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“Trying this again with sugar and milk just to see what happens. It’s a bit better – I’m getting spices and mint and richness, but I’m also getting a bit of a waxy white chocolate taste from...” Read full tasting note
“Everything about this tea should have pointed toward me enjoying it. Vanilla, yes. Mint, yes. Pu-erh, yes. Favorable-ish reviews on Steepster, yes. I should say at this point that something in this...” Read full tasting note
“My friend Daniel has a theory about anything food-related: if the presentation and harmony of the colors looks appealing, it usually ends up tasting good too. I think this tea fits in very well...” Read full tasting note
“This tea looks so pretty but tastes kind of…blah. Don’t let the pu-erh scare you away if that’s a factor for you not trying it. You can smell the pu-erh, but it’s not over the top taste-wise. ...” Read full tasting note
Nomadic herders in Tibet and Bhutan have been boiling Pu-erh in Yak butter, milk and/or salt for centuries. On a whim, we tried preparing this amazing blend in milk and sugar, in a similar manner to our award-winning Rishi Masala Chai. We were astounded by the resulting flavors of this interesting new Chai; its deep vanilla hit, big body and strong tea taste and color are perfectly accented by cinnamon and sweetness. Tastes great infused like tea or cooked like Masala Chai.
Water: 212°F / Boiling / Leaves: 1 tablespoon per 8 ounces / Infusion Time: 5–6 minutes / Ingredients: Organic Fair Trade Certified™ Yunnan Pu-erh tea, Organic vanilla, Organic cinnamon, Organic Licorice Root. / Origin: Rishi Blend.
Rishi Tea specializes in sourcing the most rarefied teas and botanical ingredients from exotic origins around the globe. This forms a palette from which we craft original blends inspired by equal parts ancient herbal wisdom and modern culinary innovation. Discover new tastes and join us on our journey to leave ‘No Leaf Unturned’.
Sipdown no. 18 of 2019 (no. 506 total).
So this is amusing. Sipdown no. 18 is tasting note 1818. Very auspicious in the Jewish tradition. Chai is the number 18, and also the word for life. So maybe this is a good sign that I’ll live through the night.
Anyway, I dumped the rest of this into a pitcher to cold brew along with a couple of spoons of the Rishi Classic to make up the difference. It’s actually a pretty nice cold brew. The vanilla isn’t all that taste-able, it’s mostly mint, but somehow the coldness didn’t bring out the heavy earthiness. Which makes it more enjoyable.
What next? Well, I am a little afraid to do a cold brew of tuo chas, but I think I will try it as I have a couple that are far down on the rating list. What’s the worst that can happen?
Maybe don’t answer that…
I love this tea with a half tsp of rock sugar. The flavor isn’t particularly mint or vanilla, but the vanilla gives a light sweetness on its own and the mint leaves a refreshing aftertaste. It also smells very nice. I don’t think you can go wrong with Rishi.
Of course this isn’t great shou… I’d be really sad for someone to waste good shou in a blend like this, but you know what? It’s cheap CHOCOLATEY shou so I am still happy… it is also not vanilla mint… so if you go in expecting anything from the name of this tea you will be a sad panda.
Now let’s talk about what this tea is… with a little bit of vanilla almond milk at the end this tea is chocolate fennel more than anything… its desserty and a treat before bed that won’t keep you up all night.
Rishi has new green tins that were too cute not to pick up from Wegmans.
You want a cheap cuppa chocolate that has a decent resteep value for something so cheap? Try some of this. If you want something to curb a hot chocolate craving, get some of this. If you want to try a weird blend that smells good… get some of this. If you are like me and tend to forget your teas brewing because you are used to gongfu and want something forgiving for a cheap thrill, this might be your thing.
If you are going in expecting this to be vanilla mint… go try some Tippy’s Minted Monkey instead. If you are going into this hoping for some good ripe puerh, hit up Crimson Lotus or one of the many other pu erh vendors on Steepster.
But just know, as I was drinking this I would not have guessed it was so lowly rated on steepster… I would never have bought it if I had looked first, but I am very glad I did.
Flavors: Chocolate, Fennel, Vanilla
I’ve been having this one as my make and take tea for work. I only have enough for one more cup of it after today. I wanted to see how it did against multiple steepings. I’ve been enjoying the minty-ness in the mornings and of course the caffeine to get me going. I re-read my last note and there I had mentioned that I wasn’t getting the vanilla. I’ve now decided that the vanilla is more of a subtle thing that rounds out the cup and takes away the bite of this being black tea. I have grown to like this one.
Today’s steeping was the same 2 tsp in 16 oz of boiling water for 3 minutes. The first cup was enjoyed with peanut butter & honey toast and paired better than I anticipated. For the second steep, I increased the time to 4 minutes. It tastes very similar to the first steep, maybe a bit more tea taste, if that makes sense.
oh dear.
rishi, i am normally such a fan. even after the chocolate chai fiasco. this blend stopped me almost as soon as i started….. it was pepto bismol tea. =0/
believe me i wish i could say otherwise. i do feel very badly. i couldn’t even finish my cup. correction, i couldn’t swallow more than 2 sips of my cup— down the drain!
(i need to gargle)
I’m so confused by this tea. On my box, it’s called Pu-erh Vanilla, yet has the same ingredients as Pu-erh Vanilla Mint. To make things even more bizarre, when I bought this, I almost bought Pu-erh Chocolate Chai (also Rishi), thinking it too sounded yummy, yet it ALSO had the same ingredients. Color me confused.
I do however love this tea, and have had several large cups of this the past few days. I find I’m underleafing most days though (1tb is what’s recommended), and it’s still yummy. It smells strongly of mint, only tastes faintly of it, and the chocolate is more apparent when I leaf it according to the instructions and let it sit for a while.
I noticed that too. It’s been one of my fav pu-erh’s. When they came out with the one Pu-erh Vanilla, I was really upset thinking “what happened to Pu-erh Vanilla Mint???”. I soon realized it was the same tea repackaged. There’s also one called Pu-erh Vanilla Mint Chai I think. Same tea. Never saw the one called Chocolate Chai.
This tea is amazing. I am new to Pu-erh teas, and love the earthy tones of the tea. The strong, almost coffee tones and strong mint change considerably to a light tone with a bit of cream. I’m certainly not British, but this tea was made for cream, I think. This tea makes me feel all at ease.
Easily the darkest tea I have ever brewed. I would say beyond black, more opaque than any other I have. It was also a pleasant/unpleasant surprise. I would not have minded the mint if it would have been on the box, no it did not say a thing about mint. I could taste the vanilla somewhere underneath the mint. For this tea, everything is disturbingly underneath the mint. This is my first Pu-erh, a shame its drowned in mint. Other than that a very enjoyable brew. Not sure if there will be a second infusion.
