Rishi Tea

Last night Marika and I went out for supper with some friends from out of town, but before then we just enjoyed a mug of tea at her house. We’ve both just been obsessed with this tea lately. I mean, the notes of passionfruit are truly just INSANE in the best way.

I’m calling it – I think this is gonna be one of my favourite teas I try all year.

I feel like it’s been a very, very long time since a tea has illicited such a rapid impulse purchase from me, but as soon as I saw this scented oolong I knew I needed to try it. It delivers, too! The starflowers, which are also known as Aztec Marigolds among a few other names, have the insanely fresh, aromatic and sweet tropical scent and taste to them that reminds me soooo heavily of passionfruit. It’s actually almost uncanny how close the resemblance is; I even nibbled on a few of the flowers straight and WOW do they pack a punch!! Steeped it’s only just so slightly subdued with more of the herbaceous notes of the flowers intermingled alongside the medium bodied buttery Jin Xuan base, which anchors the tea exquisitely without detracting from such a stand out ingredient.

It’s one of the best floral scented oolongs I’ve ever tried, and easily the most unique. In fact, I already have a second bag on the way!!

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CreRTGgo94h/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdqAFFHaIrU

Iced Tea!

Buying a giant ass bag of ice to dump in my freezer turns out to have been a pretty genius move because it really lets me make super cold drinks on a whim which, it turns out, I do a lot when I have that ability.

I made this one last night as my last “tea” of the day since I just needed something to cool down with that was more flavourful than plain water. The gentle fruity tartness was subtle (I went light on the powder), but it was still very refreshing. More hibiscus than anything, but I did get some of the more tropical-ish mangosteen notes too.

Iced Tea!

My youngest brother came over yesterday evening for a BBQ, S’mores, and game night – it was the first time in five years I’ve had both my brother in the same place at the same time with me so it was pretty fucking awesome.

Neither a huge tea drinkers but I did want to make something to drink, so I ended up whisking a bunch of this powder with some sugar to make a pitcher of sweet iced tea for us all to enjoy and it went over very well. With the sugar, this wasn’t too tart but it still had that lovely deeper berry-like hibiscus note with the tropical edge from the mangosteen. Really refreshing, and perfect for an assortment of watermelon, burgers, and other backyard type snacks.

Iced!

I got a Rishi order earlier this week – I haven’t order in ages (like, YEARS) but they had a tea in their new Garden Select drop that featured a flower I’ve never tasted before so my curiosity got the better of me. I took the opportunity to add in a bunch of other teas and tisanes I’d been half curious about for a while – including this powder!

Credit where credit is due – this is one of the most vibrantly coloured powders I’ve ever come across from a tea company, both as dry leaf and when whisked up. So violently and richly magenta in hue! It was also super smooth after whisking it with no textural issues at all; overall just such a pleasant experience with the preparation. Usually these types of powders are gritty or sludgy and just not the most pleasant.

The taste was pretty good! I wasn’t sure if it would be insanely tart and too hibiscus forward, and I’m relieved that though there was a lot of tart pucker-y notes of hibiscus it was more refreshing and not wince inducing. I felt like it was hard to pinpoint specific notes of mangosteen or mulberry but the fruity tropical tang and berry undertones definitely were more layered and nuanced than just straight hibiscus so it was evident this was a blend of multiple fruits.

I wouldn’t call the drink flat because it wasn’t, but there was definitely an almost “papery” dry quality to it, and though acid was represented I felt like there wasn’t enough sweetness to balance out the cup. On one hand, I appreciate that it’s not a sweet powder because that means there’s full control over what someone may want to add to sweeten the drink. On the other hand, I’m kinda lazy and I wouldn’t have minded a light addition of a sweeter ingredient in order to create more balance from the get go.

Next time I make this I’ll definitely be added some type of sweetener – I just feel like the foundation is super solid but it needs a little something something.

Recently, I’ve been doing a full-on Marie Kondo inspired cupboard clean out. Sold old teaware online and gave away a bunch of teas that didn’t “spark joy” anymore. In the process, I re-discovered teas that had been lost in clutter. Such was the case with this tisane which had been sitting in the back of my cupboard for over 5 years. I almost tossed it thinking it was probably stale but I’m glad I didn’t.

It brews up a beautiful, deep burgundy and the smell is reminiscent of another favorite tisane, Tim Horton’s Apple Cinnamon tea. The taste of this tea is warm cinnamon rolls followed by plum and then cranberries. Adding a touch of sweetener really enhances the flavor and brought out apple cider notes. I didn’t realize until later there was hibiscus in this blend as there’s no sourness. It just adds a gentle tartness to the tea.

I haven’t had the greatest luck with Rishi flavored teas but this is one of their better ones.

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I got this as a free sample with a Rishi teaware purchase. I was actually tempted to order samples of several of their teas, they have such interesting fruity tisanes. But I was good and only ordered the glass teapot I wanted, and then was happy to see this sample in the box! Thanks, Rishi.

However… I feel like this is misnamed. By far the strongest flavors are the lemon and yuzu, it ends up being mostly a citrusy tisane. I do taste a bit of the eucalyptus, which pairs nicely with the savory pine notes of the yuzu. No quince though, it seems to be overpowered by the strong citrus character.

It’s still a yummy tisane, it just doesn’t really match the name IMO.

This is my first genmaicha, so I don’t have a frame of reference, but I love drinking this. It has a nice creamy texture and the aroma between the rice and green tea reminds me a bit of furikake. A second steep with half as much water yields a tasty second cup.

I drink this tea occasionally, mainly for medicinal uses. I play a LOT of tennis, and therefor have a lot of joint aches and occasional pains. I think turmeric does help but I have no empirical data. Anyway, this is a good tasting albeit strongly-flavored tea. But if it were weak, I wouldn’t drink it! I normally don’t like licorice root in tea, but it isn’t a dominant note here. I add a plant based cream to it (Nutpods Original from Publix is my current favorite) to make it smoother. Recommend.

Sooooo bitter. I only steeped this for 3 minutes and the cup is absolutely ruined.

I guess this is a good tea if you like English Breakfast. To me, this tea is virtually undrinkable, as it is too astringent. I guess this tea is made to be mixed with milk and other stuff. I was expecting something else. Their website suggests drinking their Chinese tea varieties, such as Yunan tea, as you can drink that as a standalone tea with no mixers necessary. Lesson learned.

I have had received two pyramid sachets from derk which were, I suppose, mostly for my collection, but tea inside is actually very fine as well.

I am not generally fan of turmeric, moreover with ginger. But I have decided to try it, because, what doesn’t kill you, tries to kill you again.

The aroma was quite spicy and earthy, but also citrusy somehow.

Brew, is naturally very yellow, but in terms of flavours it is balanced combination of name ingredients. Again, the orange flavour was there too, although I can imagine it being stronger and more pithy like. It was zest like. But overall good and tasty tea.

I see that I have commented under derk’s note that I will have nice tea enviroment as well. I wrote I will need a tea pot, which is still true (still haven’t bought any), but there is some from past workers, so I may use that one. Sadly, my desk is rather small and sometimes I have so much papers around I have almost no space to put my mug anywhere there. And the shelves I have? They are full of other papers and books necessary for my work. Exceptions were different back then.

Had this during a late lunch on a cold day. Pretty good for a tea bag. Not as astringent or strong as I expected. Malty and caramel.

1/21/22
One of my favorite night time herbal blends. Soothing.

Nice. Very good. Everyday tea.

Great mouth feel. No bitterness.

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Found this one little lonely sample from Rishi Tea, yay easy sipdown!

The chrysanthemum is definitely at the forefront at the beginning of the sip, and it has that interesting soft floral-yet-peppery quality to it. The floral is a bit hard to describe, it does somewhat remind me of chamomile, but with a noticeable musty note that fades to tasting a bit like pollen smells. There’s definitely sweetness as well, and perhaps a hint of dill? The oolong comes forward mid-sip, and dominates the latter half with its sparkling mineral notes and nectarous florals, along with a slight dried fruit note in the aftertaste.

An interesting one to try for sure, probably not something I would reorder just because I would rather have a chrysanthemum blend be caffeine-free for the evening, plus this is rather expensive.

The water dispenser at work. Have I ever tried the hot water spigot? Of course not. For some reason, for 2 years, I thought it probably doesn’t work. Until I saw my coworker make his ginger tea the other day. I’m such a dweeb.

Another coworker came into the office this morning and suggested we have a tea party. (I’m like, “Girl, you don’t even know!” YESSSSS!) She displayed 4 different teabags, all with ginger and this was my choice.

A big ol’ doozy of spicy-rooty tea. Licorice root lends sweetness. The orange and lemon peels/essential oils really brighten up the taste without overpowering the tea’s namesake. Lemongrass serves as a soft bridge between the high, zesty citrus notes and the low, earthy roots. The licorice root and citrus flavors become more agreeable and harmonious as the tea cools — licorice root is at best tolerable for me and I don’t often enjoy the combination of citrus and ginger in tea.

I put the empty envelope in my inner jacket pocket to remind me to log this and I got whiffs of rooty spice from under my jacket all day.

I happen to love turmeric. If you like it but don’t like the heat of a megadose of ginger, you best avoid this warmer. If you like a little burn, I say go for this one. It’s megafresh.

Little sample from a tea box. This one surprised me with how tasty it is. I’m not even adding sugar, which is rare for me. It’s a nice buttery, slightly savory flavor. Not something I’d seek out, but tasty to try!

Here’s a nearly 2 year old tea I found buried in the back of my cupboard. A happy discovery as I’m exploring more low caffeine options for the evenings.

I blended it with a little white silver needle since these fruity teas are usually too potent for me on their own. Served in a tulip shaped Turkish teacup which showed off its gorgeous scarlet red color. The tasting notes on the Rishi website were spot on. It tasted like tart cherry or pomegranate juice thanks to the hibiscus and berries. The cranberries in the mixture accentuate the tartness and blueberry is also prominent in there, especially upon resteep.

Not usually a fan of tart teas especially hibiscus but this was decent. A little sweetener would have enhanced this tea too.

Buttery yumminess! I bought a cup of this from a bakery I went to today and it was a really good cup of green tea! Other than that I don’t remember much about it but If I ever order from Rishi I’d probably get some more of this.

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Okay, finishing off the remainder of the sample cold-brewed in the fridge for a few hours.

It’s a little better I think – the ginger is still very aggressive, but the citrusy notes of the yuzu are more prominent, which helps temper it a bit.

Still not something I would reorder, but it’s an improvement at least! XD