrooms. I believe my heart is a forest, and each experience is a limb of my infinite trees. I like the fog. I like the way it touches every one of my leaves and creates these nourishing raindrop memories — memories that I can’t help but replay in my dreams. Memories that I wish I could capture forever. Maybe with enough of them, the raindrops will grow a new willow grove. I can already feel them growing in my woodland heart. Perhaps the new willow trees need the fog. Maybe the fog needs the new trees to create new memories with. And maybe, if we’re all lucky, the fog will never get tired of dancing with the willows.

Willow combines all things that touch me deep in my soul. From morning walks with a cup of hot cocoa picking wild mushrooms to smelling the sweet aroma of maple syrup on my pancakes after that walk. The essence of the woodlands that formed who I am, Willow is one of my proudest creations. Willow is made with a base of North Winds and the addition of sweet candy cap mushrooms, which are known for their heady maple syrup aroma and sweet, woody flavor. Steeped, the aroma of Willow is complex, with maple syrup, chocolate, and mushrooms. The taste is smooth, sweet, and creamy, opening with identical notes as the aroma. The balance is absolutely perfect, with all notes showing up individually, but none overpowering each other. Immediately following the base notes come hints of stonefruit and oak. The addition of the strong maple note transforms the graininess of North Winds into definitive buckwheat pancakes with a touch of cherry preserves. Clean woody and maple notes linger past the finish, slowly fading into mushroom and oak. I highly suggest enjoying this innovative and unique blend in a big thermos while walking your favorite woodland trail. Breath life, sip inspiration.

http://whisperingpinestea.com/willow.html

About Whispering Pines Tea Company View company

Whispering Pines Tea Company is dedicated to bringing you the most original, pure, beautiful tea blends. We use only the highest quality ingredients available to create additive-free teas teas inspired by the pristine wilderness of Northern Michigan. Our main focus is on customer satisfaction and quality.

19 Tasting Notes

87
114 tasting notes

Brought this tea with me to Utah while visiting family this past week or so. I was so gooped to see that I still had some of this squirreled away! I almost left this behind in my cupboard, but I am trying to break the habit of letting particularly precious teas hide away until the either go stale or I completely forget and move on. Like the saying, “If you love them let them go,” but more like, “If you love them, DRINK EM FRESH.”

This tea still had it’s intense sweet maple candy aroma and woodsy scent on the dry leaf, carrying over to the subsequent steeps. So intoxicating! I grampa’d and gongfu’d this whenever I got bored of WP’s Silver Snail. I was able to continually brew this tea for a whole day/6-7 steeps damn near every time. The scent of the candy cap mushrooms didn’t fade a bit over the years, and dominated the first 4 steeps each time. The cocoa and woodland notes of the black tea only made for an exciting combination. I’ll be sad when i finish this one, but so glad to have been able to enjoy it as much as I did.

Flavors: Candy, Cocoa, Maple, Mushrooms, Wet Wood

beerandbeancurd

Oof. Whispering Pines kinda blowing my mind. This sounds amazing.

MiepSteep

I know it’s a long shot, but I would be over the moon if this was ever remade. Brendan is a master at blending!

beerandbeancurd

If the “want it” list is any indication, he’d have a virtual line out the door.

derk

Grateful I got to try this one. So many blends of the past I missed out on.

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1541 tasting notes

Good morning :) I realized today I hadn’t made a bacon and eggs breakfast since moving from the city. I flipped my egg and it flopped under the range grate. What the heck? At least the smokey bacon covered up the smell of burning albumin on the grate. I ate the egg anyway.

Been a while since a song pairing.
The Diamonds — Little Darlin’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysVLzXWnTzA
The share timer function on youtube isn’t working for me. 1:38 is where it starts.

This group came up at work Saturday after one of my older coworkers received a phone call Friday from Tommy Smothers of the Smothers Brothers to chat about the pandemic.

Needed a sweet tea to pair with a salty, savory breakfast. You wouldn’t think mushrooms would be the solution but these are candy cap mushrooms. Pure maple syrup without the sugar. The aroma is so dense and penetrating, I had to store the swap from ashmanra (thank you!) in a mason jar. No added flavorings to create what smells like a maple syrup soaked buckwheat pancake. As for the taste, I honestly don’t think I could paint a better picture than Brenden (the owner of Whispering Pines) did in his description for this tea. It’s more a malty and mineral cleansing taste perfect for cutting the bacon grease. The aroma gives an impression of strength in sweetness but it’s actually lightly sweet. Cocoa-vanilla hangs out up by my sinuses. Notice the cherry on the swallow after it cools down a bit.

This is how you do a maple-flavored tea.

Hope y’all are doing ok today. Two of my friends are ill, one in Ohio and one in Seattle.

Have another song, why not.
Red Hot Chili Peppers — Tear
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OzjUuB3WHo

Flavors: Cherry, Cocoa, Earth, Grain, Malt, Maple Syrup, Mineral, Mushrooms, Oak, Pancake Syrup, Vanilla

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 10 OZ / 295 ML
ashmanra

Like seriously a real phone call from the real Tommy Smothers? Are you kidding me? Yes, I am old enough to fan girl over the Smothers Brothers! My parents watched their show and I thought they were awesome!

ashmanra

Oh, and I am so glad you liked the tea! And I sing that song a lot, I really like it. I need the sun. It is like a happiness drug for me. I am a little bummed that we are having this cloudy rainy weather right now when I really need to be out there soaking up some rays in my wee garden.

tea-sipper

I hope your friends feel better quickly. :/

mrmopar

Hope everyone stays well and those who are sick have a speedy recovery.

gmathis

I don’t know why your egg story made me remember, but someday when you need a laugh, I will have to tell you the slug-in-the-stove story from early days of marriage.

ashmanra

Gah! How did I miss the line that two friends are ill? Have they tested positive for Covid19? Prayers for all!

Martin Bednář

I feel sad for your friends! I hope they recover quickly!
Great song pairings too. I just wonder why it is called willow when it is maple like. But that is not important at all.

gmathis

OOH!!!! I missed the Tommy Smothers thing! Everything ashmanra said!

gmathis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UR39tRbDcBk (One of my favorite little contemporary Smothers Brothers bits)

derk

ashmanra: Yep, Tommy Smothers. I haven’t yet found out how they know each other. It’s rainy here, too. Come October, I’ll be cursing the 6 months of California sun even though deep down I love it.

gmathis: Thanks for sharing :) Also, I might need a laugh soon.

tea-sipper, mrmopar, Martin: thank you. My friend in Seattle didn’t bother getting tested but he has recovered. The virus claimed the life of one of his coworkers at a very large company. I imagine it’s spreading through the facility. My other friend in Ohio who works at a grocery store, her news is a relief. It was an ear infection that caused her fever.

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76
15019 tasting notes

GCTTB

I pulled this one from the box to try out, since i’d like to get through some of the samples quickly so VariaTEA can come pick up the box whenever. I wasn’t sure what to expect since i didn’t bother looking anything up prior to drinking it. This is rather pleasant…feels like maple..and then sort of turns in to a lovely mild black tea. Ineresting tea nonetheless. glad i got to try it.

Haveteawilltravel

A wonderful tea :)

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1113 tasting notes

So today I decided to pull out something different and make my brother drink it with me. I kind of lied about it because I told him we were going to drink mushrooms straight up. He gave me an ugly look… but he does trust me with tea so he went with it. To his, and my , surprise this tea is one bold cup of comfort. The black tea used in this is of course a Whispering Pines tea and therefore, from my collected data, it will/is/shall/can/may/has/moreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee great.

This is a tea that I would not buy on my own because I would see the mushroom and pass it up, but I am glad I tried it because it is wonderful.
I will be honest: While drinking of this I knew it would be better if a frog was drinking it with me ;)

Daylon R Thomas

I almost got that one then realized the maple tasting notes were probably exaggerated…because it’s a Pu-Erh.

Roswell Strange

You have no clue how curious these mushroom teas make me; damn allergies.

Tommy Toadman

I like this one alot

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89
45 tasting notes

GCTTB

There was just enough of this left for one session with it. This smells so much like maple in the bag! I was really surprised to read that it’s the mushrooms that are giving off this scent. When tasting the first brew, most of what I was tasting was maple, and a sort of grain like or whole wheat flavor, as well as a sour, fruit like note. To my disappointment though, no mushrooms. Happily, they made an appearance in subsequent steeps, a little in the flavor, but more so in the savoury aftertaste. There’s a slight a stringency and bitterness, but it’s mild. By the third, ah! There’s the chocolate notes, and the fruit notes remain. It just gets more savoury as it goes, as the mushrooms and wood flavors really come out to play. I think I love these mushrooms! The leaves are a milk chocolate brown, and they really expanded throughout my session with them, these are big pieces of leaf, and they lasted well, at 8 sweepings filling the recommended times on the site. Huge thanks to whoever put this in the box. I’ve always wanted to make a Whispering Pines order, but the cost really prevented me from buying blind, even with the good reviews. Now I get all the hype. Chocolate mushrooms are da bomb!

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90
62 tasting notes

Mmmmmm, smells like chocolate malt with a little bit of grass.

Tastes like chocolate and malt, too. It reminds me of chocolate Horlicks or Bournvita, but without the sugar. At some point, I think I’ll want to try this one with milk and sugar. The chocolate is strong with this one. :)

Flavors: Dark Chocolate, Grass, Malt, Tea

Preparation
165 °F / 73 °C 8 min or more 110 tsp 10 OZ / 295 ML

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987 tasting notes

Backlog from yesterday morning. I sampled it from the GCTTB4

This reminded me a lot of Golden Orchid – that lovely fudgy vanilla note. I oversteeped it a bit, though – 4 minutes instead of 3. It covered my tongue and was nice and thick, with no astringency. I did get a sweetness, which I guess was the candy cap mushroom, but it wasn’t that strong.

Good tea, but I know I won’t restock just because of the exchange rate between Canada and the US. I’d love to find a similar blend that would be more accessible.

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100
557 tasting notes

Watching Willow, Sipping Willow :)
anybody remember that movie? nothing to do with the tea really but i thought it would be cool to watch again while sipping this tea And it is, its cool man.

Cwyn

Hated that movie. Made me motion sick for some reason.

Tommy Toadman

I loved it!
i love fantasy films

tantonino

What’re your favorite films, Toadman?

Cheri

I loved that movie. I haven’t seen it in ages, though.

Tommy Toadman

i have lots of favorite films, favs are difficult for me lol
i dig horror and fantasy/scifi movies most…
Some of my fav fantasy/sci-fi include
Princess Bride, Willow(of course), Dark Crystal, Rock & rule, Legend, LOTR/HOBBIT, Princess Mononoke, Secret world of Arrietty, Heavy Metal, Spirited away, Clash of the Titans(81), Jason and the Argonauts and lots and lots more.

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Studio Ghibli for ze win!

Marzipan

Loved that movie. It had the cutest baby ever too.

donkeyteaarrrraugh

Alora Dannon!! (spelling is off I’m sure)

teataku

Did you know that George Lucas co-wrote a book series that’s a continuation of that story? Elora Dannon grows up, and Willow kind of becomes a traveling hermit/sorceror type. Mad Martigan shows up, too, with whats-her-face.

teataku

And yes, Studio Ghibli. All the yes.

Tommy Toadman

I think the books are “Chronicles of the Shadow War” I want to read them :)
Oh Yes! I love Studio Ghibli films!!

teataku

I do recommend them. They’re a bit slow paced, but well written. :)

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157 tasting notes

My Whispering Pines order came in yesterday! It was a happy day. The past few weeks, I’ve been sipping down some of my favorites in anticipation of this order coming in. I was at work all day and I didn’t get home until late, so unfortunately I didn’t get the chance to try any of my new teas last night. But today! Today is a good day for tasting. Let’s do this.

In the bag, the dry leaf smells intense and sweet like maple candies. The sweetness is offset by the deep, resounding aroma of mushroom, earth, bread, and wood—much like a shu. This makes me think it might do really well blended with a shu puerh. Followed the western brewing instructions, though I would like to gong fu this later. This tea tastes like maple syrup, brown sugar, mushrooms, wet wood, and cocoa. There’s a bready note that makes me think of sourdough rolls or pancakes. It’s also slightly tart, like stone fruits—plums, raisins, cherries. The finish is oaky and a little drying. It leaves a malty coating on my tongue along with the taste of maple. I didn’t find the blend overly sweet. The maple flavors are balanced nicely with earthy, woodsy qualities that keep it grounded. The base tea notes come through MUCH more strongly in the second steep. Maple is ever present in the background, but at the forefront you have grain, malt, dark chocolate, and cherries. The natural sweetness of the tea makes itself known. It’s clearly identifiable as the base tea for GO. It’s almost like fudge, and it’s so delicious. The finish here is juicy and sweet. Still slightly drying, with a taste like wood, but it’s drying in a way that makes your mouth water.

Gosh. I’m so glad I was able to pick some of this up. I don’t think it’s something I could drink all day, but it’s definitely good. Like many of Brenden’s teas it makes me want to take it hiking.

Flavors: Brown Sugar, Cherry, Cocoa, Dark Chocolate, Earth, Grain, Malt, Maple Syrup, Oak, Stonefruit, Wet Wood

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95
661 tasting notes

Haven’t had this tea in ages. This is the kind of tea you only reach for when you’re feeling like something really different – like today.

Last time I left a review, I enjoyed this tea but botched the brewing. I have no idea what brewing parameters I used then but today I went for gong fu. I enjoyed the tea then but I think gong fu brewing made a huge difference on this tea.

First infusion was only 10 sec . Got a bit of maltiness but it was mostly all maple sweetness. I’ve got a terrible sweet craving today and this is really taking care of that today.

2nd infusion -20 sec – Malty, bready, maple syrup Yum Yum! Delicious!

Flavors: Bread, Malt, Maple Syrup

Preparation
0 min, 15 sec 1 tsp 4 OZ / 118 ML

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