Week 4: White tea tasting with Joshua

This week we were fortunate to have Joshua in the states and also have him lead our Friday morning staff tea tasting.  We finished off the series with Silver Needle, White Peony, White Buds and Moonlight White.

It's a treat to be able to learn so much about white tea from Joshua himself.  He prepared the tea in cupping sets and allowed us all to visually inspect, smell and taste all four teas. 

He talked about the history, processing and brewing methods of all of these teas.  
 
It also got us excited about the upcoming white tea harvest.  White tea is usually harvested the last few days of March and the beginning of April.  We are only weeks away from the highly anticipated spring tea harvest!

White tea originated in Fujian, China.  From there we offer the traditional and organic Silver Needle and White Peony.  However, we also offer two white teas from Yunnan, China, one of the oldest tea cultivation zones.  Those teas are organic and fair trade certified and hand harvested from ancient tea trees deep in the jungle. Through these teas we are able to blend together ancient tea history with a newer type of tea.   


Looking back at last year, 2010 was a difficult year for farmers.  The weather was not as cooperative as it has been in the past.  Young buds were shocked with a freeze as they emerged causing  farmers to summon farming wisdom.  Despite any challenges they might have faced they still provided us with tea we are proud to share with our customers.  We are fortunate to have such talented partners at origin and have Joshua creating relationships with those who grow and process our teas.  Through that direct contact he is able to relay information on specific teas such as he did at our tasting.  

Week 2: White Tea Rose Blends

White Tea Rose Melange
A blend of jasmine and wild rose scented white teas infused with rejuvenating peppermint and calming lavender. It’s floral with a fresh minty finish.

Brewing instructions:
Water: 190°F 
Leaves: 1 tbsp per 8 ounces
Infusion Time: 4 minutes
 
Story behind the tea:   
This tea has undergone many evolutions.  At one time it used to contain schizandra berries.  The peppermint in this blend is from a single farm in Washington State.
 
Origin: Milwaukee, WI - Rishi Tea original blend
 
Ingredients: Organic roses, Organic white tea, Organic Fair Trade Certified™ green tea, Organic peppermint, Organic lavender and Organic jasmine flowers

Interesting notes:  We made lemonade with this tea!  Simply infuse the tea leaves in cold lemonade for a few hours, strain and serve cold.

Our organic peppermint!

Wild Rose

White tea infused with aromatic wild harvested roses.

Brewing instructions:

Water: 190°F  
Leaves: 1 tbsp per 8 ounces 
Infusion Time: 4-6 minutes 

Origin: Milwaukee, WI - Rishi Tea original blend 

Ingredients: Organic white tea, Organic roses and natural essential rose oil

Interesting notes: You can make cookies with this tea!

Check out our recipe: Wild Rose Sugar Cookies

Week 1 Tea Tasting: White Tea

Osthmanthus Silver Needle

Yields a nectar-sweet infusion with notes of apricot and honey.

Brewing instructions:
Water: 180°F 
Leaves: 1 tbsp per 8 ounces
Infusion Time: 5 minutes

Story behind the tea:   
The small and brightly-pigmented orange blossoms of Osthmanthus are hand harvested in the fall throughout Southern China. Little known in the West, Osthmanthus blossoms are also called “Guay Hua” in China and are used in wines, pastries, teas and perfumes.

Origin: Fujian, China

Ingredients: Silver needle white tea and Osthmanthus flowers.  

• Silver Needle leaf buds from the Fuding Da Hao varietal
• Harvest in late March–April.  Last year's harvest began on March 28th, 2010 
• Osthmanthus flowers are a part of the olive family.  It's an evergreen tree or shrub native to China

Photo from Wikipedia 

Interesting cultivation notes: Silver Needle is harvested in late March-mid April and held for scenting in September when Osthmanthus flowers blossom.  The tea undergoes scenting in September and is exported in October, arriving in late November each year. 

Silver Needle Jasmine 
Refreshing, soft and subtle with sweet flavors, smooth white tea body and a lofty floral aroma.

 Brewing instructions:
Water: 185°F  
Leaves: 1 tbsp per 8 ounces 
Infusion Time: 4-5 minutes

Story behind the tea:  Jasmine scented tea is the most common scented tea in China.  The delicate and floral aroma of jasmine pairs great with the sublte sweetness of Silver Needle white tea. Most scented teas are green and blacks. 

Origin: Fujian, China

Ingredients: Silver needle white tea and Jasmine blossoms.  

• Silver Needle leaf buds from the Fuding Da Hao varietal
• Harvest in late March–April.  The 2010 harvest began on March 28th
• Jasmine blossoms bloom in the summer 

Photo from Wikipedia 

 Interesting cultivation notes:  There are many scented teas on the market but a distinguishing factor in our tea is that it is organic.  The jasmine blossoms in our tea are organically grown.  Sourcing the amount of organic jasmine blossoms we require to scent this tea is challenging due to pests.  Pests are attracted to the extremely sweet scent of jasmine blossoms.

 

Welcome to Rishi Tea tastings!

We are committed not only to providing great tea but also creating a culture of tea knowledge that we can share with you.  At Rishi Tea, tea knowledge extends from Joshua to our sales team, our production workers, our full staff, and from our staff to our customers. Every Friday morning we conduct staff tea tastings which gives us the opportunity to spend time drinking tea, learning about tea and enjoying tea with our one another.

We invite you to join our weekly staff tastings via our blog, Facebook and Twitter in our quest to link the leaf at origin to its end result: a revitalizing cup of tea. 

Each week we'll post tasting notes and information from the prior Friday tea tasting. Please share any questions and comments you may have for us! Our 2011 tasting series begins with white tea.  In the near future, we hope to offer our weekly tea tastings to the public as well. Until then, join us virtually!  

 Susana, our resident tea geek, and Kevin, our head tea blender prepare to lead our Friday tea tastings.

Susana and Kevin serving two white tea favorites - Osthmanthus Silver Needle and Silver Needle Jasmine.

Video: Joshua & Tea Mavericks of America