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.
I placed an order at Rishi a few days ago and by chance, 4 of them are what you bought, too. Looking forward to your notes for the Passionfruit Amla Gotu Kola powder, Starflower Oolong, Houjicha Sarsaparilla and Schisandra Berries.