Rishi Tea

I looked and saw this was Vanilla Mint Chai and was a little excited as I have been wanting to get a good Vanilla Mint Chai…then…I found out it was actually a Pu-erh…this made me nervous. It infused REALLY dark! I’m sipping on it now…and it’s pretty darned good! I can mostly taste the MINT then the smoothness of the vanilla really helps out the Pu-erh! That’s a PLUS. Then I can find little hints of spices underneath. I’m very surprised by this and am enjoying it quite a bit! This is nicely done and think it will be welcomed by Rishi Fans…as it’s one of their NEW offerings!!!

With my first sip, I got a nasty mouthful of bergamot. (It was a sample and I suspect it might have been a little old. Maybe the stale bergamot was stronger) But, the tea really mellowed out after and at the last sip, I was craving more. Strongly flavored.

Yesterday I travelled to the Milwaukee Art Museum, because I’d never been there. Of course, it’s the middle of summer, so they cranked up the air conditioning as high as they possibly could. I had left my sweater in my locker and I was freezing. We were having lunch, and this was on the menu, so I figured I would try it. I never had Pu-erh tea before.
The problem with museum food is that once you’re in there, you’re stuck in there to eat whatever they have to offer. As a vegan, I’m often delegated to salads—which are fine, they just don’t warm you up. So, thus the tea. I really liked it! It reminded me of a lentil soup I make with ginger, one that I had been craving. This tea warmed up up right away, and I had the energy to keep going and check out the modern wing upstairs. (Can I just say: Helen Frankenthaler and Richard Dierbenkorn? I’m surprised that I fell in love with their work so thoroughly yesterday, when I had paid them no heed before.)
This Pu-erh might not be the best, but it certainly is tied to a lot of memories of yesterday. I might have to try this for myself at home. And while Pu-erh is warming, does anyone know about a tea that is ‘energizing’? I have canvases to begin and I’m dragging. Canvas+dragging=Tea.

I am having a hard time writing this review. This tea makes me think of nothing more than sitting outside on a sunny day in the short grass. Sun is shining on your face, and the sweet scent of the lawn washing over you. There even may be a hammock involved. All of that in just a little cup of tea. Bliss. It’s a lovely image, and a really nice cup of tea. Very mellow, smooth, just a hint of astringency at the finish, just making you want to take that next sip all the sooner. It has a hint of sweetness in the aroma – I can see where Rishi finds the “sweetly toasted chestnut” from it’s product description. There are no stand-out notes in this tea for me – just a blended mellowness that I’m really enjoying. I have a feeling that drinking this on a cold, snowy December might instantly transport you to a very spring-like place.

Unfortunately for this review – outside it’s a beautiful sunny day, and there actually is a hammock. Both the cup of tea next to me, and the entire back yard are telling me I need to take this tea outside and sit and enjoy it in the sunshine. I don’t think I can hold out any longer.

(originally posted at http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/553/tea-review-rishi-tea-jade-cloud-organic-fair-trade-green-tea/)

The steeped tea was fun to pour out of the teapot. When I started to pour the tea into the pitcher it was a light yellowish orange color, then all of a sudden a blood red color comes out of the spout of the teapot. This gave the tea a dark red hue. The aroma of the tea is a mix of vanilla and mint with a licorice aroma in the background.

Wow, what an interesting combination of flavors and sensations. At first I taste the sweet vanilla, and then I feel the coolness of the mint. I few seconds later I feel the heat from the cinnamon in the back of my throat.

The tea isn’t has heavy or bold as I thought it would be. Steeping pu erh for five minutes scared me because I know how bold they can be. However, this one tastes more like an herbal tea. The only thing I’m getting from the pu erh is some astringency. It isn’t bitter at all. In fact, the sweetness from the vanilla and the coolness from the mint make it rather refreshing.

The taste is… unlike other green teas. It tastes nutty and buttery. It also has a sweet, honey-like flavor to it. There isn’t much of a grassy or vegetal taste to this green tea. The boldness of this tea matches that of oolong tea – roasted notes that linger for quite some time.

This should not be an intro tea to those trying greens for the first time as it is rather bold and astringent. The tea isn’t bitter, but the intensity of the roasted flavor can be a surprise. Although, if you want to drink green tea and you don’t particularly like the grassy taste, this would be a good one to try as it has darker qualities similar to oolong and black tea.

With that said, this is a great tea for those who are tired of the same old stuff. This Houjicha is a rather complex tea and it surprises me every time I take another sip. I have to remind myself that this is a green tea even though the taste is unlike anything else.

I love all the flavors of this tea, swirling together and creating the perfect harmony. The earthy pu-erh flavor gives a great base to the tea, while the other flavors (mint, cinnamon, and vanilla) provide depth and intrigue.

I’m also dying to try a recipe for Mexican Hot Chocolate on the Rishi website:
http://www.rishi-tea.com/Recipe-VanillaMintHotChocolate.php

Has anyone tried this recipe? How is it?

I made this tea this weekend as a cold brew – SO GOOD! I just put 2 tablespoons in a quart-sized pitcher with a filter on top, filled it with cold water, and let it sit in the fridge overnight. Delicious!

For a really easy-to-use pitcher with a filter on it, try Rishi’s:
http://www.rishi-tea.com/store/Glass-Iced-Tea-Pitcher.html

Lemon myrtle and lemongrass are yummy in this. I drank this iced, just wonderful. Versatile being good both hot and cold. It’s good for one extra brew. The second brew, the lemongrass stands out more, and I used boiling water and brewed it for 2 minutes the second go. I think I might like the second brew more the the first brew! I would buy this again.

The Sae Midori from O-Cha is my favorite Sencha. I have tried a lot of different green teas but i always come back to this one. The Sincha is also very good, i like my teas to have a sharp taste so i use 5 grams per cup. This could be a little too much for someone that prefers a lighter taste.

Finishing up the last of the sampling that TeaEqualsBliss sent to me.

My thoughts haven’t really changed much – this is a very lovely white tea.

A lovely white tea – sweet and very mild flavor. A nice vegetative note to it – it’s gentle, it doesn’t taste overtly grassy.

Thanks to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me this one to try!

Very good green tea, maybe even great.

It has a slight spiciness characteristic of a chai that I do not like. I think the flavors overpower the green tea too much.

Finishing up the last of this sample from the TTB 1.2!
This is a nice, lightly sweet tea that I think is how chamomile SHOULD taste. It is a very calming tea, but I have to be in the right mindset to really enjoy it. I’m not sure I’ll repurchase this soon, but I can see having Silver Needle around for those rare mindsets where this tea blows me away and makes me forget where I am.

Having the final infusion from earlier leaves. This tea is just so calming that I love to have it in the evening even though it isn’t caffeine free.