Opinions about Rishi

[beforewisdom]

I went to a Matcha shop today ( yes, I know I am lucky to have one within driving distance of me ).

I was hoping to buy some quality sencha when I was there.

The place sold very little tea and what they did sell were boxes of Rishi brand.

I asked the clerk about the quality of Rishi sencha, telling her that of the two types I tried that didn't require a mail order, none of them were actually green in color when the tea was made.

She told me Rishi did pour and stay green. She also added that bulk Rishi was what they used in the shop.

I didn't buy the box of Rishi sencha as it was $16 a box. I could do better with o-cha.

BUT

My question here, given that experience, is what do people think about the quality of Rishi tea? Is the quality good enough for a tea shop and competitive with a tea I would send away for, say o-cha.com ?

[Chip]

In the past the sencha that they imported in nitro flushed packaging for individual sale had been pretty good. Not sure about bulk teas they import and then package. Though I am not sure what they are doing these days ...

I guess given a choice, I go with O-Cha based upon pricing and value (enjoyment derived in relation to price).

[beforewisdom]

I went back to the Matcha Time Cafe yesterday day and tried the Rishi sencha.

It was in bulk ( I ordered a pot ).

I lounged over the pot with a friend for a long time. The tea came out green and stayed green over at least two pourings. It also had a fresh, grassy, astringent smell/test.

I'm glad you pointed out that there might be a difference in Rishi's bulk products and tea bags, but the sencha I had was so nice that if I ever find myself just having run out of tea, waiting on new supplies, I will certainly give Rishi sencha a chance.

[debunix]

The only Rishi tea I've had that was a total fail for me was a green tea, and since at that time I'd yet to enjoy a single cup of any green tea--I had no idea about different brewing parameters, tried to treat it like my dark oolongs, it's no surprise that it was a fail. I've not had their sencha or matcha, but I'd be comfortable buying pretty much anything from them in the situation you describe--ran out of your regular supplies, want a reasonable quality tea to tide you over. I'd anticipate it being tasty enough to finish off without regret.

[beforewisdom]

Yes, making green tea with boiling water and steeping it for 5 minutes is not going to produce nice results .