Product Information:
Product: Chai Cola – a bottled, micro-brewed soft drink from Natural Brew.
Where to Buy: New Seasons Market or where Natural Brew products are sold.
Product Description:
Chai is the Hindi word for “tea,” a centuries-old beverage often mixed with a complex blend of spices. By using only the finest natural ingredients, Natural Brew® Chai Cola offers a spicy, aromatic pleasure accompanied by a unique and refreshing taste.
Learn more about Chai Cola here.
Taster’s Review:
As some of you may be aware, I’m not only a tea fanatic, but somewhat of a foodie too. I write about my foodie adventures on another blog, and I even subscribe to the Foodzie monthly tasting box. Every month, we choose from three different boxes with different themes. In February, I selected the Valentine’s Box which was loaded with chocolate goodies (did I mention that I’m also a chocoholic?), but there was one product in another box that really piqued my interest: Chai Cola. Since that time, I’ve been on a mission to find some Chai Cola so that I could try it.
I don’t know if the Chai Cola that was in the February “Movie Night” box was from Natural Brew, but, when I found a four-pack of this cola in New Seasons yesterday, I had to have some! And while I don’t drink cola or soda on a regular basis (you may have noticed that I drink a lot of tea instead), I really like what I’m tasting here!
This has a totally different taste from most commercial sodas on the market today. It actually tastes as though it was made with care, rather than mass produced, a result, perhaps, of the micro-brew process. As a result, I find that this is a beverage with more flavor, and less of a syrupy sweet concoction that inundates the palate with sweetness rather than anything of substance.
It is sweet, of course (sweetened with cane juice), but after the first couple of sips, I find that the spices of the chai really start to come alive, and help offset the sweetness of the beverage. I taste hints of ginger, a little cinnamon and even some clove in there! It doesn’t taste overly spicy, but it has a gentle spiced tone that contrasts pleasantly with the sweetness of the cola.
And then there is the tea! I was actually surprised to read in the ingredients list that it is a decaffeinated tea that they use, I suppose that the “cola” part of this already has caffeine in it and the caffeine of the tea might have been too much? I don’t know what their thinking was when selecting the tea. But that being said, it doesn’t taste like a decaffeinated beverage, nor do I get a chemical-y taste from the decaffeinated tea … but I do taste tea. Of all the flavors that I do taste here, the tea is perhaps the mildest of them, but I can definitely taste it.
Overall, I find this to be a very delicious cola … I still prefer tea, but, for a soda … this is definitely my cup of tea!
Organic Decaf Masala Chai from Arbor Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Decaffeinated)
Where to Buy: Arbor Teas
Tea Description:
Finally, our customers that only drink decaffeinated tea can indulge in a chai latte! This Fair Trade Certified Masala Chai Organic black tea blend has a medium-body with exceptionally spicy flavor and aroma. Surprisingly similar to our caffeinated version of Masala Chai (and offered at the same price!) our Organic Decaf Masala Chai Black Tea uses a broken leaf grade black tea (BOP) blended with cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and black pepper. In contrast to our caffeinated version, we amped up the pepper for a slightly hotter mouth feel. The clove and ginger really come through, with a wonderful cardamom finish. As with all our decaf teas, this tea is decaffeinated using a state-of-the-art carbon dioxide (CO2) decaffeination process that does not involve the use of harmful chemicals. We recommend steeping a triple-strength cup of this organic Indian tea and serving it with honey and steamed milk.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Another decaffeinated tea that surprises me!
Truly, I have had fewer decaffeinated teas that I have not enjoyed versus those that I found to be very good (or better than very good, like this one!) but yet, the memory of those few that I disliked remain to taint my initial reaction to decaffeinated tea. Those thin-tasting decaffeinated teas with chemical aftertastes still haunt me. Fortunately, this decaffeinated chai from Arbor Teas is neither thin in taste nor does it have that icky chemical aftertaste. This is actually so good, I find it hard to believe that it’s decaffeinated!
As mentioned in the above description from Arbor Teas, there is a bit more of a peppery bite to this one compared to the pepper level that I recall from Arbor Teas’ caffeinated version. In that review, I had mentioned that the pepper stood out, and here, it stands out a bit stronger, but without tasting over-peppered. Instead, the pepper seems to meld quite nicely with the flavors of the other spices. There isn’t too much ginger or cinnamon here, which is also a plus given the fact that with so many chai blends seem to rely too heavily on the cinnamon or ginger to deliver their spicy impact. Not that it’s bad to have a chai that’s been heavily laden with cinnamon or ginger, but it is nice to find one that allows the flavors of the cloves and cardamom to shine through.
This has such a unified flavor – everything is so well rounded! The black tea has a strong flavor – without a strong decaffeinated flavor – and it melds seamlessly with the flavors of the spices. It tastes spicy and exotic. It is a beautifully executed chai … and I find it so delicious that I don’t even miss the caffeine!
I enjoyed my sampling of this tea hot with a little bit of turbinado sugar to complement the spices. I did not add milk to it to make a latte, but, I think that the spicy composure of this chai would make for a very harmonious chai latte, so if you prefer your chai as a latte, I’d say go for it!
I’d recommend this whole-heartedly to those who are looking for delicious decaffeinated teas … this one is a keeper!