Ri$hi's New 2008 Whites

[greenisgood]

Has anyone with a much larger teafund than I purchased either of Rishi's new harvest Minqian white teas? I ask because any white tea that costs more than the best gyokuro I know of has to be either the best white tea ever or a complete rip off. Not that anyone's descriptions are going to convince me to spend a dollar per gram on 60g. of white tea, I'm just wondering...

[Chip]

mmmmm, 5 bucks a session.

[Wesli]

has to be either the best white tea ever or a complete rip off.

More likely somewhere in between.


Check this out though...

If the weather is too hot the buds mature too fast and the prime buds open to leaf before they can be plucked. These almost open buds will lack the freshness or schwuen taste that the Chinese look for in spring white tea.

Now look at the picture. Notice any leaves opening up off the buds?


Hahahaha. Looks like they put their own feet in the bucket this time.

[hop_goblin]

Good observation Wes! You see what spending all of your time ruminating about tea can do for a person!!

[greenisgood]

I've always felt bad for the poor intern at rishi who has to sort through a bag of tea and arrange the best leaves in these neat little circles, and they probably only get paid in year-old "sweet matcha" and a few $5 ounces of blueberry rooibos.

[chrl42]

Sources tell me that, Silver Needle is officially not graded. But rather white tea itself is graded as Bai Mu Dan and Gong Mee.

And white tea is relatively cheap tea compared to green or oolong

[nezha]

I feel like Rishi's Minqian white teas are probably good teas and also a total rip-off.

Teaspring has 2008 Minqian Silver Needle and Mingqian Bai Mu Dan, both from Fuding, Fijian, for a fraction of Rishi's price. I've had the Bai Mu Dan so far, it's very lovely, really the most refreshing tea I've ever had, no regrets about not spending on Rishi...maybe you're paying for all the tea folklore they've thrown up with the meticulous picture.

I'm new to the forum, by the way, and I'm happy I finally found a topic to chime in on. I'm the worst at introductions tho. [/url]

[greenisgood]

Welcome to the forum, I don't think that was a bad initial chime in at all. I'm pretty sure some of my first posts on tea forums were complaining about Teavana being a rip-off, but unlike rishi the teas there are not probably good.

[PolyhymnianMuse]

I got a couple samples of stuff from rishi sent to me free by a friend, no white teas however. I got their dong ding, some other oolong, and i think 2 green teas from them all I really enjoyed but prices are deff quite steep unless your buying by the pound. Pretty much all the tea on rishi comes out even with other sites i've looked at if your buying it by the pound, I can't really say the quality is any better/worse elsewhere though.