Rishi Tea

Another fantastic chai. Spicy spicy!

Let me just preface this by stating that I love chocolate—the taste and aroma of it both. I liked the fact that this Rishi tea is organic, so I decided to give it a try. Once opened, the tea in the bag smells earthy, and, with some imagination, I can almost smell the chocolate. I followed the directions on the box. I brought the water and the tea combination to boil on the stove top as suggested, added milk (although I rarely drink tea with milk), and brewed for three minutes as instructed. The milk makes this rich, too rich. Unfortunately, I can’t say that the richness is due to the tea’s scent or flavor. The chocolate simply doesn’t come through for me in the cup. The same is true for the vanilla and the spices; they are not distinct. I was even surprised to see vanilla beans listed as an ingredient. I can feel mostly the yerba mate.

I tried it a second time. I started brewing it in the same slow way on the stovetop as suggested on the box, but I didn’t add the milk before it was fully steeped. This time, I only added a drop of vanilla-flavored coconut milk, and I have to say that I enjoyed the tea better this way. The flavors are still extremely soft, barely there, but the vanilla in the coconut milk added another dimension. Frankly, it was the vanilla in the milk that saves the tea for me. I wish I didn’t have to use additional flavors.

UPDATE: I have to say that this tea has grown on me. I would like the company to remove the word “chocolate” from the name because the lack of chocolate scent and flavor cause some serious disappointment. However, if one doesn’t expect the chocolate, it is a nice, smooth combination, which I find comforting.

When I decided to order this tea again, I was excited because it’s one of the teas I first tried, and one that opened me up to Chinese teas. Yunnan blacks are very unique, and I immediately fell in love with them. This golden Yunnan has just a few golden leaves scattered in a sea of black leaves. It’s not the most golden of Yunnan blacks, but it would cost a lot more if it was more golden.
The unique Yunnan taste is definitely there. There is an earthiness similar to cooked puerh in the background, with the spiciness of Yunnan teas up front. My only complaint is that this tea is bit tannic. It has more of a brisk breakfast tea tannic note than a softer tannic note I’m more used to in Golden Yunnan.

Very good but VERY bold and bright. Lots of bergamot. Tasty, but not quite what I was looking for in a relaxing bedtime cup of tea. Quite the contrary…..this stuff will wake you up!

I only have a little of this left, it’s not the best Earl Grey I’ve had but I do enjoy it. This tea was a gift from my older sister so, it’s kind of special (: I am trying to finish off all of my teas that are low to make room for a big tea package I’m expecting to come in the mail soon. It was nice to relax with this familiar cuppa.

Travelling Tea Box C

Not your average mint tea! This one has a nice, sweet zip to it! I definitely taste licorice and ginger in it. A good blend to wake you up.

The tea leaves smell so delicious when you open the package. Vanilla, roasted, creamy, mulberry, acorns on a fall day, black tea with milk scent.
Brewed, the liquor is a beautiful golden amber color.
This is a nice, flavorful white tea with sweet cream notes. It tastes like light black tea with milk. So creamy,,,I love this white tea. Delicious.
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7/29/14
Having a cup of this after I had a couple of cups of Bi Luo Chun Yunnan black type teas (because my water was cooling down so this was perfect to use it!). This is such a delicious and easy to brew tea. I love to take White Peony on vacation bc it will taste good and brew easily in a cup with an infuser. White teas like White Peony and Silver Needles are probably my favorite teas. I love the creamy vanilla flavors.

This tea was given to me as a present and although I am not usually a huge fan of floral teas, this one is nicely balanced with lavender and bergamot. I still have at least a few cups of this tea left and I have a feeling it will grow on me and possibly become a permanent part of my cupboard for those days that I want something a bit different.

It didn’t just taste bad, I found it intolerable. I was expecting something like spicy herbal chai with a touch of citrus or a touch of spice on hibiscus based citrussy herbal tea, but apparently this wasn’t it. It had a really weird taste that made me want to puke and made me sick afterwards. I am afraid to touch the bag ever again. I am so sorry it turned out like this.

OK, so I realized yesterday that I’ve had the misfortune of having tried this tea twice. I originally tried it when my son and my partner and I were waiting for the pirate exhibit to open in a Milwaukee museum. I could not put enough sugar in this to redeem it. It smelled and tasted like rotten vegetables mixed with grass and frog dung or something. I dumped most of it out.

So yesterday, my partner and I went out for tea and I saw the Jade Cloud and thought, hmmm, that’s a pretty description for a tea, I think I’ll try it. As soon as I got to the table I could smell that SMELL and it brought me right back to the museum. I couldn’t even bring myself to taste it this time. My partner tasted it, thinking if she liked it we could trade. Nope, she was just as disgusted.

So I might tattoo the words “I don’t like Jade Cloud” on my forearm just to remind myself for the next time I come across it. Well. I’m glad I got that off my chest. ;-)

It’s 2:40 in the AM over here so I don’t really feel like writing a review…

But boy is this delicious. Phenomenal in my opinion; pretty standard and everything I had hoped for in this cup. Was not disappointed; no bitterness, just a smooth black tea that was not overwhelmingly strong.

I love this tea but don’t buy it very often because of the cost.

Solid tea. ’Nuff said

Pretty decent green tea. One of the best I’ve ever had (though that’s not saying much, as I haven’t really had much green tea to begin with haha).

The first infusion was pretty mellow. I brewed it at 175 degrees for 3 min. It lacked flavor when sipped hot, but once it cooled down a bit it was rather tasty. No strong flavors or nuances. Smooth, buttery feel in the mouth. Tastes vegetal, with hints of hay and chestnut. Not anything special

The second infusion was a bit more flavorful, in my opinion. I brewed it at 180 degrees for 4 minutes this time. Same description as above, but with a little more power behind the flavors. Pleased with this tea, and I look forward to trying more greens from Rishi in the future!

I had bought a sakura china set and needed a tea to go with it. I was happily surprised on how much I tasted the sakura blossoms and enjoying the crispness of the sencha. Really delicious.

WOW! Was very fortunate to receive some of this from my aunt for Christmas. Probably the best tea I’ve ever had. Perfect steep. Was smooth and refreshing. Cleanses the palette. Sweet and savory.

Having grown up with loose tea, I usually don’t use tea bags. I buy drinks from time to time, especially at airports — usually jasmine tea. Rishi’s jasmine tea bags are the best to me — the taste is the most balanced and refreshing.

Like this. Think I may spend the rest of the day drinking it.

ONCE upon a time i had a very bad experience with a rishi chocolate chai. some of you may remember…. i was distinctly cross. quick recap: no chocolate, impossible methodology for a disabled person to follow through with, wound up all over my kitchen, my wife wound up cleaning it up and i was ticked!

i took a day. was still cross. took another…. still cross because i resented my stress relieving practice getting in my face about having this illness. by hook or by crook i decided i’d waited long enough and called rishi HQ.

ME: may i speak with a manager please.
Service rep: may i ask what this is regarding?
me: i have a serious gripe about one of your products and as a rule i prefer to dish out temper on management who are paid to take it.

silence. tick. tick. tock.

service rep: i think i know the person who can best assist you, sir, one moment please.

i broke it down for the manager fairly, i think. the good and the bad. she was truly appalled at how much trouble had come from the recommended method, and further distressed that there was genuinely no chocolate to be seen or tasted in my tea (once she determined i wasn’t looking for refined chocolate and was accustomed to cacao nibs). this woman really listened, genuinely. and while i saved her name somewhere in microsoft word, it’s eluding at this exact moment, she is worth her weight in gold to rishi.

the manager sent me two huge bags of tea in apology; their original chai (which we problem solved a method that would work for me… see? gold=weight) and she picked up on one of my favourite aspects of their failed chocolate chai: huge chunks of vanilla bean and millions of vanilla seeds. the manager inquired as to whether i might like to try their vanilla black.

this tea is as purist as butiki’s lychee oolong. very simple and exactly what it says. fat chunks of vanilla bean and black tea. simple. very purist, absolutely lovely.

smooth black base, warm, strong, genuine vanilla presence. the vanilla lends an air of sweetness so not much is needed in terms of sweetener. a dot of cream turns it into the undoing of starbucks everywhere! lol.

very nice. quite lovely. i plan to experiment with a hot steep and then a cold overnight. i have no doubt it will be brilliant.

rishi… you are forgiven. don’t ever let that customer service manager go— she represents your interests well.

Moonlight White is a good alternative to silver needles if you want something different but dont want to resort to peony shwag.

It is very heterogenous and interesting looking tea, with a nice honey colored liquor

The leaves look like something you would rake off your lawn. I mean that in the most positive way possible.