Rishi Tea

Random Teabag Sipdown

I took a handful of random teabags with me over the weekend so I could work on a few sipdowns, I’m just a little behind posting the actual tasting notes. This is the last of the tea bag sampler pack I bought from Rishi for my birthday. I’ve been saving it for a day when I needed something relaxing and after visiting with family all weekend this sure fit the bill.

On its own, I’m not really a fan of Chamomile, but I do love it when it is blended with other things. Since this is called Chamomile Medley I wasn’t really expecting the main flavor of this blend to be lemon, but looking at the ingredients it contains lemon myrtle and lemongrass. I’m not a huge fan of either, in fact I generally dislike all things citrus, so it was surprising how much I really liked this. I think it could use a dash of honey to sweeten it up, but I don’t have any with me.

This wasn’t really what I was looking for, but I do think it will be a nice tea for when I’m sick. I’ll have to pick some up next time I reorder from Rishi, which should be any time now since I’m down to my last few Tablespoons from my last order.

At first I didn’t like this tea, but since I have a whole box and need to use it up I decided to try mulling it. What a difference!

First the recipe: 32 oz of water in a saucepan, some mulling spices, brown sugar (or honey, if you prefer) to taste, and 4 or 5 generous spoonfuls of tea. Heat for 8-10 minutes, strain, serve, enjoy!

Mulling really improved this tea, so much so that I don’t think I’ll be drinking it any other way. The sugar mellows the tartness of the plum, and the spices improve what’s already there in the tea. My main complaint before was that there wasn’t enough cinnamon, but now the balance is perfect.

Ordered this one completely on a whim. In the box (I love the clever and compact way they package their loose-leaf, by the way) the tea smells strong and fruity. It was so fruity it almost smelled alcoholic; like some kind of cherry liqueur and a hint of almonds.

This tea is stunning brewed, with a deep wine color and a strong cinnamon-fruit smell. The taste is…I’m not sure. The cinnamon is definitely there but it’s not enough for my taste. The plum is there, too (more like the tarter skin of the plum than the flesh, but still recognizably plum). The hibiscus and the fruit combine to form such a tart taste that it makes my lips pucker! I was expecting a much mellower flavor.

I’m sure this would be good iced (in my opinion all teas with a red fruit note are great iced), and I might try this mulled like the company suggests, but I am completely unsure what to make of it plain.

I bought a bag of this from the Spice & Tea Exchange in Georgetown. Thankfully, it was Rishi brand. The teas that were the house brand I bought were lackluster, disappointing, and not worth the money. Because this was Rishi, I expected better, and did get better.

This is exactly what the name says it is: sweet matcha. In hindsight, preparing this using sweetened almond milk was probably overkill… my drink was too sweet, in fact. But still delicious. I normally buy the sweetened almond milk but may switch to the unsweetened if I’m going to be adding it to tea (which I am).

I could probably blend your own sweetened matcha easily, and might try myself in the future. I did get some ridiculously cheap matcha (probably low grade given the price) from the Asian market so I can play around a bit without feeling like I’m tossing money down the drain. I’ll see if I can approximate this matcha – it’s that good. And not too badly priced, either. Spice & Tea charged $13 for a 125g pouch.

Pretty good Dan Cong

Roasty, toasty baked nuttiness. Just finishing the last of this while not my favorite will repurchase this whenever I’m in the mood for roasty baked goodness

I didn’t like this at first but now it seems to be growing on me. Second steep the baked note really comes out

Mmmm coconut I really like this one.

A step above your average English Breakfast, but those of you who are used to the rich cardamom and cacao notes you get from many Yunnan black teas will be a bit disappointed, as I was.

Rishi teas are generally topnotch, but I wish there were more variety in terms of the retail boxes available at grocery stores (this was the only unscented black tea available).

This is one of our cabinet staples. It was the first tieguanyin I ever tasted, and so far, remains my favorite tieguanyin. It’s slightly sweet and very lightly floral. When infused for long enough, the sweetness drops away and the tea becomes more robust and slightly nutty. For me, it causes an ever so slight drying sensation in my mouth, which, oddly, just adds to the experience. We used to make this “dorm room” style, tossing the leaves into a cup, adding hot water, and drinking as soon as it was cool enough to handle. We would then top off our cups with more water for hours, until we got every bit of flavor out of our tea (we had to get the most of our $12 for 2 oz box of tea! What an investment!). Today, I started out brewing the tea according to the instructions on the box, western style with an infuser basket, though I did decrease the amount from 1 tbs for 8 oz of water to only .5 tbs. While that was nice and all, I switched over to “dorm room” style after a few steepings, because there is just something so comforting about recreating my silly late night tea experiences with my friends. Also, I can personally guarantee that this tea pairs well with cheap, greasy Chinese takeout.

As a side note, I am amazed by the quality of this tea, considering it comes from a large, nationwide distributor, and sold in grocery stores. I mean, Whole Foods, but grocery stores! Some of the leaves are nearly as long as the palm of my hand! I think this is a great introductory tea for getting people more into loose leaf. It’s entirely inoffensive, easy to obtain, incredibly forgiving in terms of steeping time and water temperature, and delicious!

Sipdown! (131) And not even a sample, either. Brewed this well below boiling to avoid what happened last time; I think that’s the trick to this tea. Do not drink it at boiling! Unless you want a ginger punch to the face, that is.

Anyway, this cup isn’t bad. A little sweeter than when I brewed it the last time, which I think improves it.

As threatened I made this up with lemonade. For reference: one quart prepared instant lemonade and one quart Turmeric Ginger tea brewed at boiling (the stronger the better). Serve over ice.

This is delicious this way! I mostly taste the lemonade but there’s a spicy ginger kick to it too, and the turmeric makes it aromatic. It should be no problem using the rest of this up soon: two sachets left!

Alright, I put every last sample into my cupboard. 134 total teas! I think I’m scared straight now. When my orders come in it’ll be 142, plus a couple other purchases/swaps from people on here… Time to use some stuff up.

This tea is murky brewed up. I guess that must be the spices. It’s also darker than when I had it last. WOW. I guess I’ve never really brewed it at boiling before, and now I have to say I do not recommend it. This is strong stuff!

ETA: Rescued this with a large glob of honey, some extra water, and a handful of ice cubes. It’s actually delicious this way, and I can’t help but think it’d mix up well with lemonade.

Another I liked when I was sick, and it continues to be a good sick tea. Definitely better than the obnoxious fruit blends, at least! Spicy, a little citrus-y, and a little comforting. I don’t like it as much as I used to but I don’t think it deserves as low a rating as the others even though I’m trying to get rid of it. Every time I drink it it’s slightly better than I remember, which either means I have a bad memory or the smell of the try leaf puts me off. I’m guessing it’s the smell.

I tried this the other day while fighting a head cold and it cleaned my sinuses right out! It was more savory than I expected, and it almost reminded me of some soups I’ve had.

The dry leaves were very fragrant and the brewed tea was a beautiful gold color. The tea smelled better dry than brewed. Again, a little like soup! The taste made up for it, though.

Not something I would want every day, but when I want something a little spicy (or when I get sick again) I would get it again.

Backlog:

Tasty, although I don’t agree with calling it a chai. Yeah, I know that chai means “tea” but I think that most of us have come to accept chai to mean the warmly spiced (and sometimes spicy!) tea blends. This blend only has cinnamon, licorice root and vanilla that I’d categorize as a “spice” and a herb (mint). Not enough spices to call it a chai!

It’s still tasty though!

The pu-erh is earthy and mellow, and it sits off in the background. The mint and vanilla are in the foreground, giving this a taste that is reminiscent of the creamy center of a peppermint patty. YUM! The licorice root is subtle but it adds a pleasant snap to the cup.

Not too minty, not too earthy, I like the balance of this tea and it’s really quite a treat.

Tenth tea sampled from TTB-C

There’s ginger in this? And I didn’t even notice?? far out.

Ginger does have its time and place, but when it’s out of place it’s about the worse flavor ever to me.

I am going to leave this tea unrated because I think that it is a good tea for what it’s supposed to be, but it’s not my thing.

I will say, though, that it is the best tea from the teabox so far. I would drink it again if someone offered, but I’d never brew it for myself. The mint, anise, and cinnamon stand out the most. It has a definite spicy bite to it that tickles and burns ever so slightly on the way down and this is why I don’t like it. Same reason I don’t like Winter Fire from Butiki, but the mint in this one makes it more tolerable.

Great smell, spicy taste that’s very heavy on cinnamon. Very astringent if steeped too long.

this is a really neat blend. I’ve never tasted something quite like it! … I could really taste the cinnamon, but it wasn’t overpowering, with lots of bite like some cinnamon teas.. I definitely appreciate it! thanks JustJames for the chance to try this!

Hey, big surprise! I am drinking an Oolong! Really though I do my best to have variety and not do all Oolong all the time, it is hard since I do have a lot of it. It would be sad if my blog became a one note tea horse, yes that is a bit of tea history humor for you. You have to forgive me since I am currently reading a book on tea history and culture so I am distracted by my Armchair Historian tendencies.

Jade Oolong (Four Seasons Spring) by Rishi Tea comes from the glorious land of Taiwan. I, however, did not travel to Taiwan to procure this tea, instead I found it on the wall of tea at Whole Foods who thankfully have a decent selection of teas when I need a fix. I do love getting packages in the mail, but being able to smell the fresh teas before buying is a wonderful experience. The aroma of this beautifully spring green Oolong is unsurprisingly quite green! Not very vegetal, more the aroma of fresh vegetation on a spring day mixed with new blooming flowers and a touch of freshly mown hay (or woodruff for the herbal types.) This might be the mildest Oolong I have yet sniffed!

Brewing the tea brings out a stronger aroma and lots of interesting notes. At first we notice the floral notes that are mild but very fresh, like lilacs, following that there is that delightful chestnut aroma that I love in Green Oolongs. As it steeps a little more the tea takes on an herbaceous tone mixing thyme with the floral notes and a hint of moss. The brewed liquid reminds me of lilac with a slight whisper of allspice.

The taste of this Oolong is exceptionally mild, an excellent palate cleansing tea. The tea has a vegetal taste, reminiscent of green beans and fresh grass. It finishes a tingly pine needle note and a mellow sweet aftertaste. This tea is very refreshing and cleansing, and pleasantly light if you are in the mood for that. Usually I prefer a stronger taste from my Oolong, but I will certainly keep this around for after a heavy meal to remove said heaviness.

Photos and blog: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/09/rishi-tea-jade-oolong-tea-review.html

Random Teabag Sipdown!

When I first saw this in my Rishi teabag sampler pack I was curious about the combination, it wasn’t one I had tried before, but I didn’t particularly care for this one. I love ginger, but I felt that there was just a bit to much of it. I had trouble tasting the pu-erh base through all of the ginger. I will say that this was great to drink to calm my upset stomach from all of the eating out I’ve done this week. I can’t wait to go home and start cooking again.