Organic Hojicha Chai from Eden Foods

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  Eden Foods

Product Description:

Our master tea blender says, “Innovating, breathtaking, this audacious blend combines familiar Malty notes of Hojicha with exotic Indian spices. A classic revisited.” Chai is the generic word for tea in many countries of southern Asia and is believed to have originated in India over 5,000 years ago. Usually made with black tea, Eden’s is made with Hojicha, roasted summer green tea leaves. Rich smoky, deep flavor similar to that of black, but with less caffeine – 67 percent less than brewed coffee. Traditional chai is made with milk and sugar or honey. We use Edensoy Vanilla or Edensoy Vanilla Extra, sweetened with naturally malted organic grain extract, or EdenBlend naturally sweet from organic amazake. It’s delicious plain as well. Spicy, warming, and stimulating.

Ingredients:
Organic Roasted Green Tea Leaves (Camellia sinensis), Organic Cinnamon Bark, Organic Cardamom Seeds, Organic Ginger Root, Organic Star Anise, Organic Roasted Chicory Root, Organic Cloves

Taster’s Review:

As some of you probably know, I love spiced chai.  I love ’em spicy and I even love ’em mildly spiced.  This chai falls somewhere between these two – not quite what I would call spicy, but certainly not mild either.

When I first tore in to the package, the aroma of star anise took my breath away.  I love star anise; I love that sharp yet sweet licorice-y flavor it brings to a tea.

And that licorice flavor is definitely tasted in this blend, although it isn’t nearly as strong as the aroma lead me to believe.  But this is a good thing, while I do love star anise, I don’t like it to overwhelm a chai.

The spices are nicely balanced.  I am not finding one particular flavor standing out above the rest.  Instead, they seem to bring a synergistic harmony to the cup.

But where this tea really shines is with the roasted flavor of the hojicha and chicory root.  I love this toasty element in this cup.  It gives it a baked sort of feel, like a freshly baked spice cake or gingerbread cookies!  Yummy!

I enjoyed this.  It certainly is not my favorite chai out there, but it is nice to have this bagged tea on hand when I am kind of pressed for time but still want a great tasting tea.

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