Rishi: An Even Dozen New Blends
It’s not quite winter yet, but it is officially fall. Now that everyone is back to school, and the weather is slowly chilling, it’s the season for tea. We’ve tried out some teas from Rishi before, and have been generally impressed by their blends, as well as by their consistent quality and commitment to organic sourcing. Over the last few weeks, we’ve been trying out the various brews in Rishi’s 2010 New Blends Sample Set.
It’s an impressive, and impressively varied, set. Most anyone should be able to find a blend they like, and others will pique interest even if they won’t be your favorite. For instance, we were kind of skeptical of the Bergamot Sage, but it turned out to be a pretty soothing tea, with a bit of mint that made it good for colder mornings or nights. And there are three kinds of chai included- Green Tea Chai and Vanilla Mint were fairly good if not wowing- and a Chocolate Maté and cacao/coconut blend that was deep and held up well to some milk and a bit of sugar.
We loved the Coconut Oolong: subtle, fresh, and easy to like, it was our favorite overall. And there are several others that were appealing- a Hot Rod Green that aims to be energy boosting but tasted a bit medicinal, Serene Dream for pretty much the exact opposite effect, featuring lavender and chamomile. The Tumeric Ginger was a bit unbalanced, and tasted a bit too anise/licorice for our tasters, and the Hibiscus Berry looked and smelled wonderful but like many herbal teas tasted a bit flat. At $44 for a set, you also get a total of a dozen 1 ounce samples to try at a slight discount over normal pricing. A great way to try out some great teas, and even if the White Ginseng Detox and Red Ginseng Recharge don’t appeal, it’s still a decent value.
