I picked up some Iron Goddess from this place the other day and enjoyed it.

http://www.rishi-tea.com/

What is the general consensus on this Rishi Place?

Are you getting a good product for the price?

Steve J. 4/29/05


I picked up some Iron Goddess from this place the other day and enjoyed it.

http://www.rishi-tea.com/

What is the general consensus on this Rishi Place?

Are you getting a good product for the price?


Since you asked and only since you asked, several years ago I bought a
Pu'erh Tuo Cha that they claimed was from the 1940's. It might well have
been, but the tea is garbage. I knew nothing of aged Pu'erh then, but now I
do. I feel cheated and I will never buy anything from Rishi again ever.

Michael

Steve J. 4/29/05


I picked up some Iron Goddess from this place the other day and enjoyed it.

http://www.rishi-tea.com/

What is the general consensus on this Rishi Place?

Are you getting a good product for the price?


Since you asked and only since you asked, several years ago I bought a
Pu'erh Tuo Cha that they claimed was from the 1940's. It might well have
been, but the tea is garbage. I knew nothing of aged Pu'erh then, but now I
do. I feel cheated and I will never buy anything from Rishi again ever.

Michael

I like their tins for future storage so that is worth a buck or two.
If your retailer carries the line it saves driving around town. It's
the selection carried at my Whole Foods Market. If you aren't familiar
with White tea they carry a good selection and the prices are
comparable. It is a respectable brand. You could do worse or better.
You might like the World Market brand carried at Cost Plus. But I say
ditch suburbia and drive into the city looking for the ethnic markets.

Jim

Steve J. Bryan wrote:
I picked up some Iron Goddess from this place the other day and
enjoyed it.

http://www.rishi-tea.com/

What is the general consensus on this Rishi Place?

Are you getting a good product for the price?

I like their tins for future storage so that is worth a buck or two.
If your retailer carries the line it saves driving around town. It's
the selection carried at my Whole Foods Market. If you aren't familiar
with White tea they carry a good selection and the prices are
comparable. It is a respectable brand. You could do worse or better.
You might like the World Market brand carried at Cost Plus. But I say
ditch suburbia and drive into the city looking for the ethnic markets.

Jim

Steve J. Bryan wrote:
I picked up some Iron Goddess from this place the other day and
enjoyed it.

http://www.rishi-tea.com/

What is the general consensus on this Rishi Place?

Are you getting a good product for the price?

I've bought many teas from Rishi over the last ... oh, 2 1/2 years or so.
I've liked some, didn't like others. But the kinds of tea I don't like from
them - e.g., green teas, green oolongs - I've since found I don't like from
any other dealer either. I've liked a number of their black/red teas and
their oolongs, including their standard grade Iron Goddess, which I assume
is the one you got.

I know Michael had a bad experience with them. However, I've met some of the
Rishi people, and corresponded extensively with others (though I have *no*
connection with the company at all), and believe them to both completely
honest and extremely dedicated to tea and to delivering high-quality tea
(that is: what they believe to be high-quality tea, which is all you can say
about any tea dealer) to their customers. Puer is, I think, by far the tea
that Western dealers themselves are most likely to have insufficient
knowledge of, and also by far the most likely that the dealers will
themselves get screwed on. While this doesn't excuse their apparent
ignorance in Michael's case - Michael *did* also got screwed - I do think it
explains how it happened (even if one thinks it still inexcusable). Ask Mike
Petro and other long-time Puer lovers here how many times they've gotten
screwed on supposedly old/aged Puer, or would have if they hadn't been wary
enough. I will also note that Rishi no longer carries anything like the Puer
that Michael got - their Puers now are all young or relatively young organic
cooked and raw teas. Maybe they learned their lesson on the (alleged) old
stuff.

In any case, it does seem a mite unfair to so completely condemn a tea
dealer on the basis of one bad experience. If I applied that standard to the
14-15 tea companies I've dealt with, I'd never buy anything from any of them
ever again, nor any of the tea shops I've bought from, nor any other tea
dealers I'll ever do business with in the future, because they ALL have tea,
including expensive tea, that sucks - meaning: that *I* think sucks (since
you might think differently).

Just my $.02.

Doug


"Steve J. Bryan" wrote in message
news
I picked up some Iron Goddess from this place the other day and enjoyed it.

http://www.rishi-tea.com/

What is the general consensus on this Rishi Place?

Are you getting a good product for the price?

Space 4/29/05


I like their tins for future storage so that is worth a buck or two.
If your retailer carries the line it saves driving around town. It's
the selection carried at my Whole Foods Market. If you aren't familiar
with White tea they carry a good selection and the prices are
comparable. It is a respectable brand. You could do worse or better.
You might like the World Market brand carried at Cost Plus. But I say
ditch suburbia and drive into the city looking for the ethnic markets.

Jim


Jim,

At the Whole Foods Market in your neck of the woods do they also sell "In
Pursuit of Tea" teas? They do in the WFM I'm familiar with in NYC. If they
do sell IPOT teas, I strongly recommend you give them a try. I've had really
good experience with them. Besides, OK, we're practically neighbors.

Michael

Doug Hazen, /30/05

I've bought many teas from Rishi over the last ... oh, 2 1/2 years or so.
I've liked some, didn't like others. But the kinds of tea I don't like from
them - e.g., green teas, green oolongs - I've since found I don't like from
any other dealer either. I've liked a number of their black/red teas and
their oolongs, including their standard grade Iron Goddess, which I assume
is the one you got.

I know Michael had a bad experience with them. However, I've met some of the
Rishi people, and corresponded extensively with others (though I have *no*
connection with the company at all), and believe them to both completely
honest and extremely dedicated to tea and to delivering high-quality tea
(that is: what they believe to be high-quality tea, which is all you can say
about any tea dealer) to their customers. Puer is, I think, by far the tea
that Western dealers themselves are most likely to have insufficient
knowledge of, and also by far the most likely that the dealers will
themselves get screwed on. While this doesn't excuse their apparent
ignorance in Michael's case - Michael *did* also got screwed - I do think it
explains how it happened (even if one thinks it still inexcusable). Ask Mike
Petro and other long-time Puer lovers here how many times they've gotten
screwed on supposedly old/aged Puer, or would have if they hadn't been wary
enough. I will also note that Rishi no longer carries anything like the Puer
that Michael got - their Puers now are all young or relatively young organic
cooked and raw teas. Maybe they learned their lesson on the (alleged) old
stuff.

In any case, it does seem a mite unfair to so completely condemn a tea
dealer on the basis of one bad experience. If I applied that standard to the
14-15 tea companies I've dealt with, I'd never buy anything from any of them
ever again, nor any of the tea shops I've bought from, nor any other tea
dealers I'll ever do business with in the future, because they ALL have tea,
including expensive tea, that sucks - meaning: that *I* think sucks (since
you might think differently).

Just my $.02.

Doug



Doug,

And your $.02 is a rational analysis, and appreciated. Can't say that I've
had that kind of experience with any other dealer myself save one. Also,
since the poster did ask, I related my experience to add to the mix. I know
many people who buy and enjoy Rishi Teas. In the case I described, I think
they ought to have known better, and that they probably did. They are also
an Ameican company and can be judged according to American standards.

Nonetheless all your points are well taken. Whether bad behavior on the part
of a company is typical of the company or an anomaly comes to light in
discussions such as this.

Michael

This morning drinking a very soft, gently woody, slightly sweet, replete
with other complexities Bamboo CNNP 1992 Pu'erh form Jing Tea Shop. There is
an off note in the smell of the leaves in the pot, but that note is not
present in the smell of the liquor, so I dunno. This is a nice tea, and
quite convenient. Thanks Mike for the sample.

Listening to Talip Ozkan play Saz. Perfect with the Pu'erh. (If you're
Turkish, forgive me for not putting on the Umlaut thingie.)

All things being equal WFM would be the last place to buy tea from what
I know is available on shelves in other markets. I just added my
comments because one is usually within SUV driving distance in most
metro areas. I don't remember seeing IPOT. I thought it was just a
website.

Jim

Michael Plant wrote:
Space
4/29/05


I like their tins for future storage so that is worth a buck or
two.
If your retailer carries the line it saves driving around town.
It's
the selection carried at my Whole Foods Market. If you aren't
familiar
with White tea they carry a good selection and the prices are
comparable. It is a respectable brand. You could do worse or
better.
You might like the World Market brand carried at Cost Plus. But I
say
ditch suburbia and drive into the city looking for the ethnic
markets.

Jim


Jim,

At the Whole Foods Market in your neck of the woods do they also sell
"In
Pursuit of Tea" teas? They do in the WFM I'm familiar with in NYC.
If they
do sell IPOT teas, I strongly recommend you give them a try. I've had
really
good experience with them. Besides, OK, we're practically neighbors.

Michael

Yeah, but did they make it right or just kept your wad and said sorry?
My Kunming dealer sold me a misrepresented fangcha but said he was also
conned and offered a refund and a free gratis on a future purchase. I
said the free gratis was good enough plus the purchase didn't involve a
blemished wrapper. Now what do I do with a kilo of Yunnan Black Gold?

Jim

Michael Plant wrote:
Doug Hazen, /30/05


In any case, it does seem a mite unfair to so completely condemn a
tea
dealer on the basis of one bad experience. If I applied that
standard to the
14-15 tea companies I've dealt with, I'd never buy anything from
any of them
ever again, nor any of the tea shops I've bought from, nor any
other tea
dealers I'll ever do business with in the future, because they ALL
have tea,
including expensive tea, that sucks - meaning: that *I* think sucks
(since
you might think differently).

Just my $.02.

Doug



Doug,

And your $.02 is a rational analysis, and appreciated. Can't say that
I've
had that kind of experience with any other dealer myself save one.
Also,
since the poster did ask, I related my experience to add to the mix.
I know
many people who buy and enjoy Rishi Teas. In the case I described, I
think
they ought to have known better, and that they probably did. They are
also
an Ameican company and can be judged according to American standards.

Nonetheless all your points are well taken. Whether bad behavior on
the part
of a company is typical of the company or an anomaly comes to light
in
discussions such as this.

Michael

Space 5/2/05


All things being equal WFM would be the last place to buy tea from what
I know is available on shelves in other markets. I just added my
comments because one is usually within SUV driving distance in most
metro areas. I don't remember seeing IPOT. I thought it was just a
website.

Jim


Whole sale business is IPOT's main thrust. They travel all over the place to
that end. Actually, now that you mention it, places like WFM don't jive with
your local ethnic grocer model.

Michael

Space 5/2/05


All things being equal WFM would be the last place to buy tea from what
I know is available on shelves in other markets. I just added my
comments because one is usually within SUV driving distance in most
metro areas. I don't remember seeing IPOT. I thought it was just a
website.

Jim


Whole sale business is IPOT's main thrust. They travel all over the place to
that end. Actually, now that you mention it, places like WFM don't jive with
your local ethnic grocer model.

Michael

Rishi Tea is an okay average brand. My personal feeling it that it is
not worth the price. If you like premium teas in beautiful cans, I
suggest the Fah Guo Mountain Tea brand. http://www.fahguo.com

However, which ever tea you buy, make sure you don't use boiling water
to steep the tea--it will burn it, and never tea leaves in with the
tea especially Iron Goddess, sometime refer to as Iron Buddha or any
oolong teas. The tea will turn really bitter no matter how good the
quality. Therefore, drain the tea into another cup or another container
after you have finish steeping the tea. This way when you want to
resteep it again, you are ready.

Greg

The Pu erh Tuo Cha can never be from the 1940's. That is just a load of
#$#$#. They are just there to scam the public. If you follow the
history of the min Tuo Cha, it did not start until the late 60's.

Greg

legroups.
com5/3/05

The Pu erh Tuo Cha can never be from the 1940's. That is just a load of
#$#$#. They are just there to scam the public. If you follow the
history of the min Tuo Cha, it did not start until the late 60's.

Greg



It was a Tuo Cha, but *not* a mini.

Mike Petro, when did the Tuo form first rear its head?

I think we established that most people's experience with Rishi was not
negative and that my experience was rather the exception than the rule.

Michael