Multiple Infusions

My daily life practically revolves around tea, to the point where I’ve devised methods for drinking it even when I don’t have time to. If you’re reading this, chances are that you suffer from the same disorder.

Since taking up matcha, cold-brewing in a water bottle is easier than ever. The only thing that could make it any simpler is packetization, which Rishi has done with their Tea Powders. One is actual matcha; the others are powdered sencha, genmaicha, and green oolong.

I was excited to try these, but unsure of what to expect after reading Another Tea Blog’s review of Rishi’s matcha. Alex’s matcha reviews are discriminating and honest, so I pay close attention. When I sat down to taste, I decided to brew these exactly as I would drink them–mixed in a bottle of half-chilled water–and judge them according to their intended purpose.

On the whole they were surprisingly good–better, in fact, than any bottled tea I’ve ever had. And I guess that’s the point: more portable, less expensive, better tasting, and healthier. Not a substitute for real tea. Just real tea.

The weakest of the bunch was probably the sencha, but it was still right on par with the most worthwhile of bottled teas. The genmaicha and green oolong were standouts, the latter taking me back to Holy Mountain’s Ben Shan, a novel experience in a powdered tea. Even the matcha was pretty drinkable, nicely juicy and green, though when I brewed it ceremony-style its deficiencies were more apparent.

If you’re looking for a convenient way to drink tea at work or trying to transition yourself away from bottled tea, Rishi’s tea powders make a lot of sense. They are reasonable values for what they are, although if you don’t require single servings, a tin of better matcha can be had for less.