Tea Review Tuesday - A Review of Whispering Pines Tea's Elder Grove Herbal Blend

The weather has grown colder, where I live. The long nights of winter are approaching, and warming herbal blends make for perfect evening drinks. Whispering Pines Tea offers Elder Grove to suit just that cup and provide a relaxing, non-caffeinated experience. Blending spices, herbs, and elderberries, Elder Grove promises an enticing blend of flavors.

The aroma of Elder Grove covers a range of scents and impresses upon me heavy, warm tones. Foremost, I can smell the juiciness of the elderberries, sweet in their addition. Cinnamon is noticeable, a sweet and spicy topping. The chicory can also be smelled, if one is familiar with the aroma and looks for it. Extra spicy in this blend is the holy basil, and I know from experience that the flavors imparted by that herb might be both warming and intense.

After the five minute steep has been completed per the directions on their website (1/2 tablespoon in 8 ounces of just-boiled water), I hold in my hands a very dark cup of aromatic bliss. The core of the aroma resides in a sweet and spicy blend of scents. Steeping has brought the different herbal and spice notes together, melding them into a very cohesive smell. However, the initial sip actually surprises me! The first flavor to hit my tongue is the lemon balm, laying a smooth foundation for the others. What follows embodies a slightly-sweet, but not at all sugary, berry-edged mixture of earthiness and spice. However, even the spice is not heavily spicy. With the inclusion of holy basil, I was anticipating almost a stinging-spice (in a pleasant way, really), but instead this tastes very mellow.

Elder Grove goes down so smoothly; the flavor is soothing. While the aroma seemed warming, I did not find the flavor to be overly so, which was fine; this blend tasted delicious. As I savor the end of the cup, I realize that a slight warm feeling has spread throughout my body. That contributes to the soothing feeling. On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate this herbal blend a 5. On cold winter nights, I will definitely enjoy cups of this. Peaceful moments with a cuppa are not far, when Elder Grove is had.



Photo credit to Built from Ink and Tea.
Whispering Pines Tea's Elder Grove herbal blend is available from their website, here.
This review was unsolicited and uncompensated.
You can read more about my Personal Enjoyment Scale, here.
Text is copyright 2016, Built from Ink and Tea.