Rishi Tea

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.

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

Rishi has some great teas. This would not be one of them. The batch I bought had what I can only describe as a sharp, acrid, almost chemical-like taste. Not at all pleasing, especially after having experienced some exceptional oolongs recently, including a great Darjeeling oolong and several great tie kwan yins (Iron Goddess). I gave my Wuyi to a coworker, who finished it in a few weeks. Hey, different strokes.

I’m very picky about my black teas.
This is one of the best I’ve found!

I wanted to revisit this tea and give it a proper evaluation for 2 reasons…

1.) This tea is still by far my favourite oolong. And Rishi must have just released their latest and greatest crop into the public because the flavour of my most recent cups of these tea were different from the flavour I’ve had from previous shipments. It’s always been really good, but what I just had is INCREDIBLE. I can’t stop!

Pairs best with fish and spicy foods, but also makes a lovely mid-morning/mid-afternoon treat.
Also, I recommend brewing this in a glass teapot. It’s so beautiful! A teaspoon of Iron Goddess unfurls to fill half of your teapot. I’ve seen few teas that do it like this one, so set the glass pitcher in front of a window and just enjoy the show!

2.) Rishi announced that they are donating 20% of their proceeds from this season’s sale of Iron Goddess to an organisation that is working to provide relief efforts in Haiti. They posted this article in their most recent newsletter:
http://www.foodthinkers.com/2010/03/the-enduring-oolong-of-compassion/
Pretty awesome.

Three things I’m crazy-passionate about include:
-Excellent tea.
-Fair Trade efforts or acts of charity.
-The philosophies surrounding Avalokitesvara/Guan Yin/the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy (so much that a related prayer [the mantra of compassion] is tattooed on me.)

… So this whole ‘awesome-delicious tea / 20% going toward Haiti’ -thing pretty much makes my day. It’s the perfect excuse for you to try it if you haven’t yet. And if you’ve had Iron Goddess of Mercy in the past, and enjoyed it, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the latest crop. It’s fantastic. :)

I like how it swells to like 500 times its original size after the first infusion. Hehehe… gets me every time. :)

No contest. My favourite oolong!!!!!!!!!!

A nice tea. Deliciously malty and nicely balanced. Not as strong of a caramel finish as some other Golden Yunnans, such as Itoen’s, but it’s organic (not a small consideration given Chinese farmers penchant for pesticide spray) and fair trade. And there is something really cool about having wild-harvested tea from 1,300-year-old tea trees.

I was so surprised by how much I loved this tea!!

Great for the white tea lover, who wants a slightly different take on the usual. So good!

Oooooooh! Update from the last time I had this! So… I got the POUND of Pu-erh Vanilla Mint that I ordered! Mwahaha, I was so excited!
So to celebrate, last night I did as Rishi recommends, and I brewed it like a chai. Half milk, half water, and 2 tablespoons of tea per 12 ounces. It was very good (when you smell it you’re going to think of Andes Mints or Girl Scout Thin Mints!) but I, personally, prefer it just brewed with water. It creates SUCH a dark brew, but it’s not bitter at all, and it’s just… awesome. It’s awesome. You should try it. It’s awesome.

Have a great day!

THIS… IS… THE… BEST… TEA… I… HAVE… FOUND… IN… AGES.

I cannot imagine anyone disliking a single thing about this tea. Even me… usually I’m not a mint person. But I cannot drink enough of this. It’s incredible. A very new blend from Rishi, and it’s sure to get rave reviews once people start trying it.

Also… I was incredibly impressed to see the reference to Yak butter tea that is a rumoured delicacy from Tibet. I’ve heard of Yak butter tea on numerous occasions now due to the personal interest I take in that part of the world, and have yet to come across anything that would compare to it.

Rishi’s reference to this rarity is what sold me, but the tea’s taste is what I’ve found to be beyond impressive, and is sure to please.

Spicy and almost coffee-like in flavor. I love it so, but the caffeine hits so hard that I can see through time after one cup.

My household cannot function unless there’s a bag of this in the cupboard. Spicy, sweet, and earthy with just a tiny touch of caffeine. It’s delicious all of the time, but it’s particularly great if you have indigestion or a cold. Plus, the chocolate chip cookie recipe that incorporates Maghreb Mint-infused butter is just incredible – try it sometime! – http://www.rishi-tea.com/Recipe_02.php

Drinking this at Common Roots. Good black tea for a dreary Monday.

Enjoying this tea once again. Nothing better than a delicate green before stepping out into this windy weather we are having here in the northeast.

I ran out of green tea (gasp) and grabbed this at Whole Foods to hold me over. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. It was floral and nutty at the same time. I drank a whole testubin full :)

Bright and tasty, note of seaweed and light fruit nots like kiwi fruit or something I couldn’t put my finger on it to save my life.

Loved it!, I got sick and decided to have this tea by itself, it was like having espresso with caramelized sugar notes.

I did this tea as a celebration of the first episode of GTTV. I was so bummed how bad it was, I had the 2008 vintage, and it was bitter , very bitter, needed more aging, damp soil and mushroom notes on mid-back palate.