Introduction - Since I discovered Rishi loose teas at my local Vitamin Shoppe, I have been steadily working my way through one tin after another. If you're into tea, you probably know how hard it is to find loose tea without ordering it. I've been pleased with the overall quality and variety of Rishi's offerings. I've sampled a couple I wasn't crazy about but I haven't tried one that was outright bad yet.
Packaging - Rishi's Jade Cloud (nice name) is similar to the Spring Green that I reviewed a whole back. It comes in a nice, double-sealed tin that keeps the tea about as fresh as can be expected. Sometimes the top lid is a little loose on Rishi's tins but the inner lid is always quite snug. The two tins I've had of the Jade Cloud didn't come with an inner foil bag but I've read elsewhere that Rishi has started using them so that's one more layer of protection until the tea is ready to use.
It may seem overkill but I've seen a couple of really poorly done tins from other companies and the tea suffers badly in those things.
Brewing - Like the Spring Green I reviewed earlier (and most green teas), Jade Cloud can be a bit fussy to brew. The label recommends that you use one tablespoon of leaf per 8oz of 180 degree water for 3-4 minutes. Now I don't have a thermometer (yet) so I can only guess on the water temp. but I've found the tea is a bit too astringent for my taste (regardless of the brewing temperature) if I use more than about half of what the label recommends in a 12 oz cup.
Flavor - Well, I'm sipping a cup right now. I have two tins of the Jade Cloud so obviously, I do like it. The flavor is nice. It's fresh and clean with a bit of sweetness. If you get the brewing just right, you get a nice vegetal flavor as well. I usually get about a third of the way through the cup and I start to get that nice green tea aroma.
Like most loose leaf I have tried so far, you can infuse it multiple times but the first infusion is generally the best if you like a nice, full flavor. The second infusion is still pretty good but it starts to get too astringent for my liking on the third. It's inexpensive enough that I'm happy with two infusions from a teaspoon of leaf.
Conclusion - It seems the most important thing with this tea is not to use too much leaf. If you do, unless you like your tea really astringent, you probably won't have an enjoyable cup. It doesn't seem to be too sensitive to temperature as long as you don't boil it.
If it matters to you, the tea is Kosher, organic and fair trade certified. These things are nice to know but frankly, you can't taste them so it's nice to know it's a good, basic tea first and foremost. The price isn't bad for the convenience of being able to pick up a tin locally. I think I like Rishi's Sencha better but they were out of that.
Three 2.1-ounce tins (total of 6.3 ounces) Highly popular green tea with refreshing sweet-nutty finish and aroma of toasted grain From celebrated "fir...More at Amazon
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