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Mmm, this is nice! Despite the pale color, the flavor is surprisingly robust with floral notes and a honeyed sweetness. It is just the tiniest bit drying at the end of the sip, which keeps me coming back for more! Guessing it will also resteep well.

I love a good coconut oolong! My favorite is from The London Tea Room in St Louis and I was excited to possibly find a replacement a little closer to home. However, I missed the fact that this one also includes pineapple. The flavor is much more pina colada than straight-up coconut. Not what I was expecting, but still quite delicious! Going to try icing it next time.

Yunnan black teas tend to be my favorite, so I had to try a sample of this one in my recent Rishi order! Unfortunately, I found it to be just okay…which was disappointing considering the price point. It was quite smooth with a pleasant bready flavor, but I found the flavor surprising thin and watery despite using my usual steeping parameters. I will try over-leafing my next cup to see if that improves the flavor, but I probably won’t be repurchasing this one.

Since I grew up (and still live) in the Milwaukee area, Rishi is THE tea that gets served in my local coffee shops. Which means I’ve neglected them as a source of tea for my personal collection because I’m always thinking, “But that’s what I’ll be having next time I go to Stone Creek with my coffee-loving friend.” However, a local tea friend recently invited me to go in on a group order with her and I was delighted to discover that their tea catalog goes far beyond the half-dozen or so usual suspects I rely on to avoid having to drink coffee.

This was one of the samples I ordered and I think I’m going to have to go for the big bag next time. Lemon ginger is a fairly basic flavor profile that a lot of companies offer, but in my experience it can go SO wrong: artificial lemon flavor that tastes like cleaning fluid, too much spicy ginger taking over everything, not enough ginger just making the lemon taste weird…the list goes on.

But this one is perfection! Pure, natural-tasting lemon; just the right amount of ginger bite; notes of mango and lime in the background adding a bit of pop; and just the right amount of licorice root sweetness. It was great plain at my desk today, but I really see myself reaching for this with a touch of honey next time I’m feeling a bit under the weather.

Looking forward to seeing what other goodies my Rishi sample pile holds!

A Minnesota friend recommended I try out Pinch ‘n Rub and specifically mentioned enjoying this blend. I’m not sure I’ve ever had a kiwi tea before, so I was curious to try it! I was a bit disappointed to find that it didn’t really have much kiwi flavor. I’ve tried it both hot and iced…either way, I taste more of the apple and pineapple. It’s still an enjoyable fruity herbal blend, just not what I expected from the name.

My husband and I visited Pinch ‘n Rub (a cute little spice and tea shop in Stillwater, MN) on a recent summer vacation. Along with sniffer tins, they had something I’d never seen in a tea shop before: staff recommendations! Similar to what is often done at independent bookstores, there were little shelf tags saying things like, “Anna’s Favorite” and then a description of why that person loves this tea. This was a staff pick and smelled amazing, so I gave it a shot!

Aside from a childhood predilection for Fig Newtons, I haven’t eaten many figs in my life. So I can’t say how authentic the fig flavoring is here. That being said, this is a lovely blend! Sweet and smooth with a rich, caramelized fruit flavor. It’s different from anything else I have in my cupboard and I find myself reaching for it quite often. A lovely surprise!

AJRimmer Advent Day 25

This was an exceptionally good end to a delightful Advent calendar! I’m not usually a big fan of chocolate-flavored teas, but the quality on this one is a step above. The base tea is amazingly rich and complex and the chocolate and vanilla flavoring layered on top marry seamlessly with the notes in the black tea itself. I’m always a tiny bit upset when I find a new favorite from 52Teas, since it’s anyone’s guess if/when it will be reblended. But even if this was a one-time treat, I’m so glad I got to sample it. A huge thank you to Devon Bartholomew for getting the ball rolling on this year’s Advent swap and to AJRimmer for organizing the swap and being my swap partner. It was so much fun (as always!) and I’m already looking forward to next year!

AJRimmer Advent Day 24

Finally drinking my last 2 advent teas today, as I’ve been with family (and away from my tea kettle!) over the weekend. Unfortunately, I somehow missed that this was a green tea and brewed it in boiling water. :( The base ended up quite bitter (totally my fault!) but I could still taste a nice juicy pineapple flavor and a bit of coconut.

AJRimmer Advent Day 23

I had forgotten that I tried this tea before! Enjoyed it just as much this time around…with a splash of milk, it’s a creamy dessert-like treat. A happy start to the last day before Christmas!

AJRimmer Advent Day 22

This one missed the mark for me. I could smell the banana and vanilla while it was steeping, but all I could really taste was the grassy green tea base and a hint of tart citrus. I also found it a bit drying…between that and the tartness, I was ready to move on by the end of the cup.