Rishi Tea Powders (Review)

I absolutely adore iced tea. And now that we are getting some warm days, I am really starting to crave it.

This is vexing.

Why is it vexing? Because iced tea is time-consuming to make: I actually enjoy making iced tea at home (and will usually make an afternoon out of producing several gallons to last a few days), but sometimes need it when I am on the go.

And don’t get me started on instant tea or that bottled/canned stuff. Yech!

So I was intrigued when I heard about Rishi’s Tea Powders. These powders are whole tea leaves (instead of extracts), that are cold-processed into a fine powder. They come in little packets that are neatly emptied into a 16.5 oz bottle of cold water. Shake-shake-shake the bottle, you have a bottle of iced tea with no preservatives, sweeteners, or flavors.

Rishi was kind enough to send me samples of their powders so that I could put them to the test. Here are my observations:

The powders come in four varieties: Matcha (Traditional green tea powder used in the Japanese tea ceremony), Sencha (Japanese green tea), Green Oolong, and GenMai Green Tea (Genmaicha: green tea with roasted brown rice). With the exception of the matcha, the powders infused very quickly (they might also be good additions to juices and/or smoothies).

Incidentally, Rishi’s instructions indicated that clumping was normal, but I didn’t see much in the way of clumping in the Sencha, Genmai or Green Oolong. The powders did tend to sink to the bottom of the tea, eventually, but this was quickly managed with a quick shake of the bottle.

The matcha required a bit more shaking to get rid of clumps, but this was no big deal.

Be careful when dealing with these powders (especially the matcha) as I expect that they would stain horribly.

Rishi recommends taking a sip of water before adding a powder to your bottle to create more airspace that will allow for diffusion of the powder into the water. I would say that this suggestion is particularly important in preparing the matcha: I’d drink/pour out a couple of ounces for clump-free results.

As for taste, each tea was very different:

Green Oolong : The green oolong was distinctly oolong-ish with a fresh, nutty, slighty roasted taste. Easy drinking.

Sencha Tea : First of all, I must admit that I am not fond of sencha in general, and this tea was no exception. I found that it had a flat, grassy, slightly bitter taste that I just didn’t care for.

Genmai Tea: This was probably my favorite of the four powders. It smelled, and tasted, like traditional genmaicha with a lovely roasty-toasty quality.

Matcha Tea : After some considerable shaking, the matcha did infuse to a truly gorgeous emerald green color and a rich, deep flavor.

I can’t say that these tea powders have converted me from traditionally brewed iced teas. However, they did live up to their promise of being convenient and, in most cases, were quite palatable as well. The packaging is well-designed, making these a great option for travelers, campers, bicyclists, or atheletes.

Affiliate Links in this Review?: Yes.