Featured & New Tasting Notes
I didn’t think I liked white teas. In fact, I didn’t think I liked this tea. But two days ago, I had it again for the first time since I started paying attention to water temperature. Delish. Light, grassy/vegiteal, and easy to drink. I’m adding it below the oolong on my this-is-all-I-want-to-drink list.
Standard mug – blue pottery. 1 tbsp. gently steaming water. 5 minutes.
Second brewing. 6 minutes.
I was hoping to try a third brewing but I fear I might be tea-d out for the evening.
White teas scald and get bitter REALLY easily if the water’s too hot. Also shorter steeping times might help with the taste as well.
Oooh, this sounds good. Rishi and I have been getting along quite splendidly thus far, so this one might have a place on a future order.
You should try a silver needle – I find those to be particularly lovely. Most vendors make one and they’re typically good across the board. Of course, I love the one from my life partner – Samovar.
Jillian ~~ Thanks. I’ll try steeping it for less time next time I make it.
takgoti ~~ I think the only silver needle I’ve had was in pyramid bags. I don’t remember being impressed with it. But it was bagged and back when I was just starting to drink anything other than black teas and flavored black teas. I will remember that though next time I buy white tea.
I googled Samovar because I wasn’t quite sure it wasn’t your gf or bf and you were referring to a tea gifted by them. =)
Considering that I had the teabag version, the tea was very fine. It helps me survive while I’m waiting for the good stuff to be delivered, because to my horror I could not get any loose tea in Madison, WI… Actually I don’t think I’ve seen much of it anywhere since my arrival in the US over 2 months ago…
This Blueberry is certainly my friend. My friend is going to be gone after today and will be missed. Maybe it will be reincarnated some day (another purchase). Regardless – I am going to enjoy the time we will spend together today. (See how many resteeps I can get).
You wake up to the sound of your alarm, and reach over to hit the snooze button. But you realize that your alarm clock is a blueberry. Confused, you sit up and reach to turn on the light, except that the light is a blueberry. You reach to pull back the duvet, only it has been replaced by a sheet of blueberries. Panicked, you run into the bathroom to look in the mirror, and…YOU ARE A GIANT BLUEBERRY.
Open the package and take a whiff, and it’s like every single entity in your realm of consciousness has been replaced by blueberries. The scent is strong, young Skywalker. Luckily, I like those little blue pellets, so this is an enjoyable experience for me.
The scent continues to waft up sweetly when the tea is brewing. The taste is a similar to the blueberries as well – slightly tart, but with an unmistakable sweetness [if you get good ones, that is]. The sweetness in this tea arrives in the finish and lingers in the aftertaste.
For me, the rooibos in this is almost unrecognizable. When I do taste it, it’s in the aftertaste, but it’s not strong.
I’m curious to try this iced.
So far so good, Rishi. You’re two for two. Can you keep it up? CHALLENGE EXTENDED.
You crack me up. “YOU ARE A GIANT BLUEBERRY” will be running through my head all day.
Eeexcellent. My evil plan is coming into fruition.
The I AM A GIANT BLUEBERRY aspect of this tea is what I disliked so intensely about it. I actually pouted to my husband, “I am not going to continue to sit here if that can of tea is sharing the same table.” He made the correct choice between the hideously strong blueberry tea and me. He loves me more than blueberries. I’m pleased.
@Carolyn: that made me laugh… I do the same thing with DH and his (extremely noxious smelling, insanely expensive) single malts. Sadly, he usually picks the single malt!
That tea does sound totally yum. The GIANT BLUEBERRY remarks reminded me of Violet’s end in Willy Wonka.
totally Willy Wonka haha! I love blueberries so much and have never had a rooibos before, but now things may change- are there same health benefits and fabulousness feelings teas are giving me in rooibos cuz I know its not really tea ..weird …what the heck is it then?
@kat If you love blueberries, this could be the tea for you. Rooibos isn’t technically tea, it’s from a different plant, but it is supposed to have additional health benefits.
My box of tea samples from Adagio came today. The samples are all in tiny tins! It is very cute, but I’m not sure what I will do with so many little tins once I’ve finished the tea.
This Decaf Tropics has an excellent flavor and fragrance that makes me think of sunny days on a beach sipping a drink with an umbrella in it. The fragrance is true to the flavor.
The black tea base is ok. It isn’t Lipton, but it isn’t up to the grade of my favorite black teas either. It has more tannins than I like and a slight bitterness. Also it doesn’t have much complexity. (On the other hand, it’s better than most grocery store tea. However, I’ve been getting spoiled with the great black teas I’ve been trying.) I steeped it for 4 minutes. Next time I’ll try 3 minutes and see if that improves it.
Despite my slight disappointment with the black tea, the adept hand Adagio has with the flavoring makes up for the dull tea. It is pleasant to drink and a good bedtime tea. I look forward to trying the rest of the samples.
I like to keep a couple of small tins around so I can dump small quantities for transport. Beyond that, I haven’t a clue. I could probably build a fort, at the rate that I am accruing them.
I always thought that the ‘duller’, less distinct black teas were always used deliberatly in flavoured blends so that it wouldn’t interfere with the flavour.
takgoti: Build a fort! That’s what I need to do then. ;)
Jillian: That makes sense. However my favorite flavored teas feature interesting black teas as well. For example, Golden Moon’s Honey Pear combines the flavor with a very good black tea so that the flavors integrate and are distinctive in their own right as one sips. Also the complexity and lovely notes of the black tea in Upton Tea’s Mélange de Chamonix are an important part of the blend and would be missed if they’d used an uninteresting Ceylon black.
I love Adagio’s little tins! I keep all of them and sometimes there is a little fort of them in my pantry. But they slowly go away because I use them to give people tea samples. Also, when I get bulk tea from the store, I don’t get a ton and they fit in those little tins so nicely (much better than the clear plastic bags I buy them in).
Steeped for 1.5 minutes. The tea wasn’t bitter but I couldn’t taste and strawberry or current flavours in it with this short a steeping time. The mix of green teas seems a little weird because you lose the individual flavours and characteristics of each tea.
Wow. That IS short. Is that what they say to steep it for? Strange. If you name a tea “Japanese Treasures,” I’d expect it to knock my metaphorical socks off. Sounds like this is a miss.
The recommended steeping time is 1-2 minutes, so yeah. I used to like this one when I was less educated in ‘the way of tea’, lol, but I think I have higher standards now that I know what good green tea tastes like.
Did half milk/half water + sugar and tea and brought it to a boil. It’s like chai with a splash of creamsicle. Or if I made a light masala chai using my orange milk instead of normal milk. (Yes, I have orange milk – it is gooooood).
Ok, this tea sounds simply delightful, one. But two, ORANGE MILK? That sounds uh.maze.ing. Where? Where?
Promised Land brand milk – it’s a seasonal flavor that I picked up at Central Market (which, if you aren’t familiar with it, is a gourmet/hippie grocery store). I also got the tea at Central Market. Yay Central Market!
I wouldn’t bother logging it, but it has been very good to me. I’ve been at home, sick, for the past five days. Part of this sickness has been a hacking cough. Yesterday I had a cup of this tea and felt tremendously better. I slept through most of the night and the cough is much better today. My plan is to drink huge quantities today.
Man, everyone’s been feeling under the weather lately. I really hope I don’t fall prey to the sickness, knock on a really big wooden table. Hope you feel better soon! [Drinking lots of tea is always a good start.]
Thanks! I’m doing much, much better this week, and back to drinking real tea! :)
Although the directions call for a boiling-steep method, this tends to make a very astringent concentrate best diluted with milk and sugar. When done in a bag and steeped for 5 minutes at 200F it was weak and disappointing. However, when left loose in a mug of water at around 208F and allowed to sit until cooled, you get a warm spicy cup, a nice balance. Be wary of tea leaves in your teeth!
This is the first and only so far oolong tea I’ve ever tried.
My local Earth Fare had several Rishi loose teas 50% off and this is one of the several I brought to try. I did not know if I would enjoy it at all. I haven’t been too fond of unflavored black teas so far and thought an oolong would taste similarly. To my surprise, I loved it. It rapidly became one of my favorite teas of the current batch in my apartment. I start drinking and before I know it I’ve consumed the whole pot already.
I’m about to drink a pot of the second brewing of this set of leaves.
I logged about the epiphany I had surrounding oolongs a while ago – they caught me off-guard too. They’re really quite amazing when you catch a good one. They’re also one of the few types of tea I’ve found that consistently evolve through steepings.
I haven’t tried this particular one yet, but enjoy your second steep!
I have found that all three steepings are quite drinkable. I’ve yet to try brewing a fourth. I do look forward to trying other oolongs in the future so I can see how they compare to this one and if I continue to enjoy them so much. Do you have any favorites that you recommend?
try flavored oolongs!
This organic Earl Grey is made using the same ancient assamica tree leaves as Rishi’s regular Golden Yunnan. The leaves here are much darker than in the Golden Yunnan either as a result of the scenting process or, as I suspect, because it’s less tippy (has fewer buds). Truth is, if you’re planning on scenting a tea, it makes sense that you wouldn’t use a lot of buds, the flavor of which will only get overwhelmed by the bergamot. Anyway, this brew yields a rich liquor with a great citrus taste that doesn’t taste medicinal the way some some cheaper Earl Greys can taste. A nice tea, as my grandmother would say.
A nice travelogue about the ancient Yunnan harvest can be found at http://www.rishi-tea.com/travelogue/Fair_Trade_Organic_Tea/slides/Map_of_China.php.
Another good article about the wild Yunnan harvest can be found at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/21/world/asia/21tea.html?scp=7&sq=tea&st=cse
Preparation
LOVE this tea. Just ordered two lbs as a birthday present for myself. The sheen of cinnamon oil on the tea is awesome. I’m a big fan of cinnamon altoids and this is like one big cup filled with them! Great fall/winter tea! Ditto on this tea not needing any sugar.
I’m a huge fan of this tea iced…but this morning in my sweat pants and hoodie, I’m drinking it hot. And it’s great! I think there are one or two blueberries floating about that I might have to fish out and eat. Tasty cuppa!
Although, after looking at the fuzz covered blueberries in the picture, I might pass on eating them today.
My first experience with this tea wasn’t the best. But it’s grown on me over time. I now drink this every morning. I enjoy using the loose leaf tea with my cast-iron tea pot, as it really adds to the whole “tea making” experience. Contrasted against the boring tea pouches you drop in your cup.
I recommend this to all my friends already, so I’ll recommend it to you.
I had high hopes for this tea after I smelled it – I thought it might compete with Teavana’s Rose Marzipan for a place in my heart. Well, it doesn’t quite make it but it’s close. I feel like it needs just a little extra something to make it really wow me. It’s sweet and I love the almond with the vanilla peeking out at the end but maybe a touch of maple or something would add that oomph I want it to have. Also, it tastes a little thin but I’m not sure how to change that. I made it strong enough that I can feel the affects of the caffeine so I’m not sure how to make the taste bolder without causing someone at work to beat me with a hole-punch due to hyperactivity.
I have to admit that I have been on a bit of a coffee kick as of late…usually having a cup every other day or so in the morning. In an effort to eat healthier I have cut out the coffee but surprisingly this chai has filled that gap quite nicely!
I tend to brew my chai a little differently though (hey, I think it tastes great). Usually I throw it on the stove top the night before, bring it to a simmer and let it do its thing for 10-15 minutes. I then chill and repeat in the morning to get a really strong brew and add some almond milk and a splash of agave nectar. Yum!
BTW, the subtle jasmine is refreshing and really rounds out this chai tea.
This tea is what I was thinking of when I was a child and making imaginary magic potions that could heal your lifeforce or imbue you with magic. The tea itself is a feel good item and can lift spirits. It allows you to shrug off discomfort, like it was some kind of winter coat and just feel good.
It has a cool blonde liquor and a mild smell like tanned leather or some sort of soft herb like tarragon. The taste has notes of butter and hay, like some impossible grain beverage. There are no truly bitter flavors present.
