As a general rule, I do not buy expensive tea from a grocery store. I do buy some Bigelow, Twinings, and Celestial Seasonings...nothing wrong with that.
But they sell tins of Rishi at my local grocer...so what is the deal? Is their tea actually quality? Or do they sell quality, but not in the grocery store? I don't get it.
Rishi is ok.
If I run out I pick up Rishi to tide me over
If I run out I pick up Rishi to tide me over
“Take some more tea,” the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.
“I’ve had nothing yet,” Alice replied in an offended tone: “so I ca’n’t take more.”
“You mean you ca’n’t take less,” said the Hatter: “it’s very easy to take more than nothing.”
“I’ve had nothing yet,” Alice replied in an offended tone: “so I ca’n’t take more.”
“You mean you ca’n’t take less,” said the Hatter: “it’s very easy to take more than nothing.”
May 6th, '09, 13:13
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auggy
I have been pleasantly surprised at some of the Rishi stuff I picked up at the local vitamin store. Of course, I had really low expectations of it because who knows how long it had been sitting there. I think overall it is decent and it can be convenient to be able to pick some up (plus, I like their tins). I have a tin of their Keemun in my desk drawer, actually, that I enjoy quite a lot. Not as good as Adagio's Keemun Rhapsody but good enough.
May 6th, '09, 13:38
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May 6th, '09, 19:12
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May 7th, '09, 00:02
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i haven't ordered anything from them yet..but I did write them a few questions and the response was quick and personal. actually had quite a dialog going one evening back and forth. it was quite nice so I am going to order something from them soon..i was actually thinking of their sakura sencha just to try it as theirs is "all natural" vs Den's which uses some additional flavoring
i live near a small whole foods that offers Rishi. since they have reduced shelf space they keep their stock quite fresh. I buy them once in a while as i like to reuse their tin (they have double lids). they make quite decent cold brewed ice tea.
I was browsing their website after i saw their names on the tea expo winners. When my tea stock goes lower i will order some to compare with the store products.
I was browsing their website after i saw their names on the tea expo winners. When my tea stock goes lower i will order some to compare with the store products.
I usually don't order things from their website that I can get in a store, so I can't really add any comparison (I really doubt that the products differ, some of their greens even come in a tidy little vacuum pack inside the tin itself, but it use to be a lot less clear with their old online pricing).spot52 wrote:I appreciate everyone's input. And fmoreira272, I will be awaiting your assessment.
Cheers!
Just want to point out that they stamp an expiration date on the bottom of all their grocery tins, and it seems to be ~2 years from the time of packing for all their teas. That way you can tell if it's fresh or not.
May 11th, '09, 09:20
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Yes, seems to be the norm to stamp expirations on the package of tea. I almost wonder if it is required by the USDA or FDA?teadrake wrote:Just want to point out that they stamp an expiration date on the bottom of all their grocery tins, and it seems to be ~2 years from the time of packing for all their teas. That way you can tell if it's fresh or not.spot52 wrote:I appreciate everyone's input. And fmoreira272, I will be awaiting your assessment.
Cheers!
Anyway, expiration dates are pretty meaningless to many tea aficiodados who would prefer actual harvest information instead. This way we can decide if it is fresh enough for our enjoyment.
blah blah blah SENCHA blah blah blah!!!
By fresh, I meant more along the lines of "hasn't been sitting on the store shelf for 3 years."Chip wrote:Yes, seems to be the norm to stamp expirations on the package of tea. I almost wonder if it is required by the USDA or FDA?teadrake wrote:Just want to point out that they stamp an expiration date on the bottom of all their grocery tins, and it seems to be ~2 years from the time of packing for all their teas. That way you can tell if it's fresh or not.spot52 wrote:I appreciate everyone's input. And fmoreira272, I will be awaiting your assessment.
Cheers!
Anyway, expiration dates are pretty meaningless to many tea aficiodados who would prefer actual harvest information instead. This way we can decide if it is fresh enough for our enjoyment.
I agree, it would be nice to have that information from every-vendor-everywhere. I could go into detail as to why I don't obsess over harvest details myself, but I'm lazy, I'm at work, and I choose my words very slowly.