One of the things I’ve been noticing over the years, as I’ve ordered tea from various merchants, is that common parameters aren’t always common.

Almost every tea will have directions on the back of the packet, telling you how to brew a cup of tea. Too bad they can’t agree on the definition of the word ‘cup’. A standard English definition of the word cup could lead you to believe that it would be a measurement somewhere around 8 oz. But apparently this doesn’t count in the tea world. The general rule of thumb is 2-3 grams of tea per cup. But if you don’t have the same definition of cup, that could result in some very strange brewing parameters.

Lupicia has one of the smallest definitions of a cup I’ve ever seen. They define a cup as 5 oz., and still call for 3 grams of tea per these 5 oz. I’d be afraid of oversteeping with something like this but this cup? This was an amazing cup of tea.

The product description says “Sweet nostalgic aroma of caramel and almonds. Delicious straight or with milk.” This tea leaf smells sweet. And brewed up, it’s a beautiful medium brown and smells lovely, although much less sweet. Drinking the tea straight up, it has hints of caramel and almond flavors; a nice light cup. However, I like to add splenda or honey to my black teas. And if you sweeten this? Wow, it’s amazing. Mellow, smooth caramel flavors. Rich, creamy, and sweet with an almond finish. I also tried this tea with milk, and while nice, I didn’t find that it added as much as the sweetener did.

I strongly recommend that those who like a little sweetness with their tea give this a try. It’s a lovely yummy cup of goodness.

You can purchase the Caramele directly from the Lupicia Tea website.

Smell from the bag is sweet, ripe raspberries.

I followed the directions on the sample packet: empty entire contents of bag into 8 ounces of boiling water and steeped 5 minutes.

Ahh, isn’t that pretty? Pink tea with fruit notes. But where is the green tea? The raspberries seem to overpower the tea base.

This brew is tart and tangy. It makes me feel like I am drinking hot Kool Aid. I don’t understand how Rishi can call this green tea. I taste no tea at all.

I tried for a resteep and was forced to pour out the hot pink mess. All I could taste is hot water and even that was not very good.

This should have been tagged as an herbal tea, then I might have liked it better. But with the mention of green tea on the bag and then not being able to taste the green tea base, I am left to say that this tea is not very good.

You can purchase the Organic Fair Trade Raspberry directly from the Rishi Tea website.

To be a white tea fan, one must generally appreciate tea that whispers, not shouts. Most white tea is subtle and only hints at having a flavor. Thus, Coconut Vanilla Flavored white is a pleasant surprise to a drinker of louder, bolder flavored teas. It doesn’t exactly shout but it speaks audibly, firmly, and pleasantly!

The dry tea is beautiful–big, long-legged leaves, complemented by white coconut shavings and tiny rosebuds—and would be lovely in an apothecary jar. Its aroma is smooth and sweet, not greenish or grassish.

But don’t spend too much time with your nose in the dry mix–get on with making yourself a cup, because you’re in for a treat. The steeped tea is pale, but don’t let the color fool you. It’s velvety-thick and every bit as coconutty sweet as “advertised” in by dry aroma: very, very similar in character to white chocolate cocoa.

The quality pai mu dan leaves take a second steep well. A good thing: you’ll want seconds!

You can purchase the Jasmine Green Tea directly from the TeaFrog website.

Dry smell reminds me of the ginger white pear tea. Cute lil’ rose buds are in this tea. Flowery teas are not to my liking, so I will see how this tasting goes.

A 2 minute infusion yields a pale infusion, the first sip is good…I can taste the coconut and the vanilla and the ratio is just right for both ingredients. The vanilla is a natural taste, not fake like so many vanilla flavored teas.

Another home run for Tea Frog and another tea goes on my shopping list.

You can purchase the Jasmine Green Tea directly from the TeaFrog website.

The first thing I noticed when I went to drink this tea were the directions on the side of the sample package I had. They said to empty the contents of the package into eight ounces of water and steep for three to four minutes. I have to raise issue with this as there is enough leaf in the sample package to satisfy an eight cup teapot at three to four minute steepings. That being said, I chose to not follow the directions and instead used about half a teaspoon of leaf in my small gaiwan (six ounces or so).

Boil water, rinse the leaves, steep for thirty seconds, pour into the fairness cup, serve. Repeat. I was pleasantly surprised by this tea. Based on past experiences with coconut flavoured teas, including other companies’ coconut oolongs, I did not have high expectations. In general, it seems that most companies take a mediocre oolong or black tea and douse it in artificial coconut flavouring. This one, on the other hand, got it right. The initial taste is of oolong. Plain and simple. But then the flavour of coconut kicks in, and it does not taste fake! Rather, it tastes a bit like coconut oil, and provides and delightfully sweet aftertaste.

I enjoyed this tea very much. On my personal enjoyment scale, I give it an 85/100 and would definitely recommend it to lovers of coconut flavoured tea.

You can purchase the Coconut Oolong directly from the Rishi Tea website.

What an incredible tea!   The aroma of the  dry tea leaves instantly transported me to an orange grove where the blossoms are sweet and the fruit is mature and ready to pick.   This orange grove also has some very “meadow-y” undertones which is one of the characteristic aromas of a good green tea.  I love an aromatic dry tea and I am always deeply curious as to what will become of the aroma when the tea is steeped.   The aroma typically transmogrifies under the alchemy of very hot water I have noticed.  This is a good phenomenon and means that the tea is multifaceted and opens itself up to complexity throughout its various stages from dry, to steeping, to being consumed.

I allowed the water to come to a boil and then I allowed it to cool down to approximately 175 degrees.  The tea had suddenly transformed!  No longer was I in an orange grove but I felt as if I were in the middle of a lemon grove where the trees were heavy with ripe citrus fruit and the grass was green and smelled freshly mown.  The orange aroma, however, had not gone away.  At this point it was deferring to the greater tartness of the lemons.   The taste, however, brought my back to the supremacy of the orange.    Because the ingredients include lemongrass and natural essential oils of rose, orange, lime, and tangerine, I am not surprised that the lemon made a strong secondary appearance because another ingredient is “lemon myrtle”.   I was not certain what the “lemon myrtle” is, but just spent some delightful time researching it.  It’s like lemon without the tartness and is used in a lot of Pacific cuisines.

This absolutely delightful tea seems to be more of a general “citrus” tea than a specifically orange blossom one. True, the orange provides the primary aroma for the dry tea, but the lemon sweetly dominates the wet aroma and the taste.  I might have named it “Sweet Lemon Organic Tea”.  It’s a  medley of citrus blends with the lemon taking the harmonic lead after an  orange overture.  I hope that my notes convey my general delight with this tea.   I absolutely plan to buy more.   I enjoyed it hot and think it will be a fantastic iced tea as well.   I also can see it as a soothing tea for a cold winter day; as a healing tea for any respiratory problems, and as a delightful tea for entertaining.  Rishi Tea Organic Orange Blossom will bring out the flavors of snacks sweet and savoury and will create a great atmosphere for a private conversation or a large party.  Just because this tea presents itself with a slightly confusing identity is no reason not to rush out and buy some.  If you like orange or lemon you will love this tea.

You can purchase Rishi Tea Orange Blossom directly from their website. ]]> http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/1526/tea-review-rishi-tea-orange-blossom-take-3/feed/ 0 http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/1286/tea-review-rishi-tea-jasmine-green-tea/ http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/1286/tea-review-rishi-tea-jasmine-green-tea/#comments Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:37:23 +0000 Lori http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/?p=1286

Category: Green Tea Company: Rishi Tea (website) Ingredients: Organic Fair Trade Certified green tea and jasmine flowers Vendor Suggested Preparation: Water: 180˚F / Leaves: 1 tablespoon per 8 ounces / Infusion Time: 3–4 minutes

Upon tasting Rishi’s organic fair trade jasmine green tea, I was not surprised that it was a 2009 World Tea Championship winner. It is a delightfully light, clean, and fragrant brew; the flavor of jasmine is noticeable but does not over-power the green tea flavor. And unlike other jasmine teas, the Rishi’s version is not an overly floral, perfume-y, or potpourri scented brew reminding me of an old-fashioned living room decorated with chintz fabrics, too-many knick knacks, and floral wallpaper. As, it is excellent served either hot or iced, this tea can be served year-round and any time of day.

You can purchase the Jasmine Green Tea directly from the Rishi Tea website.

The little leaves are twisted wiry leaves that are dark green in color. The smell of the dry leaves is sweet and nutty.

Recommended brewing time is 3 minutes. I started out with a 2 minute infusion. The color is light.

First smell reminds me of a Japanese green. The taste reminds me of Genmaicha. A nutty tone is present, smooth, light, savory. The nutty tone is described by Leaf Spa as a woody note. This is a “pan-dried fine spring harvest green tea from the Jiangsu province of Mainland China.”

Went for a second flush on the leaves, it is ok, but not as good as the first pot. The nutty/woodsy notes are much weaker in this second flush. All I taste now are the grassy notes. Not bad, just different from the first cup.

You can purchase the Organic Bi Luo Chun Tea directly from the Leaf Spa Tea website.

I am having a hard time writing this review. This tea makes me think of nothing more than sitting outside on a sunny day in the short grass. Sun is shining on your face, and the sweet scent of the lawn washing over you. There even may be a hammock involved. All of that in just a little cup of tea. Bliss. It’s a lovely image, and a really nice cup of tea. Very mellow, smooth, just a hint of astringency at the finish, just making you want to take that next sip all the sooner. It has a hint of sweetness in the aroma – I can see where Rishi finds the “sweetly toasted chestnut” from it’s product description. There are no stand-out notes in this tea for me – just a blended mellowness that I’m really enjoying. I have a feeling that drinking this on a cold, snowy December might instantly transport you to a very spring-like place.

Unfortunately for this review – outside it’s a beautiful sunny day, and there actually is a hammock. Both the cup of tea next to me, and the entire back yard are telling me I need to take this tea outside and sit and enjoy it in the sunshine. I don’t think I can hold out any longer.

You can purchase the Jade Cloud, Organic Fair Trade Green Tea directly from the Rishi Tea website.

Leaf Spa’s Organic loose leaf “Bi Luo Chun” green tea is a delight. The dry aroma evokes a strongly wooded vegetation–almost like a green vegetable garden with fragrant grasses that abuts right against a forest of trees.  In the distance one can detect a tertiary floral aroma–perhaps some light jasmine.  It’s most certainly an inviting, even alluring fragrance. The dry leaves are a medium  curly length;  they are not the coiled or tightly rolled balls that I’ve seen with some Bi Luo Chun teas.  

Steeped, the leaves unfurl into the typical bright green color.  The tea liquor is very brisk and bright. It does not have a lot of the buttery taste of some greens, but I’m not missing the butter here because this is more of a woodsy journey.  This astringent green tea is less delicate than many greens but the compensation is in the deep, robust flavor.  It would be a great morning tea for those who drink only green teas. It is delicious and drinking it evokes a walk in the fragrant  woods instead of a more genteel visit to a solarium or a small greenhouse. I’ve just enjoyed my third steeping and I think that this tea is good for at least one more, so it’s also an economical tea.

You can purchase the Organic Bi Luo Chun Tea directly from the Leaf Spa Tea website.