Chai Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teapigs
Chai Description:
This chilli chai is a twist on our traditional chai, a recipe that has been the Indian drink of choice for centuries. Alongside the assam tea, cardamom pods, chunks of ginger, cinnamon and vanilla, we have added flakes of chilli for an extra fiery kick. This chai is for those of you who don’t order korma and plain naan from your local curry house.
Learn more about this chai here.
Taster’s Review:
With my first sip or two, I found myself thinking … “hmm, OK, I can taste the chai spices, but, isn’t this supposed to be a Chilli Chai?” But then, a few moments later, I FELT the heat from the chilli! I could feel the warmth develop at the back of my tongue and in my throat, and with every moment that lapsed I felt that heat intensify!
That being said, I don’t think that this is a super-fiery-hot chai! Yes, it has a kick to it, but, it never gets uncomfortably hot. Intensely warm … it isn’t so hot that all I can taste is the chilli. I like that I can taste the other spices, the Assam tea, and even a hint of sweet, creamy vanilla underneath that spicy heat!
The Assam base adds a nice amount of malt and a pleasing full-bodied flavor to the cup. The spice that I notice (beyond the chilli!) is the cinnamon, and the chilli and cinnamon seem to work together to bring a spicy-yet-sweet heat to the cup. The ginger adds a hint of pepper to the mix, while the cardamom gives almost a fruit-like note to the background.
This Chilli Chai from Teapigs is very enjoyable, indeed! One I’d recommend to those who are looking for a spicier-than-the-ordinary chai, but not too spicy!
Mexican Mango Chili Maté from Capital Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Yerba Maté, Rooibos & Green Tea
Where to Buy: Capital Teas
Tea Description:
A superior blend of green mate, rooibos, and green tea forms a perfect canvas for infusing the brilliant colors and flavors of chili peppers and mango. Inspired by Aztec recipes blending chili with fruits, we’ve also added a dash of coconut and an energizing pop of ginseng for the perfect combination. Try over ice for a spicy cold treat on hot days or enjoy its lingering warmth when brewed hot on a cold day.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea has a lot going on, but, I’m enjoying the way the flavors come together.
The title suggests that this may be a spicy blend, but, it doesn’t start out that way. A gentle warmth, perhaps, but, I really thought that this would be spicier right from the very first sip. The spiciness gradually builds, starting with a gentle, cozy warmth and building to that spicy tickle that hits the back of the palate and throat. By mid-cup, it is much spicier than at the start, and my palate is quite warm long after I’ve taken a sip.
I think that the sweetness of the mango counters the spicier notes of the chili … softening the blow, so to speak. The mango adds a distinct sweetness, but this doesn’t taste overwhelmingly MANGO. By mid-cup, though, the mango is much more distinguishable. The coconut adds a creaminess to the taste as well, which seems to smooth out all the flavors and bring them all together into one unified flavor. This is not a mango tea, or a chili tea, or a coconut concoction … it is a seamless beverage that offers pleasing notes of many different ingredients, like a treasure chest of flavor, offering many surprises along the way.
The background flavors are earthy, with barely-there notes of vegetation. I don’t taste a lot of flavor from the Yerba Maté, green rooibos, green tea or even the ginseng as individual components, but, I do taste their collective input. It becomes more of a medley of collected flavors rather than specific flavor notes that I can pick out and say “this is the Maté” or “this is the green tea.”
From the very first sips as a mild, intriguing set of tastes to the last drop where the flavors are zesty can even be categorized as hot … this is a very enjoyable cuppa. I really like the way the flavors present themselves, a mass medley of tastes that allow the drinker to discover the various flavors.
Definitely a fun and creative cup!
Organic Fiery Temptress from The Rabbit Hole
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Rabbit Hole
Tea Description:
Chilli and chocolate, such strange bedfellows. Throw a black tea in the mix and you’ve got one mind-blowing brew. Perfect for when you need to spice up your life.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I shop for snacks and treats, one thing I find myself looking for is flavor contrasts. My favorites are salty and sweet – like chocolate and bacon, or salted caramel – and spicy and sweet – like chocolate and chili … as in THIS tea! I find the palate is much more satiated when I appeal to different taste receptors, and right now, this tea is satisfying a certain “hunger” for flavor by appealing to the spicy and the sweet taste receptors on my tongue.
With the first couple of sips, I didn’t notice much of the chili or the chocolate flavors. But by the time I was taking my third or fourth sip, I began to notice the spicy-hot sensation on the back of my throat. This quickly spread to my tongue, and now I am feeling the full effect of the chili pepper in this tea.
The same is true of the chocolate … it wasn’t until about the third or fourth sip that I began to pick up on the cocoa flavors which are more like a dark chocolate-y flavor than a milk chocolate. It is rich and bittersweet and delicious, and helps to balance the spicy hot chili thing going on in my mouth! A fantastic contrast, indeed!
Despite the explosion of heat and sweet in my mouth, the flavor of the black tea is not going unnoticed. It is smooth and richly flavored. It has a solid kind of flavor that this tea needs for a back drop, something even-tempered and mellow to allow the bold flavors of chili and chocolate to express themselves fully.
Another awesome offering from The Rabbit Hole!
Chili Rooibos from Eteaket
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Eteaket
Product Description:
Handle our Chilli Rooibos with care! The chilli highlights are built on a base of classic Rooibos tea and vivid wild cherries, rosebuds, safflower petals, peony petals and carrot flakes. This tea has serious attitude.
Taster’s Review:
This tisane was so unexpected! When I first read the label – “Chili Rooibos” – I had thought it would just be a combination of rooibos and chili peppers (which you can SEE in the blend!) but I wasn’t ready for the other flavors.
The cherry reveals itself from the beginning and maintains its presence throughout the sip. The aroma is sweet cherries, chili peppers, and that distinctive, woody note from rooibos. Once brewed, the tisane takes on a more mellowed, unified fragrance.
But it’s the flavor that really surprised me. At the very start, I can taste a hint of carrot. It’s such a delicate note and is quickly masked by the strong flavor of cherry. The carrot flavor seems to last for less than a moment, and if you’re not paying attention, you’ll miss it – because at the very next moment, the cherry springs into action, imparting such a sweet, fruity flavor that lasts well into the aftertaste.
The chili pepper weaves its way in and out throughout the sip and also lingers into the aftertaste. It imparts a “burning” sensation on the back of the tongue. But it isn’t a bad burn – it’s really very intriguing. I really LOVE the contrasts here between sweet and spicy. The sweet dominates over the spicy just a little bit, making this a tolerable spiciness.
The rooibos flavor is barely there… as in, I am having a hard time finding any rooibos flavor. I don’t get that funky rooibos sweetness, I don’t get that woody note, and I get only a little of the nutty undertone from the rooibos.
I, for one, really like this tea’s “attitude!” If you like sweet-spicy cuisines and/or teas, you should really give this one a try.
Organic Fiery Temptress Tea from The Rabbit Hole
Tea Type: Black Tea
Where To Buy: The Rabbit Hole
Product Description:
Chilli and chocolate, such strange bedfellows. Throw a black tea in the mix and you’ve got one mind-blowing brew. Perfect for when you need to spice up your life.
Tasters Review:
I’ll be up-front and blunt here…I have had some go-arounds with chili and chocolate in tea and there are some really hard-to-handle ones out there!
THIS is a WINNER! The Rabbit Hole really did do a great job with this one! Both the Chili and Chocolate are tasty without being over done! Both taste REAL and not super fake – like other companies tend to do with the flavorings!
I would say there is a tad more chocolate than chili…just what I was hoping for! This is one of the best Chili/Chocolate combo’s in a tea I have tasted!
Nice Job – Rabbit Hole!
The BEST part? You can still taste the black tea! Lovely!
