38 Tasting Notes
This is another highly unusual offering from Postcard Teas. The flavor is tough to define, I would say that it has an essence of Chocolate Mocha coffee. It is very smooth, dark and delicious. I am only disappointed in it not holding up for a second steep. I brewed it 5 minutes the second time, and it looked like it would be worth the time and trouble, only to have almost no flavor at all. If I lived in London, I would be picking this up on a regular basis.
Preparation
This is so chocolaty that I actually wrote to Tim before I reviewed it, to specify whether it had additional flavoring. And the answer was no. Unfortunately, he also indicated he may be unable to obtain more. While he has it, this is worth trying if you like deep, full flavored and… well, dark oolongs. I like it a lot, but it has a novelty quality to it that I will help me get over not having it.
Preparation
This is a choice for when you want unique and when you want to savor the exceptional. Mildly uplifting, perfect for early evening when you want to recharge from the day and yet still be able to go to sleep later. Red teas are like that for me. This one is even milder than most red teas, but I found it to also have an herbal, almost medicinal quality. Medicinal doesn’t sound appealing, but it starts off in a way that you aren’t sure that you really like, so you keep slurping and slurping and it’s gone before you know it and you want more. The tangerine element balances the herbal, and then you have the underlying red tea body. I want to enjoy this tea just often enough that it remains a special treat.
Preparation
The first time I tried this, any cocoa notes eluded me, sadly. It was fine, a nice tea, but nothing to justify the price tag. The second time around, I got the cocoa and flavor explosion and I’m not sure what the difference was. Lower than boiling temperature with shorter steep? I think that was it. Really a beautifully smooth and complex tea for those moments where I can appreciate more in a tea.
Preparation
This tea requires double or more the usual leaf to brew the way I like a morning cup. I’m terrified of overbrewing, so I took several tries to be bold enough to go the recommended longer range time of 8 minutes. Bingo! The 8 minute brew with boiling water produced the sweetest, closest to cocoa flavor that I desired. This is an excellent everyday choice, I can afford to stock up on this one. And it is rich and strong enough for a work morning beginning at 5:30 a.m. (And no, I am so NOT a morning person…) I find Golden Moon’s Keemun the standard for cocoa goodness, but the cost is more.
Preparation
This tea deserves a better rating, IMO. The flavor just explodes: honey, date, chocolate.They call for a tsb instead tsp, but with that I got three full-bodied brews, the second being my favorite. More patient people could probably get several more. I use natural sugar crystals, it is improved by it and I just prefer it. This is a fantastic value and a great early morning kick start. I prefer a dark, full flavor in the a.m. – but smooth. This one has a touch of astringent edge on the first brew, but just a touch. I might try 3 minutes for the first brew instead of 4. I plan on getting a much larger bag and making this a regular.
Preparation
I noticed that Rishi calls for 1 tbsp for many of their teas while some are just 1 tsp. Is that some kind of typo? 1 tbsp per cup seems like it would make a brutally strong tea, let alone, a waste of tea if all you want is one cup.
I don’t know if it is a typo, but it does seem like it for this is not a large leaf tea. I have given up trying to follow all the different instructions on all the different teas, and use the same for almost everything now. Very generous tsp per cup and brew at 3 minutes the first brew, and five for addl. brews. I’m finding that works for almost every black tea I have. For Assams I use a flat teaspoon, as it gets so strong, but I don’t brew it much either.
kuanyin, that is pretty much what I do. I even emailed Rishi and they said that the “1 tsp” is actually the typo and that all teas are suggested to be 1tbsp per cup. They said its just their recommendation as they (the people who work at RIshi), like their tea strong. I like strong tea sometimes, but I also like a tea that is drinkable. Perhaps they’re just trying to sell more tea.
I use just one teaspoon per cup for all of Rishi’s teas. I’ve found that to be more than sufficient to produce robust flavors.
Got home after a visit to Shang Tea with several choices. Which one to make first? Clear Jade Orchid won and, oh my stars, what a tea! I had no directions, and ended up using 2 generous tsp in a 10 oz pot. For the second steep I transferred it to a yixing pot that is a bit larger. This is unique indeed with flavors that I can’t pin point other than floral. Melon? I definitely preferred it with sugar crystals and thought it brought out more of the deep flavor. It looks like a charcoal roasted oolong, with the darker color, it does not taste like it. It is in world of its own and I wish I could better describe it.
