Rishi Tea

This was one of Rishi’s seasonal blends this year, and I’m glad I placed my order when I did because it sold out verrrryyy soon afterwards. The dry leaf might just be one of the most stunning herbal/fruit infusions I’ve seen in a long, long time. Deep ruby red cranberry pieces with long strips of yuzu peel and rosemary peppered throughout…

I don’t know if I ever would have thought to try cranberry and yuzu together, but it’s a really fantastic, sophisticated feeling pairing. There’s a lot of aromatic, upfront brightness and tart, tangy notes from both of the two fruits but the cranberry adds a thicker, almost jammy element that keeps the infusion from feeling shrill or sharp and the yuzu has that grounding, almost (but not quite) medicinal and pithy feeling element that balances out the acidity and sweetness. Rosemary and yuzu?? Also inspired because the combo really creates this fresh but pine-like note that goes well with the wintery cranberry and builds on this really festive sort of feeling.

I can picture myself drinking this in place of a mulled wine or cider while at a Christmas market, after a chilly afternoon skiing or tobogganing at a cabin/chalet, or picking out a Christmas tree from a farm to bring home. You almost want to have it in a big crock pot and ladled out into those metal camp-style mugs. It’s a whole mood and I am HERE for it.

Pot of tea!

This was the tea that finally caused me to cave and place this giant Rishi order in the first place. I’ve never had plum blossoms before, and was deeply curious what the flavour would be like. Though I intend to play around with a bunch of steep methods, I ended up doing this as a larger Western pot of tea that was shared with a coworker as this was the tea in my order she was most personally curious about as well.

The initial flavour was much different than I’d expected. Insanely full-bodied and rich with tannic, malty top notes and a lot of upfront woodiness as well. Not bitter, but just a little bit drying in a way that took a small teacup or so to get a little adjusted to. Once “acclimated” I felt like I got much more of the almond flavour that Rishi speaks about in their description. Somewhere in between a more roasted tasting almond with some umami to it and then also at times something a little more silky and smooth, akin to fresh almond milk. Also worth noting that despite the nuttiness and slight creaminess this was not a very naturally sweet tasting tea at all. The undertones were quite complex with elements of dark cherry skins and also a bit of a more heady floral component.

I’m curious to see if this one grows on me as I become a little more familiar with its quirks. I didn’t dislike it, but there was a bit of a “spark” missing from the initial tasting that kind of had me more on the fence. I will say, though, that it was a LARGE teapot and it didn’t really take me that long to finish it off – and those final sips were met with some disappointment there wasn’t more to pour. Which is a good sign for future brews.

Gongfu!

A few weeks ago I went over to Marika’s for the afternoon to catch up and, of course, drink a shit ton of tea. I’m not really a big sencha person and I know she isn’t either, but I got this in my recent Rishi order because the sake component really fascinated me and I wanted to share it with her because I thought she’d probably have that same curiousity.

We only did two or three steeps, but they were quite nice and smooth! I wish the flavour of the sake was a little bit stronger, but I definitely think there was a lot more of a peachy sweet fruity note and like a smooth, honeyed persimmon flavour that wouldn’t have been present in the green tea were it not for the sake. It balanced out well with the fresh, oceanic umami.

Not a favourite, but really interesting and worth sampling despite my green tea aversion. I feel like I might like it more cold brewed or even just Western style, so definitely some experimentation with this one still to come!

Gongfu!

Enjoying a session of this one as I continue to slowly make my way through this recent tea order! This unique cultivar brews up such a beautiful mahogany red liquor with subtle purple undertones to it. Not in taste, but it does kind of remind me of blueberry skins. Even more so in person compared to how it looks on camera. The liquor is very, very thick, and there’s a little bit of bitterness (not a complaint) in the top notes that likely comes from just how heavy-handed I was when portioning out my amount of tea leaf. I’d describe the body of most steeps are quite rich and woody with a mix of oak and apple skin notes that trail off into a more heady, aromatic and rose-y floral finish. At a few points I got just a bit of fleeting sandalwood. Quite complex!

I slept in today for the first time in what feels like months and took a bit of an advent detour with this first gongfu session, so it’s going to be a busier afternoon playing catch up. Well worth it, though!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DDugt9dpwqv/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHbNtOc1oxc&ab_channel=Vilde-Topic

Gongfu!

Right around the start of the month, I got my rather large Black Friday order, so I’ve been enjoying slowly steeping up and exploring all of those teas in between the advent madness. It’s easier some days than others. This one was so lovely, though! Deeply full-bodied with a thick, syrupy liquor. The tasting notes are a mix between dark woods, malt, and leather and punchier, more saturated flavours of waxy red fruits and black cherries. Just a bit of spice that dances on the tip of the tongue and rounds out the finish. If you’re a fan of black teas from Thailand or just looking to try this somewhat lesser-focused on terroir, I think this is a really great tea!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DDe4y0fRYOa/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLrQ_A7mVsw&ab_channel=ObongjayarVEVO

I really like this tea! LOTS of flavor. Sure it’s more expensive than many others, but it’s worth it. Will definitely buy again. Love the combination of Sencha and Matcha. Great quality.

So I have this pile of Rishi samples that I picked up when I ordered another of the glass steeper that I like to use (they call it a “Simple Brew Teapot”, it’s like a French press but the strainer disc doesn’t plunge down). I’ve been trying to just clear out small lingering samples and things lately, so going to try to drink at least one of these a day until they’re gone.

To be honest, this mostly just smells like turmeric. Thankfully, the taste is not nearly as potent as the aroma. It is definitely turmeric-forward, and the ginger is noticeable as well. There’s a mellow fruitiness, but honestly I was hoping for more, given the list of ingredients? It’s not specifically mango to my palate, though I do pick up on the pineapple. Sort of just turmeric and ginger with a mild fruity sweetness to it. Fine and drinkable, but nothing super special. I wish I could taste more mango, the lime, and the jasmine.

Gongfu!

Today, I’m sipping on some Genmaicha while keeping cozy indoors. It’s Thanksgiving (in Canada) today, but also really grey and drizzly outdoors so something toasty and warm seemed appropriate as an interlude to some of the more decadent, spiced and otherwise Autumnal feeling teas I’ve been drinking the rest of this long weekend. I’m brewing with water just off a rolling boil and very, very flash steeps for more of the nutty and roasted brown rice notes and less of the green tea, my personal preference when it comes to a standard Genmaicha such as this one. Hope everyone else celebrating today is staying warm and drinking good tea!

(A quick note that this is a backlogged tasting note – so a belated Thanksgiving post.)

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DBHR3UhSDTI/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl18B1E09h0

Thanks to Kaylee for sharing some of this!! I mixed it with cold milk, and it was definitely interesting! Sometimes it tastes like celery, which isn’t my favorite. Other times, I could really taste a tart flavor that’s reminiscent of sour candy. I had passionfruit a few days ago, so it’s pretty fresh in my mind, and it’s not exactly the same, but I can definitely feel the direction it’s going!

I enjoy green teas but Rishi Matcha Super Green is a BIG NOPE for me. First of all the IMAGE posted on steepster that shows longish thin needle shaped tea is NOT at all what this stuff looks like in the tea bag so I don’t think this is processed like sencha maybe it’s some kind of leftover product from food grade matcha who knows. The shape of the leaf in the teabags are irregular shaped bits NOT long in anyway but triangular broken bit so who knows that is going on in reality. So, I haven’t been tea shopping in a long time, well over a year. When I saw the boxes of Rishi teas I was skeptical because you know there is so much marketing in everything. I was looking forward to trying it and I tasted it tonight. It was underwhelming and disappointing in flavor and scent.
POSITIVES: The tea leaf is GREEN and not stale brown or yellow.
NEGATIVES: Well, I’ve had better sencha with “matcha?”
To my tastebuds this is just lacking in flavor it tastes like dirty water with a slice of radish in it. If I use my imagination… well even if I use my imagination I am not finding a sweet note, I am not tasting a grassy note, I am smelling a slight grass scent if I stick my face into the cup. It is also quite bitter and I did not overbrew it… I’ve made green tea quite a bit. The broken leaf shape in the tea bags do NOT look like longish sencha leaf which I tend to see on better tea. Sorry but everything about this was disappointing and the box cost $10.00 for a few teabags. I’m going to say this is all marketing nonsense like usual for Americans who have not had really good tea. Rating it harshly. Looking between 1 point and 35 points I am only going to rate it a 1 because frankly I don’t want to waste my money on this it feels a bit of a scam almost. I will NOT buy it ever again and I would NOT give it to someone as a gift. Tea like this makes me want to NOT try any more teas at this price. I don’t see where I can post photos but if I can perhaps I will add a photo of the tea leaf later.

Smooth, not too floral. Medium body.

Excellent daily green tea, with a soft, almost sweet green taste. Like very fresh garden peas.

You know how when you wait a long time for something, it’s hard to be sure that the thing will be as good as you’d hoped? I waited a year to get my hands on this tea. Kelly and Marika spoke so highly of it on GeekSteep that I really wanted to try it!

And you know what? It lived up to the hype! This tea is really, really good. It’s got such a wonderful passionfruit flavor to it -sweet and tart – on a base that complements it perfectly. I got sidetracked with life and the second cup cooled off, which resulted in a pretty different (and still delicious) flavor profile. Cold, it’s not as fruity. The thick mouthfeel and dark honey notes of the base tea come out more. The sweetness here reminds me so much of a bug-bitten tea, although as far as I can tell it isn’t one? Really looking forward to playing with this more. Thanks to Kelly and Marika for the remarkably good recommendation!

Exceptionally smooth! Maybe a little roasted nutty creamy with some vague, airy almost floral, almost aquatic blue-green quality. A shaded pocket of water lillies? Energy is strong, permeating; it is seemless with and complements my own. The powder is moist and oh so soft and fine. It whisks with ease and creates strong foam qquickly. Particles do not precipitate out of suspension.

Expensive but clearly excellent. This might be my favorite matcha.

Happy this turned out well yesterday for my boyfriend’s brother and his fiancee. Especially so for her since all her matcha experiences had been notsogood up to that point.

Had this hot with a little bit of milk – nice and strongly brewed. It was a very nice English Breakfast with a lot of really rich, robust malt and biscuit type flavours and almost a caramel-like undertone. Made me think a little bit of Lotus Biscuits, like what would traditionally be dunked in a nice cup of tea – but, like, “pre-done” in tea form. Really hit the spot.

An elixir, for sure. I don’t know what to think. I’m not too fond of the smell but I really like ginseng and schisandra for some reason, so I drink. This second serving from the sample packet has too much licorice root. If peppermint weren’t a part of this healthy hag recipe, I don’t know that I’d enjoy it as begrudgingly as I do.

I got a sampler envelope of this with my Rishi order. I like it, it’s a great everyday green tea. Grassy, vegetal, fairly mild in flavor. I would buy this on a future order.

Very, very classic tasting peppermint tea. Nice and strong with a super cooling sensation in the back of the chest after each sip. Only real downside is that the finish was a little more muddied tasting, and lacked the crispness I’ve tasted in other straight peppermint. That’s very nit-picky of me though – it’s a perfectly fine peppermint tea overall.

I’m cold. It’s cold outside. Need a cup of something. This was lying on the counter and I’m feeling lazy. Though honestly I feel like I should save this for when I get sick. This is a perfect waaabam for hitting those colds right in the face. The dry aroma is a zinger of ginger. Oooo wee. Yup. GINGER! The turmeric is there to but it’s subdued like an understudy for a Broadway play.

TTB tea! This was spicy and dirty tasting. It wasn’t that great. There was way too much licorice, so it was weirdly sweet. It was better with some soy milk.

A solidly good Earl Grey that I enjoy drinking. Wish it had a little more bergamot.

Really like this tea! It’s not showy, but it is what I expect from Earl Grey. Perhaps a bit more bergamot? I am drinking this every morning now, competing with my husband.

A bit less round and greener Rooibos flavor than the BK Tea Rooibos Chai. Thinner midpalate too. Some licorice sweetness, but an accompanying, slightly off putting seaweed taste.