Introduction - I have to confess that I have a bias for Rishi teas. The main reason for this is that they're one of only two brands of decent loose tea (real tea, not that herbal stuff) that I can find locally. I don't order stuff. It's just a hassle for me. Especially for something that has to be regularly replenished. I drink a lot of tea.
At any rate, I have tried several of Rishi's offerings and the quality is uniformly good. The tins their teas come in are good enough that they keep the tea fresh for a while. Thus, their tea (particularly the black teas) probably doesn't deteriorate much unless it sits on a shelf for a really long time. Rishi's Tins - I like to take a moment to praise the tins Rishi uses for their teas whenever I can because when you buy tea of indeterminate freshness, this can make a huge difference. All of the Rishi tins I've seen have had double lids and from my observations, are as close to airtight as you're gonna get. It is also obvious from close inspection that these things are really well made. I would pay money just for the tin (and in fact, I think Rishi sells them). They aren't just attractive but highly functional and effective. I can't bring myself to throw them away when the tea is gone so I just collect them.
My First Impressions of Rishi Earl Grey Lavender - I'm a big Earl Grey fan. I don't always drink it religiously but when I go on an Earl Grey kick, I seem to drink it constantly. And I like my Earl Grey strong.
As a general rule, Earl Grey is a tea you either love or hate. This tea from Rishi makes it even more important to consider that because it's also got lavender in it and that also seems to be a love it or hate it thing with a lot of tea drinkers.
My purchase of this tea was actually an accident. When I bought it, the only thing I saw on the label was "Earl Grey". I didn't notice it had lavender in it so it was a complete surprise for me when I got home and actually read the label. I'd like to say lesson learned but I'm sure I'll end up making the same mistake over and over in the future.
Opening the tin - When I opened it, wow! I have heard many good things about Rishi's Earl Grey and that seems to carry over favorably with this blend as well. My favorite moment with any good tea (and especially with Earl Grey tea) is when you open the tin and smell it for the first time. The bergamot in this tea definitely hits you when you open it! The lavender is a bit more subtle and kind of hides under the bergamot. You may not even notice it if you aren't looking for it. The dry aroma of this is just amazing and I knew I was going to like it as soon as I smelled it.
Brewing - The label calls for 1 tablespoon of leaves in 8 ounces of boiling water. The steeping time on the tin is 3-5 minutes. I found both of these instructions to be slightly off (for my taste). If you steep this for 3 minutes and you like your tea strong, you will probably be a bit disappointed. I tried all different times and I wasn't completely satisfied until I hit the full five minutes.
A tablespoon of leaf in 8 ounces of water also seems to be a bit too much to me (even if you like your tea strong). My best results were with slightly more than a teaspoon of leaf. And that is with more than 8 ounces. My favorite cup is more than 8 ounces. I don't know how much more but I know it's more. Possibly about 10-12 ounces.
I use a 3" mesh ball for brewing this and I find the large size of the ball allows the leaves to fully expand. It brews a perfect cup. This tea is not as sensitive to oversteeping as some black teas. I drink it with no milk or sugar. That's the true test of a great tea for me. If I can't tolerate it without adding something to it, it's not good tea.
The experience - The aroma and flavor of the brewed tea isn't much different from the dry aroma. Which suits me just fine because I was so thrilled with the dry aroma. It goes down really smooth and the lavender definitely makes it's presence known in a smooth, subtle way. Not unpleasant at all unless you don't like lavender.
The base tea (as with all Rishi teas I've had) seems to be decent quality tea. I'm not really sophisticated enough to know good tea by sight but I know it when I drink it (poor quality tea tends to make me nauseous) and there was absolutely nothing objectionable at all about the base tea flavor here. It tasted just like I would expect. Just enough tea flavor to complement the lavender and bergamot
Conclusion - For the price (around $8 US), I can't think of a bad thing to say about this tea except for one thing. It isn't (technically) a real Earl Grey. The lavender isn't objectionable and it blends very smoothly with the tea and the bergamot but it's presence is unmistakable and if what you really want is a cup of Earl Grey, sometimes the lavender just gets in the way. Which is fine if you have real Earl Grey on hand. At the moment, I don't. But that's not Rishi's fault. It is a perfectly good tea at a great price and it deserves every one of the stars I'm giving it. If you're an Earl Grey fan who likes to try different things, this makes a wonderful, soothing cup.
Miscellaneous Stuff - Like many (most?) Rishi teas, this is fair trade, organic and Kosher. This tea does contain caffeine.
Unfortunately, good loose tea can be a bit tricky to find in the US (I'm hopeful that will eventually change but I'm not holding my breath). My local Vitamin Shoppe carries Rishi and a few other brands (most of them herbals). It's fairly safe to say most Vitamin Shoppe stores would have this. It's a shame that looking for good tea has to be such a pain but I'm pleased that I've found a local source for a decent brand. Hopefully, I can count on them to continue to carry it.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.