One more Rishi tea for ya and then I,ll call it quits with Rishi. This Bao Zhong being such a good value at $53.00 lb. I thought it deserved a mention. Of all the times Ive bought more premium quality Bao Zhongs I admit that at least half of the time Ive been somewhat disappointed. Even Hou De,s Bao Zhongs were not all that great, at least in my opinion. Rishi,s Bao Zhong is a fraction of the price of the "gourmet type" Bao Zhong,s and in some ways the flavor is just as good if not better. It has that floral, spice aroma. Brews a cup with good clarity. The aroma reflects in the flavor as well. Judging by the dry leafs appearance, it looks to me that this tea has a little more oxidation than most Bao Zhongs, probably to coax as much aroma as they can get into the leaf. Mouth feel isn't quite as full as some others but it,s alright. The only reason I,m posting about this tea is that it,s such a good bargain, has a lot of the aspects you look for in a good Bao Zhong. Has it,s limitations also but at their price it,s not difficult to overlook that. I think in a blind taste test this tea could fare better than you'd think.
Glad you posted about this. I feel that this is an excellent tea and surpasses expectation considering the price.
ReplyDeleteI really like the spicy and floral aroma. I usually brew this a bit lighter because it is quite delicate, yielding a lighter color brew. A well crafted tea!
Ecclenser, Good, I,m glad I,m not the only one who appreciates it. It really does have a lot of the quality,s that you,d expect from a premium quality Bao Zhong. I usually brew it lighter than the color of the tea in the pic but I accidently put too much leaf into a pre-warmed pot, once you got it in there you cant really take it back out again (because it,s wet)Rishi really does have a few stand out teas in my opinion, although their Yunnan tea is horrid and has been that way for a couple of years now, very dark and heavy with none of the peppery spice I want from a Yunnan tea. Thanks for reading.
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