Indie Teas

Today, I'm trying out Rishi Tea's Organic China Breakfast. It's one of the many teas I got that were first place winners in the 2009 World Tea Championship. This particular tea is of the Dian Hong style which is known as a "Yunnan Red" and is typically a high end gourmet tea. 

The Nose and Color: The color at first steep comes off as a dark red and over time becomes darker and more brown. There's a nice yellow hue around the edges which I typically have seen in black teas coming from China. The leaves are small and look chopped. I always think the darker the tea the stronger flavor it will have and this one doesn't seem like it will disappoint. At first sniff it smells really rich and strong. I'm expecting a good kick from this tea with a lot of flavor.

Tasting: Very interesting malty taste. It reminds me of some dark coffee. It's really pointed and is strong like I suspected. A good breakfast tea of course but it's the afternoon right now as I'm drinking it and I'm not really feeling it. The flavor is a little too strong for me and I'm not enjoying the malty, chocolate component on my palate.

Food pairing: Breakfast foods of any kind would go really great with this tea. I suggest something hot such as toast, eggs, or english muffins.

Price: $3 for 1 oz.

Summary: 88 out of 100. A good tea that just didn't suit me all that well. I've learned it takes a lot for me to like a black tea so I'm a little biased. The price is pretty good for the quality of the leaves so I would recommend it at the very least to expand your palate.