Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Rishi Tea at the WMSE “Food Slam” Fundraiser!

Support independent radio and our community at the seventh annual WMSE “Food Slam” fundraiser taking place Friday, Oct. 3rd from 6 to 10 pm!

Stop by the Rishi Tea table and try our revitalizing green tea powders, delicious chai and sweet matcha at the Eisner American Museum of Advertising and Design.

Twenty-four Milwaukee restaurants will dish out specialty entrees for up to 400 WMSE
91.7 FM listeners and supporters. A silent auction boasting more than 80 unique gifts will also benefit the non-profit, non-commercial music station. Purchase advance tickets for a discounted rate of $25 at wmse.org and feel good in your gluttony knowing that a portion of the ticket sales benefit the Hunger Task Force.

About Rishi Tea

Rishi Tea was founded on the commitment to set the standard for quality and expand the awareness of tea and its rich, inspirational tradition. We offer superb loose-leaf tea imported directly from tea gardens across Asia, made according to artisanal, ancient practices using organic cultivation techniques and Fair Trade standards. From our modest beginnings over ten years ago to becoming an established leader in the specialty tea market, our mission has never wavered.

Rishi Tea began in 1997 when Joshua Kaiser, founder and tea buyer, recognized that the traditional handcrafted teas he grew so fond of during his travels in Asia were rarely available elsewhere. Joshua felt that North American consumers would embrace artisan tea as they did single origin coffee and fine varietal wine if they were given access to it at reasonable prices. He believed the same gourmet consumer who was willing to learn the difference between a Costa Rican coffee and an Indonesian coffee, as well as develop a refined palate for wine, was also ready to appreciate the natural complexity and flavors of premium tea.

Joshua enlisted a well-traveled and longtime friend Benjamin Harrison as a partner. The Rishi team began to import and market premium teas, botanical blends and teaware from origins that Joshua frequented. Today, the Rishi team has grown into a passionate group of tea lovers who serve as guides for our customers into the world of premium tea.

We travel thousands of miles each year to the diverse points of origin where our teas are harvested, maintaining the personal relationships we have developed over the years with farmers and artisans whose families have been making traditional teas for generations. Our efforts to integrate the wisdom of ancient tea production with sanitary, efficient manufacturing practices have offered many artisan families a new means to keep their traditions alive as well as a chance to benefit from the growing market for premium teas. Our uniquely strong network in China, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, India and many other tea origins allow us to provide exceptional loose-leaf teas with an unrivaled level of freshness, quality and connection to origin.

Rishi aspires to link the leaf at origin to its end result: a revitalizing cup of tea. Every tea has a unique flavor and style that reflects its origin, varietal, vintage and artisanal method of manufacture. Rishi’s connections to the origins of tea are integral to the sustainability of our quality.

Rishi Tea’s commitment to sustainability is a core company philosophy that stems from the organic tea gardens where our teas are harvested. Our firsthand experience in many tea-growing regions led to our heightened awareness of the dire need for social responsibility. Rishi Tea was among the first to earn organic certification under the USDA’s Natural Organic Program in November of 2002 and at the forefront in the advancement of Fair Trade Certified tea, becoming one of the highest payers of social premiums from the sale of Fair Trade tea. The TransFair USA Fair Trade Certified projects with which Rishi partners directly support a better life for the tea-farming families and their communities through fair prices, fair wages, safe working conditions, environmental sustainability, education and community development.

For more than 1,000 years, tea has been the most consumed beverage next to water. Our travels, trade and study are devoted to sustaining the quality and extraordinary benefits of tea so that future generations may also benefit from it. We urge our customers to appreciate loose-leaf tea as though it were a fine wine; to brew it properly, use the proper teaware, and enjoy the clarity that each cup brings. As a winner of seven First Place Awards for Best Tea at the 2008 World Tea Championship, and the only company to win with Certified Organic tea, Rishi Tea is proud to share exceptional teas, fresh each season, direct from origin.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Rishi Tea at Slow Food Nation!

A Savory Success at Slow Food Nation!

San Francisco, CA - The inaugural Slow Food Nation event took place this past Labor Day weekend in San Francisco, drawing more than 60,000 foodies, connoisseurs and environmentally conscious consumers. The international Slow Food movement recognizes the direct connection between our plate and the planet and seeks to build a greater understanding of the role our food choices have on environmental wellness and sustainability. Slow Food, like Rishi Tea, supports fair and sustainable farming that protects the environment, our health and animal welfare, while preserving a food’s true taste.

Slow Food Nation was a wonderfully orchestrated four day tasting and educational event that helped many recognize the symbiotic relationship between food and our environment. The concept: Slow down to taste true food, understand its origins and production process. With 14 Slow Food tasting categories, many attendees revealed to us that slowing down to taste true tea was the most relaxing experience the event offered.

Rishi Tea staff were on hand infusing, serving and discussing the origins, traditions and production of artisanal tea. Among the rare offerings served were Organic Nishi First Flush Sencha, Golden Phoenix Oolong, Organic Fair Trade Ancient Pu-erh Palace, Organic Silver Needle Premium
and Da Hong Pao Oolong in intimate fifteen-minute sessions for groups of 7. Tea enthusiasts waited up to 30 minutes for a chance to taste premium teas from all over the world. Over 1000 att
endees sampled Rishi Tea throughout the event.

The Slow Food movement resonates deeply with Rishi Tea. Rishi Tea directly supports sustainable agriculture and social responsibility by offering an extensive variety of premium organic and Fair Trade Certified teas. Rishi Tea staff was honored to have the opportunity to serve tea in support of such a meaningful movement.

Learn more about the success of Slow Food Nation and the momentum of the Slow Food movement at slowfoodnation.org.