Apr 22
Review: Rishi Tea Organic Ancient Pu-Erh Ginger
Fair Trade Tea, Ginger Tea, Orange Peel Tea, Pu'er Tea, Rishi Tea, Yunnan Tea Add commentsJamie’s Teaview Snapshot
 | "And the tea has a velvety, creamy richness unlike any other tea I've ever tasted. There's a meal like quality to this tea. "
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9/10
I will preface this review by mentioning that I'm very new to pu-erh teas. While they are interesting to me from reading alone, I've had only one other experience with a pu-erh, and that was blended in a chai, which I found too confusing taste wise to feel that I had a very clear conception of a pu-erh. To be frank, I'm still trying to get a grip on the pronunciation of the tea, I've heard it pronounced "poo-err" (that's sort of funny!) as well as "poor" (which has a bit more levity and might describe how your pocket book looks after a purchase of this type of tea...depending on which kind you choose). For those interested in outwitting the stock market but shy on precious metals, perhaps some pu'erh investments might be right up your alley. Like fine wines, some of these can mature over a span of decades, and some pu-erh teas cost in the tens of thousands of dollars range. Just an option for the adventurous investor who may have just about had it with Wall Street investment gurus...Amusement aside, this pu-erh tea is actually quite reasonably priced. Four ounces will cost you $15.75. Remarkably economical given the tremendous steeping qualities of this tea. I consistently had three very strong infusions and a fourth, quite weak but wonderfully gingery tea that tasted a bit like a tummy soothing tisane. This is a loose leaf pu-erh rather than a caked pu-erh and makes for an attractive dried leaf. The black twisty leaves are quite long and wonderfully fat. Big chunks of ginger and orange peel are liberally represented in the blend, making for a really pretty presentation.
I boiled my water and allowed it to cool just slightly. Using a tablespoon of the dried leaf to a 24 ounce pot, I allowed my initial steeping for three minutes, but played around with the rest of my sample, finding that I liked a 4.5 minute steep best. The taste is rich and creamy, distinctly pu-erh. I have struggled and struggled to find an appropriate way of describing this flavor. I suppose the traditional descriptors of "earthy" suffice, but there's a sort of healthy, almost oily fish flavor in there too. And dare I say almost the delectability of healthy smelling horse manure? The kind you'd feel so good incorporating into the garden as soon as the earth was workable? I dare, but hope you'll use caution in interpretation. I mean that in only a positive scents (I mean sense). Really, the flavor is unique. It grows on you.
The brew itself is an incredible, deep brown with a mulberry colored lightness to the edges where the light shines into the cup. Quite beautiful. And the tea has a velvety richness unlike any other tea I've ever tasted. There's a meal like quality to this tea. And a distinct creaminess, as though the tea has been brewed using something more substantial than water. The ginger is marvelous. The first infusion it doesn't jump out at me, oddly, though I know it's there. The pu-erh flavor is the centerpiece of my attention. The second infusion is nearly as rich, perhaps it is as rich, and the sweet and lightly spicy ginger starts to make itself more pronounced. The third infusion is still sturdy and the ginger begins to make itself thoroughly at home, picking up in strength as the pu-erh sort of reclines a bit. And as I said, infusion number four, while stretching it a bit, is a lovely tonic of ginger brightness. Spicy and nice.
I highly recommend this tea. And I really recommend trying it for a second time if it doesn't rub you the right way at first. You may be someone who doesn't take to the flavor of pu-erh. But then again, it may hook you the way this one did me. I would definitely like to make this an addition to the tea stash, and the rich, meal like quality of the tea makes me ALMOST feel sorry that spring has arrived in Maine. For a winter time tea, I can't think of one I'd enjoy more regularly than this Rishi Blend.
— To purchase Rishi Tea Organic Ancient Pu-Erh Ginger, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular blend, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.
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