Backlogging from the weekend!
Okay, can we talk about how much my love for Rishi has shot up? Between this, Purple Bamboo, Ancient Emerald Lily, and their Silver Needle… yeah, Rishi has it going on. Their Golden Yunnan is delicious too. I think they’re joining the esteemed ranks of some of my favorite tea companies.
So, this one has been getting a lot of hype on Steepster from some of my absolute favorite posters, so I knew I needed to buy me some Yellow Buds! The only yellow tea I had previously didn’t go so well. It was that awful Yellow Peach put out by TeaGschwendner, and I wasn’t quite sure if I was going to like yellow tea after tasting that.
Well, guess what, this one is amazing. Let’s start with the dry leaves before we get into the taste, though… The leaves are really gorgeous. It looks like a silver needle, but tinged with yellow. Same shape, same fuzziness, just… different color. And the aroma that’s coming off of them is a dusty sort of honey. Like a sunset.
Anyway, I really was intimidated by the amount of leaves this bad boy requires. Half a teapot worth! I didn’t really measure out the leaf. I poured. It looked to be around 2-3 tablespoons for 8 oz., but what do I know? It’s really fluffy and hard to judge. This one steeps up to a gorgeous pale, pale cream-yellow, and the smell coming off of the cup… I let out a little whimper. That’s how delicious this one smells. It’s wonderfully fragrant of honey-butter. Seriously.
And the taste? Man. It’s actually really light and subtle, but it’s a delicious honeyed flavor. Sort of like wildflower honey. There’s a tiny note of vegetal-floralness that’s awesome. And this melts into a flavor of apples! Peeled apples! There’s something specific to the taste. I kept thinking it was baked, but it’s not. And then it hit me. Almost like those dehydrated apple snacks that I absolutely love to eat.
I’m getting this yeasty sort of taste as well. Almost like fresh out of the oven little breads. I had these breads at Calle Ocho in NYC the other day for an engagement party. They were gently spiked with cheese, but they were pillowy with a crust that gave rather easily. Minus the cheese, the aftertaste is that bread. Oh. My God.
This one is compulsively drinkable to the nth degree. I finished my cup quite quickly, enjoying the savory sweetness that accompanied each and every sip.
The second steep (3:30, 180) didn’t go as well for me. It was still very sweet and apple-lite, but I was getting a stronger vegetal note than I would have liked. I haven’t tried a third steep yet, but I probably will.
But seriously, I’m sort of late to the party and echoing everyone’s sentiments, but this tea is awesome. Thank you Rishi, for another tea well done!
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this is on my list of teas to try. i really want to experience a yellow tea. nice review!
Hmm I’ll have to check out Rishi.. and this sounds delicious.
It’s really good, guys!
And Matt, I definitely recommend Rishi. I’ve had some misses (Jade FIre is very, very strange) and some upper-mediocre ones (like Orange Blossom and Citron Oolong, although they taste pretty yummy), but when they’re good, they’re really good!
Is. So. GOOD. NOM NOM NOM.
I’ll be sure to check it out
Do you think this would work well with gaiwan steeping? I ended up bringing my gaiwan to Nashville this week, and the Sainted Lena just gave me a sample of this one… I don’t want to wait to try it! :)
wombatgirl, absolutely! I believe the Rishi website has guidelines for infusing this in a gaiwan! Look it up!
But did you like it? lol…j/k. This tea just rocks on all sorts of levels. Mmmm…honeysuckle.
This has been on my list since Takgoti pointed toward…someone else’s review of it…and now I can’t remember who they were. That is awful of me. But the whole ‘floral honey on fresh-baked bread’ thing was too much for me to ignore. I have way too much tea now, but this might’ve tipped the scales..
Lena, hahahaha, and it is very delicious. I’m just sad that I’m going to run out of it faster than normal because of the heavy leaf thing.
sophistre, could it have been O-Cha? I think it might have been… but this one is really good. The bread thing is really extremely subtle, and more in the aftertaste, but it’s definitely there if you concentrate. This one tastes dark and dusky and wonderful and if you buy some I can’t wait to read your review!
Has already been noted in the SL. But your review made me go there to note it. =)
I thought you’d like it. :]
The trick with Rishi… go for the pure teas. Blends are great, sure sure sure… but, Rishi really stands out when it comes to TRUE TEA. Just like their catch-line encourages.
Personal favourites: Organic Sencha (different from Sencha Superior), Kukicha, Dragon Well for a Chinese green, Silver Needle, Osthmanthus Silver Needle, Moonlight White, and Iron Goddess of Mercy.
Wheeee, thanks Oh Cha for the wonderful list of recommendations! I’ve tried the Silver Needle and it’s absolutely delicious. Seriously wonderful. I’m going to have to try the others when I make another big tea order! :)
Let me know how you like any of them if/when you try them!
this is on my list of teas to try. i really want to experience a yellow tea. nice review!
Hmm I’ll have to check out Rishi.. and this sounds delicious.
It’s really good, guys!
And Matt, I definitely recommend Rishi. I’ve had some misses (Jade FIre is very, very strange) and some upper-mediocre ones (like Orange Blossom and Citron Oolong, although they taste pretty yummy), but when they’re good, they’re really good!
Is. So. GOOD. NOM NOM NOM.
I’ll be sure to check it out
Do you think this would work well with gaiwan steeping? I ended up bringing my gaiwan to Nashville this week, and the Sainted Lena just gave me a sample of this one… I don’t want to wait to try it! :)
wombatgirl, absolutely! I believe the Rishi website has guidelines for infusing this in a gaiwan! Look it up!
But did you like it? lol…j/k. This tea just rocks on all sorts of levels. Mmmm…honeysuckle.
This has been on my list since Takgoti pointed toward…someone else’s review of it…and now I can’t remember who they were. That is awful of me. But the whole ‘floral honey on fresh-baked bread’ thing was too much for me to ignore. I have way too much tea now, but this might’ve tipped the scales..
Lena, hahahaha, and it is very delicious. I’m just sad that I’m going to run out of it faster than normal because of the heavy leaf thing.
sophistre, could it have been O-Cha? I think it might have been… but this one is really good. The bread thing is really extremely subtle, and more in the aftertaste, but it’s definitely there if you concentrate. This one tastes dark and dusky and wonderful and if you buy some I can’t wait to read your review!
Has already been noted in the SL. But your review made me go there to note it. =)
I thought you’d like it. :]
The trick with Rishi… go for the pure teas. Blends are great, sure sure sure… but, Rishi really stands out when it comes to TRUE TEA. Just like their catch-line encourages.
Personal favourites: Organic Sencha (different from Sencha Superior), Kukicha, Dragon Well for a Chinese green, Silver Needle, Osthmanthus Silver Needle, Moonlight White, and Iron Goddess of Mercy.
Wheeee, thanks Oh Cha for the wonderful list of recommendations! I’ve tried the Silver Needle and it’s absolutely delicious. Seriously wonderful. I’m going to have to try the others when I make another big tea order! :)
Let me know how you like any of them if/when you try them!