Rishi Tea’s Hong Yue Review

Type: Black
Origin: Taiwan
Price: Free Sample (regular price - $11.00 for 50 grams) LIMITED SUPPLY!!
Vendor: Rishi Tea
Brewing Method: Per Instructed - 1 teaspoon of leaves, 1 cup of filtered water, heated to 195°F, steeped for 3 - 4 minutes
Overall Score: 4.9 out of 5

Hong Yue, also known as Ruby Black, is a rare and unique tea from Taiwan. The fresh aroma from the bag is incredibly fragrant! It reminds me of chocolate covered raisins – sweet, slightly grape-like. There is something a bit tart about it as well; maybe dates or cranberries. The term “fresh” keeps coming to mind when smelling the leaves and I think the reason is that it lacks a smoky quality that many black teas have which makes it even more unique. The dry leaves are black, long, twisted, wiry, almost uniform pieces. The leaves are rather large for being a black tea.

The raisin aroma is brought out more while the leaves are steeping. It also has more of a fruity, candy scent. The liquor is a gorgeous copper color.





Oh my… I don’t want to write anymore. I just want to sit, sip this tea, and think of nothing else.

The taste is fantastic! I have never tasted a black tea with so many fruity notes. A raisin or grape-like flavor is prominent, followed by a currant or cranberry tartness, and then a candied sweetness. It is not spicy or smoky or bitter. It is, however, quite astringent… which I noticed by the third sip. The boldness equals that of an Assam tea but without the smokiness, of course.

As I noted next to the price, this tea is in limited supply. This is truly something not to pass on if you want a high quality tea experience.

Speaking of, have you noticed the adorable white, speckled tea pot in the picture above and in my last couple of reviews? Rishi Tea calls that a Tsuki Teapot, Tsuki meaning “moon.” I won this little beauty back in February from a contest that Rishi Tea held. I love it! It is the perfect size for one person and, because of the firing process, each teapot produces different speckles so no two are alike.

Some Advice on Tea Storage

I was reading an article on tea storage advice and did a double take when I hit the section about storing tea in the refrigerator.

Do NOT do that!

There are several things wrong with storing tea, even in an air tight container, in the refrigerator. First, refrigerators house other food odors which could be absorbed by tea leaves. It is bad enough that some teas are overly flavored and scented to begin with, would you want your tea tasting like everything else in your refrigerator, as well? Second, if you place tea in an air tight container, you are also trapping room temperature air in the container. Then you place the container in the refrigerator. A couple of days later you are craving some yummy delicious tea so you grab that container from the refrigerator, open it, scoop out what you want, and close the container. What just happened is you introduced warm air into a cold container. When you put the container back into the refrigerator this is going to produce condensation and the moisture will lead to mold.

Thus, the benefits of the slightly extended shelf life versus the potential risks are just not worth it.

Basically what tea storage comes down to is protecting it from its two enemies: light and air. Store your tea in air tight containers (or at least make the container or bag as air tight as possible) and store those containers in a cool, dry, dark place. Be careful when storing tea in kitchen cabinets because the same threat of food odors in the refrigerator can come from the spices in the cabinets, as well. The ideal place in the kitchen is in the cabinet away from spices and away from the oven as smoke and fumes from cooking could absorb into the leaves.

If you have lots of tea (like the tea freak writing this article) the best practical place to store tea is in a cabinet in another room other than the kitchen... for example, the dining room or living room. This way, the tea is safe from light thanks to the opaque bags and containers plus the doors on the cabinet and the precious leaves are far away from any food odors that it could absorb. Keeping the tea at the same temperature as the rest of the house keeps moisture from forming and developing mold. It is not the perfect set up, but it works.

Ok, if you just insist on storing tea in the refrigerator for whatever reason, allow me to suggest something else. Separate the tea leaves into individual serving sizes and place each serving into a small sealable bag. Then, place the bags into the freezer. When you want to use those tea leaves, take out as many servings as you need and use all of the tea you take out. Do NOT put those tea leaves back into the freezer once you have taken them out.

Mighty Leaf's Spirulina Stamina Review

Type: Herbal
Origin: United States, South America, China
Price: Free sample (regular price - $9.95 for 4oz.)
Vendor: Mighty Leaf
Brewing Method: Per Instructed - 1 teaspoon of leaves, 1 cup of filtered water, heated to 205°F, steeped for 5 - 7 minutes
Overall Score: 2.5 out of 5

Spirulina Stamina is a blend of rosehip, cinnamon, balm mint, schizandra, black currant, black berry leaves, green mate, and spirulina. The very first ingredient that I smell is cinnamon followed by the fruitiness of the black currant and black berry leaves. Both aromas together make for a sweet and spicy combination.

The aroma of the liquor reminds me of warm berry pie. I say that because it has the spicy scent of the cinnamon with the tartness and fruitiness of the berries. The color is a light orangey-yellow.





The taste is a little harsh at first. It is rather tart in the beginning and then the heat from the cinnamon settles on the back of my tongue. After I get past the cinnamon, the tea has a cool, fresh flavor to it which I believe is from the balm mint. Finally, a fruity flavor sneaks up from the background.

Would I have this tea again? Probably not. It is not that it is a bad tea, it is just not my cup of tea. I believe this would be a great blend if the cinnamon were left out. Cinnamon has been an ingredient in several teas that I have tried and I have always wished it to be left out because the spice leaves the mouth feeling hot instead of refreshed. I do not enjoy that kind of kick when drinking tea.

However, if you like the kick of cinnamon mixed with minty and berry flavors, then this tea would be worth checking into.

I Dream of Tea...

... and in that dream I win the Sip of Success contest by the Tea Council of the USA.

Then, poof, back to reality.

The reality being that I need your help to win the grand prize which is an awesome tea internship! Part of the judging is the popularity of the video. I wrote the script, I shot the video, I did the (7 freaking hours worth of) editing. Now, I need you, yes you, to view the video, comment, and like it on the You Tube page. If anything, at least you get to see and hear the girl behind this blog!

Please check it out here - Sip of Success: Chess Match

Mighty Leaf's Rooibos Renewal Review

Type: Rooibos
Origin: United States
Price: Free sample (regular price - $8.95 for 4oz.)
Vendor: Mighty Leaf
Brewing Method: Per Instructed - 1 teaspoon of leaves, 1 cup of filtered water, heated to 205°F, steeped for 5 - 7 minutes
Overall Score: 3.7 out of 5

Rooibos Renewal is a green rooibos base with orange peels, rose petals, and blue mallow flowers. The aroma is citrusy and floral. The orange scent hits me first, followed closely by the flowers. The blend is colorful with the tiny green rooibos specs, the orange peels, and the purple and white flower petals. Between the look and smell of this blend, I’m sure it would easily become confused with potpourri.

The aroma as the blend is steeping is similar to the dry blend aroma, although the floral scents come out a lot more after being subjected to hot water. The color of the liquor is a yellow color that greatly resembles the color of honey.





The taste is sweet, with a lot of citrus flavor up front. Both the rooibos and the flowers provide the sweet floral after taste that lingers for a while. This particular rooibos doesn’t seem to hold the woody characteristics of what would be considered the normal rooibos base. Because of that, there is no woody or smoke flavor in the mix which means the taste is even sweeter.

The tea is not bitter or astringent; however, it does taste more acidic than I am comfortable with. It almost has the same mouth feel as drinking a glass of orange juice. I believe this would be a refreshing treat when iced with no need to add sweetener.

Matcha Source’s Organic Morning Matcha Review

Type: Green
Origin: Japan
Price: Free sample (regular price for matcha - $33.00 for 30g; regular price for kit - $69.00)
Vendor: Matcha Source
Brewing Method: Per Instructed – 1 teaspoon of sifted matcha, 1.5 oz. of filtered water heated to 180°F, whisked vigorously
Overall Score: 4.9 out of 5

I was excited when Matcha Source asked me to review their matcha as I have never formally reviewed this particular kind of tea until now. I was even more excited and very surprised to find out that they sent an entire matcha kit for the ultimate matcha experience.

The five piece kit includes a chawan (bowl), a chasen (whisk), a chashaku (bamboo teaspoon), a sifter, and matcha. All of the pieces, including instructions, come neatly and securely packed in a box.

The instructions are easy to follow. Simple drawings are provided through each step of the process. One thing I really like about these instructions is that it tells you how much matcha should be on the chashaku by describing it as “’almond’ size scoops.” I wish I had had that description when I first made matcha with a chashaku because it is possible to make that bamboo spoon hold more than necessary which meant that I had to search online for a picture of the right amount – something that the company didn’t provide. In fact, it was only because I had read tea books which disclosed the basic procedure to making matcha that I had a clue what I was doing during that first time. Thus, Matcha Source providing great step by step instructions, along with other tips and recipes, is a huge plus.









The Organic Morning Matcha has a nice, fresh, grassy scent that is detected immediately after I open the seal on the can. The matcha powder is the perfect shade of green – it is not light green, it is not dark green, it is just green… a color that I could paint an entire room with.

After about 15 seconds of vigorous whisking, the matcha creates a layer of frothy foam on top, which is good sign. The aroma, however difficult to detect, is vegetal and very similar to steamed broccoli.

The flavor corresponds with the grassy, vegetal aromas. It is slightly sweet and not bitter. The steamed vegetable flavor lasts for a while after each sip, along with hints of astringency. The texture is great for being a normal, everyday matcha. What I mean is that it is not grainy; the powder mixes well with the water to create a smooth texture. I have had some bad experiences with other matchas that were grainy or that were bland in the beginning and too bold by the time I made it to the bottom of the cup because the powder had clumped (even after sifting) and settled. It is not the case regarding this matcha. The flavors were even throughout and when I hit bottom I wanted more.

Mighty Leaf's White Orchard Review

Type: White
Origin: China
Price: Free sample (regular price - $9.95 for 15 Pouches)
Vendor: Mighty Leaf
Brewing Method: Per Instructed - 1 pouch, 1 cup of filtered water, heated to 180°F, steeped for 3 - 5 minutes
Overall Score: 4.0 out of 5

White Orchard is a white tea infused with melon and peach. The dry blend is quite aromatic and fruity. I can definitely smell the peach while the melon aroma is close behind. The white tea aroma gets taken over by the double dose of fruit.

The peach aroma is brought out more while the leaves are steeping. With a nice breezing coming through the open window it fills the whole room with this scent. The melon can be detected but it likes to stay in the background. The liquor is a greenish yellow color.





The taste is light with a lot of peach flavor up front. The melon settles in the after taste. The white tea flavor is missing amongst the fruity flavors, but the astringency from it can be noted. It also has some tartness from the peach. The tea is rather sweet and not bitter at all. The astringency comes on more and more with each sip, however.

I believe this tea would be much better when iced or chilled. I think that would be more refreshing as it would hold back some of the dryness that this tea provides. I can see now why this tea is a part of Mighty Leaf’s Sangria Collection because it has several characteristics similar to a fruity wine.