Rishi Tea Giveaway!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Plum Blossom Teapot from Rishi Tea
Today marks the First Day of Spring! You know, the season when cherry blossoms bloom, pheromones abound, and people come out of the woodworks to frolick in the sun. Spring also happens to be when Rishi Tea’s organic white teas are hand harvested in Fujian, China.
Early spring organic white tea harvest in Fujian, China
These particular varietals are harvested only once a year in early spring when the first leaf sprouts and buds are at their peak of flavor, aroma, mouthfeel and sweetness. Oh spring beauty, how fleeting you are.
I saw Rishi’s beautiful handcrafted Plum Blossom Teapot on their newsletter and thought it would be the perfect prize for Lick My Spoon’s Very First Giveaway!
If you’re not familiar with Rishi Tea, they offer loose-leaf tea imported directly from tea gardens across Asia, made according to ancient artisanal practices using organic cultivation techniques and Fair Trade standards.
Founder Joshua Kaiser travels thousands of miles each year with his team of tea buyers to the diverse points of origin where the teas are harvested, maintaining the personal relationships developed over the years with farmers and artisans whose families have been making traditional teas for generations.
Rishi Tea believes that every tea has a unique flavor and style that reflects its origin, varietal, vintage and artisanal method of manufacture.
Now, on to the PRIZES!
Plum Blossom Teapot, handcrafted in Tokoname, Japan, a region renowned for natural ash glaze pottery. Tokoname’s ancient pottery kilns are thought to date back to the 9th century. Today, Tokoname teapots represent some of the world’s greatest and most functional teaware.
The handcrafted, hand-etched Plum Blossom Teapot exemplifies the iconic Tokoname kyusu. Highly refined clay and masterful technique yield an impeccably smooth, yet unglazed surface. The Ita-Ami (fine mesh stainless steel filter screen) gives this teapot superb function for premium loose-leaf teas.
(Diameter 3.25″, Height 2″ (not including lid), Approx. 8 oz by volume)
Nishi 1st Flush Sencha, Organic Japanese Green Tea is a light-steamed “asamushi” type sencha from the “first flush” harvest of spring when the highest quality tea is produced. It’s refreshing and brisk with a pleasant bitter-sweetness and greenish-golden infusion color. Its unique flavor comes from a special blend of unique Japanese tea bush varietals cultivated in Japan’s Kagoshima prefecture.
To win these lovely prizes, simply leave a comment here telling me: What’s your cup of tea?
What interesting tea flavors have you come across, or what is your old standby? Winner will be announced next week on Friday, March 27th.
Update: Congrats to Danielle M, winner of Lick My Spoon’s Rishi Tea Giveaway!
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my favorite cup of team is mildly steeped jasmine. however, i often go after a strong black tea. when i eat dim sum it is chrysanthemum all the way!
Mint herbal is my favorite… but for a great hidden find – visit Leland Tea Company on Bush St at Polk! My company does a holiday tea party here every xmas season. You can mix your own flavors!
I love getting a green sweet lemon tea at my local coffee shop.
May Canadians enter? I don’t really have a favourite kind of tea, but my standby is Earl Grey.
yes yes, canadians welcome
Recently I had an amazing lavender tea at a friend’s house. She got the tea on a small farm in Vermont and promised to write a guest post about it on my blog sometime in a future.
Hi Natasha,
Mmm that lavender tea sounds divine! Can’t wait to see the guest post! Would love to learn more about it.
My favorite tea is frsh chamomile tea from my garden. I love growing it and then drinking it. It is sotthing and good for the tummy.
That teapot is so pretty. Mariage Frères has a great selection! The Latin Lover (great name, huh?) smells so spicy and delicious.
English Breakfast is my boi!! Sometimes with milk and sugar, sometimes not. (Also – not to be gross but I must share this secret – the anti-inflammatory properties of black tea are SENT FROM GOD for cramps.)
The tea I have every morning is a custom brew at home. I’m going to best describe how it tastes.
The first sip has a smooth oak texture which brings me back to my childhood dining with my family over dim sum. There’s also a slight but not over powering “smokey” flavor when it flows down the mid pallet of your tongue. The finish has a refreshing and tangy after taste since the tea was brewed with mint leaves and sun dried cranberries.
A cup of good tea after dinner is a must. My favorite is Oolong Tea. I also collect small teapots made of some special clay in China. I would like to try that lavender tea.
I’m kind of new to tea,but the more I learn or try,the more I love it! Chamomile and most green varieties have never done me wrong.
My favorite one is Sau Mei, Chinese Green Tea : )
My favorite one is Sau Mei, Chinese Green Tea : )
BTW I love your blog!
My standby’s are a green and black tea mix, sometimes with flavor (watermelon and lavender are good), for a treat I make my own chai, using milk to brew tea then adding spices and vanilla or sweet tea make with a simple syrup (for a party I make ice cubes using fresh or frozen fruit). Love the mesh in the teapot and it’s a beautiful teapot.
Wow Kim, I have to say that I am very intrigued by your post. I never thought about mixing different tea types, let alone brewing tea in milk or adding spices/fruit. But it makes sense, how else would we have gotten chai, an apricot flavored tea, or even tea-smoked fish? Seriously thinking outside the box there, Kim. You got me inspired. …btw, I’m a sucker for sweet tea too and where can I find watermelon tea??
I buy watermelon loose tea at a tea store in San Diego, but I’m sure you can find it at local store. Once you make your own chai you will never use powder again, and you won’t pay someone else to serve you powder mix at really high prices
Love your giveaway! I love the Japanese green tea and my stand by would be Chinese green tea or oolong tea.
I love chickory tea. It has been my morning standby since I stopped consuming caffeine. I used to be more of a coffee buff.
We usually drink various black teas Assam being one of many favorites. I’m always sneaking in some white or green tea when we make a pot to get the health benefits of those combined with the flavor of the black. This is probably sacraligious, isn’t it?
Monkey dragonwell. One sip in the morning refreshing the senses. Known as one of the most expensive teas, monkeys are used to climb up trees for this delicate tea.
Honey along with a few tea leaves starts the day. Medicinal benefits include lowering cholesterol and acts as anti oxidant.
I love so many teas. My favorite right now is African Nectar by the Mighty Leaf tea company!
I love Mighty Leaf Tea Company!
I am a huge fan of Greek Mountain Tea (Faskomilo), and Indian Kashmiri Chai; but I like most teas and I do enjoy Greek tea as well!
Woops! I meant to end with “I do enjoy GreeN tea as well” but it’s all GreeK to me!
lol
My cup of tea is a nice simple green tea with a little bit of honey. Yum!
I love mint herbal tea. I also fell in love with lemon grass tea on a trip to Thailand….mmmm…..
I drink a steaming cup of tea every morning. My favorite is loose-leaf Lapsang Souchong. I love to make a pot of Lapsang Souchong tea to share with my family every morning.
This is the first time hearing about Lapsang Souchong Tea. After reading about the description from Wikipedia (below), I’m definitely going to pick some up. Thanks!
Lapsang souchong is a black tea originally from the Wuyi region of the Chinese province of Fujian. It is sometimes referred to as smoked tea. Lapsang is distinctive from all other types of tea because lapsang leaves are traditionally smoke-dried over pinewood fires, taking on a distinctive smoky flavour.
The name in Fukienese means “smoky variety” or more correctly “smoky sub-variety.” Lapsang souchong is a member of the Wuyi Bohea family of teas. The story goes that the tea was created during the Qing era when the passage of armies delayed the annual drying of the tea leaves in the Wuyi hills. Eager to satisfy demand, the tea producers sped up the drying process by having their workers dry the tea leaves over fires made from local pines
My favorite cup of tea is one I can’t get anymore. Back when bubble tea was really flourishing, there was a tea shop that I was very loyal to. Unfortunately, the shop only lasted two years. But to this day, I think about my favorite cup of lavender milk tea. I’ve tried finding a replacement but it is just never the same.
At home, I’m a genmai cha girl. I have a cup almost every morning during the winter.
hi steph- i love all teas but recently i enjoy peppermint tea and passion tea.
Gorgeous teapot! I am currently enjoying a pineapple rooibos. I have always been a BIG tea fan.
The tea pot is so cute! May I quote Thai tea for my favorite? I just love to have it both hot and cold with milk in it. Taste like Chai tea, I guess. It is very refreshing.
My vote’s in for the Chinese Long Jin @ US$200 for 500g! I got a feeling that I’ve been ripped off & felt like an idot paying that kind of price during a recent trip to Hangzhou, China. Fortunately, I wasn’t the only fool among the group of tourists from Singapore
We were told it was the premium range that we’d bought & somehow, we were under their spell. But I must say the Long Jin tastes & smells good. Best part of all, I don’t have to add hot water. The sales staff told us that we can just add a pinch of the tea leaves into our jug of water in the fridge & I’ve been drinking cold tea since then!
Blackswan,
http://luxuryhaven.blogspot.com
How on earth does a tea steep without hot water? Magic tea leaves!
Interesting site you have there!
The teapot is very pretty. I love the orange color. I vary my tea a lot but my favorite is assam breakfast tea.
My cup of tea Apricot Black Tea from Lovejoy’s Tea Room in San Francisco.
Such a gorgeous teapot!! My old standby is Chai tea. But I love tea and always drink a wide variety like cinnamon, peppermint, peach-green, mint-green, ginseng-green, and lots of strong black tea, especially in the morning.
Okay, let’s see if this works! My all-time favorite tea is Formosa Oolong – I love it’s subtle, peachy flavor!
success!! glad to have you here
Lavender Tea with Honey. It’s good, it’s local, and organic!
Eric
I’m intrigued about this Lavender tea. Is there a brand you go for in particular?
There are a few lavender farms here in Washington State that I visit and I pick it up directly from them. I know, not fair.
Eric
Jasmine tea is probably my favourite tea when drunk as iced tea & chai would have to be a favourite hot tea of mine. Two very different teas for different occasions.
Earl Grey and peppermint are my favorites. I also like to try out some home made herb mixtures.
Dear Mr. Cooking Dad,
I would like to know more about this homemade herb mixture you have concocted.
At certain dim sum places, we order “guk bo”, which is a mixture of chrysanthemum and jasmine tea. Pretty solid!
I like the tea they serve in chinese restaurants that you don’t have to pay for and sometimes can wash your hands in after eating shrimps.
My favorite cuppa is Darjeeling tea (regular or passion fruit) with a splash of half & half and a table spoon of honey!
@ KIM, MIKAN, & ERIC:
I’m also a sucker for floral teas like lavender and rose. I think it’s an acquired taste though because most people think they took a sip of potpourri instead. *shrugs*
My favorite tea at the moment is taro root tea. It’s amazingly yummy and served at one of the local Vegas tea houses.
My standby? Orange spice tea (any brand) with sugar and a splash of milk. Or chai.
My cup of tea is Japanese Green Tea, However in Chinese restaurants….it isn’t available all of the time…..so I always order Long Jiang (chinese green tea ) and it taste very close….
English breakfast tea with a spoonful of honey and a quick pour of milk. yumm!
..I’m BIG into tea – I don’t drink coffee (simply dislike the taste), and asking for milo seems a little childish (: I’m so into green tea like you wouldn’t believe – the best place, a sushi train down the road, does the most perfect cup. Good for the odd cold here and there too!
My very favorite tea is one that my supervisor gave me. I is a mix of Jasmine and Hoji-cha( roasted green tea). The way that smokiness of the green tea complements the delicate flavor of the Jasmine.. Well, lets just say that I am running out, even though I try to save it for ‘special occasions’. After a particularly stressful day at work, I find that by adding just a splash or either Brandy, or a Good hearty Scotch helps take me to a beautiful place where I am mistress of my destiny! Hahahaha!! But that could just be because of the alcohol.. Anyways, I like it best in a cup and searing hot. No sugar, no milk.. Delicious!
haha right on, Danielle. nothin like a hotty toddy to make all your worries disappear!
I have a favorite that I’ve been unable to forget. I went to a quaint little tea shop down in Virginia called the painted lady when I was younger. It was just a simple raspberry tea, but nonetheless it was incredible. I wonder if it’s still there, does anyone know?
Hua,
The “guk-Bo” you are talking about is the mixture of chryanthemum and pu-erh tea, not jasmine. Pu-erh tea is a product of Yunnan, China. Steph should remember when we were in Yunnan few years ago we went visit a tea house and tasted different grade of pu-erh teas. The good one can be thousand dollars a Kg.
thanks for educating us mom
i remember the tea house and how they would package it in these big cakes stamped with an indented imprint. i remember we were all feeling very good after all the tastings!!
I’m kinda boring…just strong black tea for me.
Matt
I’ve been drinking green tea chai every morning. I do stray to Moroccan mint bagged teas every once in a while too.
My fav is Green Tea straight up.
my usual lover is green tea; preferable variation would be japanese brown rice tea. however, the most interesting flavor i have ever encountered was vanilla roobois.
being true to my chinese roots. I am a fan of “diet guan yu” and that’s allllll. [: