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Alex Zorach

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Member since Sep. 1st, 2009. Reviewed 1448 teas.

Reviews of Teas & Herbal Teas from Rishi Tea

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Picture of Jade Oolong (Four Seasons Spring)

Jade Oolong (Four Seasons Spring) from Rishi Tea

Style: Four Seasons Oolong – Region: Nantou, Taiwan

90 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Mar. 31st, 2015

Outstanding. Probably the best Four Seasons oolong I've ever tried. Rishi consistently impresses me with their oolongs! Thank you to Kelsey for letting me brew this from your sample.

The dry leaf is a beautiful green color, very tightly rolled, and has a strong aroma suggesting shortbread cookies and a hint of sp...

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Picture of Bao Zhong Oolong Tea

Bao Zhong Oolong Tea from Rishi Tea

Style: Pouchong Tea – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

90 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Mar. 5th, 2015

I thought this tea was exquisite, probably my favorite Bao Zhong ever sampled, and among my favorite greener oolongs.

The dry leaf is quite fragrant, with a pleasant floral and vegetal aroma, and a hint of roast.

Upon brewing, the tea takes on a greener character than suggested by the smell of the dry leaf, and t...

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Picture of Ancient Emerald Lily

Ancient Emerald Lily from Rishi Tea

Style: Green Tea – Region: Yunnan, China

80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Jul. 11th, 2014

This is the most complex, multifaceted tea that I've tried in a very long time.

Purchased in a whole foods in the relatively new bulk tea section.

Dry leaf is beautiful, intact, and consists of irregularly curved, wiry leaf with both silvery and olive green parts. The dry leaf is strongly aromatic, with a fruity...

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Picture of Shu Pu-erh Classic Vintage Blend

Shu Pu-erh Classic Vintage Blend from Rishi Tea

Style: Ripened (Shou) Pu-erh – Region: Yunnan, China

57 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
May. 13th, 2014

Thank you to E. Alex Gerster for this one. I took a while to review it primarily because I tend not to be a huge fan of this type of tea. It looks like it's already been discontinued from Rishi's catalogue. There's no harvest or packing date printed on the container, so I don't know how old this is, but it tastes li...

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Picture of West Cape Chai (Rooibos Chai)

West Cape Chai (Rooibos Chai) from Rishi Tea

Style: Rooibos Chai / Spiced Rooibos – Region: Blend

80 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Oct. 1st, 2013

Like most of Rishi's blends, I really liked this one.

For some reason, I expected this rooibos "chai" to be similar to Rishi's "regular" Masala Chai, a blend that I think is top notch and that nearly everyone I talk to seems to agree with me about. But this blend is completely different. I don't like it quite as m...

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Picture of Yunnan Breakfast

Yunnan Breakfast from Rishi Tea

Style: Yunnan Red – Region: Yunnan, China

73 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Jun. 7th, 2013

I was expecting this tea, on the basis of its name, to be basically the same tea as Rishi's China Breakfast, as that tea also comes from Yunnan province. I don't know if it is a different tea, if it was simply a different batch that I tried, or if something about steeping it in a tea bag changed the character, but it ...

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Picture of Tangerine Ginger

Tangerine Ginger from Rishi Tea

Style: Herbal Tea – Region: Blend

53 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Apr. 15th, 2013

Very gingery, especially in the finish. Sour, and suggesting of sweetness but without actually being sweet. Oddly similar to fruit juice.

I found this blend interesting to try, but it was not the sort of thing I would like to drink on a regular basis because it was too sour for me. It is quite complex, however, b...

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Picture of Jasmine Tea Bags

Jasmine Tea Bags from Rishi Tea

Style: Jasmine Tea – Region: Hubei, China

80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 3/5
Feb. 17th, 2013

This struck me as one of the better jasmine teas I've had in a tea bag or sachet, if not the best. I'd compare it against Two Leaves and a Bud's Jasmine Petal, or Novus Tea's Jasmine Tea. I prefer it to both; it seemed more similar to Novus Tea's offering.

Slightly perfumey. Very full-bodied; somewhat astringent ...

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Picture of Earl Green (Bergamot Oolong)

Earl Green (Bergamot Oolong) from Rishi Tea

Style: Earl Grey Green Tea – Region: Blend

67 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 2/5
Feb. 12th, 2013

I find it interesting that this tea is sometimes presented as green and other times presented as oolong. The base is pouchong or bao zhong, and it is flavored with bergamot as Earl Grey tea is...it is NOT the same as Yongchun Fo Shou, the other tea called Bergamot Oolong, a tea I like very much.

Edgy, lemony, and s...

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Picture of Earl Grey

Earl Grey from Rishi Tea

Style: Earl Grey Tea – Region: Blend

73 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Jan. 2nd, 2013

A strong Earl Grey. Brewed as instructed, I unfortunately did not have much to experiment with, but the first time was satisfying to me so I'm writing a good review!

Dry leaf is strongly aromatic, and has a unique aroma. Brews a rich, dark color. The base tea has a strong presence, with a rich, warming quality.
...

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Picture of Blueberry Rooibos

Blueberry Rooibos from Rishi Tea

Style: Fruit Rooibos – Region: Blend

60 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Nov. 19th, 2012

Dry leaf has an intensely fruity aroma; aroma of the brewed cup is a bit more subdued. Flavor is moderately sour and slightly sweet, a little suggestive of unsweetened cranberry juice, and faintly suggestive of spiced cider.

I tend not to like predominately fruity blends like this, and I found this quite drinkable ...

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Picture of Peppermint Rooibos

Peppermint Rooibos from Rishi Tea

Style: Flavored Rooibos – Region: Blend

73 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Nov. 5th, 2012

This blend is called "peppermint rooibos", but it contains a significant amount of bergamot oil, which imparts a noticeable Earl-Greyish quality to it.

The peppermint is creamy, suggesting vanilla or peppermint chocolate.

Warming quality overall, which is unusual given how peppermint usually makes a blend very fr...

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Picture of Turmeric Lemon

Turmeric Lemon from Rishi Tea

Style: Herbal Tea – Region: Blend

80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 3/5
Oct. 15th, 2012

Very pleasing!

This blend was a lot like a lemon-ginger blend with added depth from the turmeric. I liked it much better than any straight lemon-ginger herbal blend, though. I find this blend had just the right amount of each ingredient.

The flavor is tangy but without being overly sour. Mouthfeel is peppery, ...

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Picture of Pu-erh Ginger

Pu-erh Ginger from Rishi Tea

Style: Flavored Pu-erh – Region: Blend

70 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Oct. 7th, 2012

Quite good! Rich and warming, yet zesty and fresh.

I tend to not like most fermented Pu-erh, and I am especially not fond of Pu-erh blends, but the only other blend including fermented Pu-erh that I like is produced by Rishi (their Vanilla mint Pu-erh), so I thought I'd give this one a chance too. And I liked it!
...

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Picture of Vanilla Bean

Vanilla Bean from Rishi Tea

Style: Vanilla Black Tea – Region: Blend

77 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 3/5
Apr. 21st, 2012

Outstanding! I tend not to like Vanilla teas at all; my experience with vanilla-flavored teas is that the majority of them range from somewhere between bland and vacuous, to artificial and unnatural-tasting. But I like this one, fitting into the overall trend of Rishi producing teas that I tend to like, in styles tha...

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Picture of Taiwan Ruby Black Tea (Hong Yue Premium)

Taiwan Ruby Black Tea (Hong Yue Premium) from Rishi Tea

Style: Black Tea – Region: Nantou, Taiwan

77 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Nov. 14th, 2011

I also found, like Synth, that this tea has a cooling quality. The aroma is malty up front, but it has a strong wintergreen quality to the aroma. Aroma is complex and hard to describe.

Very enjoyable and also rather interesting and different. I'm not sure I'd describe this as one of my favorite black teas, howeve...

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Picture of Bai Hao Premium

Bai Hao Premium from Rishi Tea

Style: Oriental Beauty – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

67 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 2/5
Nov. 14th, 2011

I'm normally not a fan of this style of tea, but this one was my favorite yet, probably because it was atypical. Like many of Rishi's teas, this one ventured out into a bit edgier, bolder territory of flavor and aroma that I found to be more interesting and enjoyable.

Brews a darker-than-normal color. Aroma is sim...

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Picture of Peach Oolong

Peach Oolong from Rishi Tea

Style: Flavored Oolong – Region: Blend

63 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 2/5
Nov. 11th, 2011

It was interesting to me how radically different this tea is from Adagio's peachy oolong.

Brews a very clear, light pink cup. Flavor is clean, but sour. Aroma is intensely peachy, with a strong oolong presence as well...bold, greener character, floral and herbaceous.

Compared to Adagio's peach-flavored oolong, ...

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Picture of Sencha

Sencha from Rishi Tea

Style: Sencha – Region: Kagoshima, Japan

80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Sep. 9th, 2011

Among the cloudiest / most opaque sencha's I've seen...bright green in color, even in the second infusion.

Aroma and flavor are actually very similar to kukicha...less of the seaweedy or ocean-like qualities, fairly grassy, and almost twiggy. Also somewhat matcha-like.

This was an interesting change of pace...qu...

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Picture of Ancient Shu Pu-erh Tuo Cha

Ancient Shu Pu-erh Tuo Cha from Rishi Tea

Style: Ripened (Shou) Pu-erh – Region: Yunnan, China

57 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
Jan. 2nd, 2011

I'm not crazy about Shu Pu-erh; this one was better than average though. The single-serving size of these tuo cha's is very convenient.

Brews a blackish brown, like black coffee. Aroma is earthy, but with more nuance that I'm used to in shu Pu-erh. There's a creamy quality and a hint of a savory, chicken-soup lik...

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Picture of Schizandra Berries

Schizandra Berries from Rishi Tea

Style: Fruit (Herbal) Tea – Region: Heilongjiang, China

53 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 2/5 Value: 2/5
Nov. 18th, 2010

These berries produce an almost transparent infusion: I can hardly tell that I have infused anything at all by looking at it. But the cup is strongly aromatic and the flavor is intense.

Rishi describes these berries as producing a "very tart" infusion. It is tart, and I want to point out that I often find drinks l...

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Picture of Keemun

Keemun from Rishi Tea

Style: Keemun – Region: Hubei, China

73 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 5/5
Nov. 12th, 2010

This is the first Hubei Keemun I've tried, and I will say it is quite different from other Keemuns, and in fact, quite different from anything I've ever had: count on Rishi to locate and select innovative teas, although I still can't make up my mind about whether I like this particular innovation. I tried brewing this...

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Picture of Ancient Golden Yunnan

Ancient Golden Yunnan from Rishi Tea

Style: Yunnan Gold – Region: Yunnan, China

80 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Nov. 5th, 2010

The dry leaf has an incredibly fruity aroma, like apricot.

This is a strong black tea with a very pleasing aroma and flavor. It is malty like an Assam, but with less edge. Unfortunately, there's only a hint of the pleasing fruity quality that I noticed in the dry leaf. Less bitter than you'd expect, and not very ...

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Picture of Sencha Superior

Sencha Superior from Rishi Tea

Style: Sencha – Region: Shizuoka, Japan

63 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 2/5
Nov. 3rd, 2010

Brews a clear golden color, less opaque than most Sencha. Aroma seaweedy and vegetal, and only slightly grassy. Relatively smooth flavor, with a little astringency and bitterness. Overall this is a very typical sencha. Nothing about it stands out.

Rishi's brewing instructions result in a cup that on the weak sid...

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Picture of Masala Chai

Masala Chai from Rishi Tea

Style: Chai / Spiced Tea – Region: Blend

87 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Nov. 1st, 2010

This became my favorite pre-blended chai upon the first sip. It's one of the few that I think is on par with the chai I make on my own--possibly because the blend of spices is very close to what I would use myself. I did not sweeten it or use milk; I imagine I'd like it with milk, but I think it's plenty smooth as is...

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