Vanilla Rose Chai from Tea Chai Té

The beautiful waterfall on the patio of the Sellwood location of Tea Chai Té.

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Tea Chai Té

About Tea Chai Té:

We are a locally owned casual tea house specializing in handcrafted organic tea blends. We offer over 120 tea selections, of which 75 are organic. 15 unique handcrafted chai blends are made to order. We always have house brewed kombucha on tap and our bubble teas are stellar! We also offer high mountain oolongs, mate blends, apothecary teas, and more. Now featuring a special kids menu for little ones to enjoy the pleasures tea brings.

Taster’s Review:

This is one of the newer blends available at Tea Chai Té – so new, in fact, that I cannot locate it on the website.  I guess it has not yet been added!  I picked this chai up when I visited the Sellwood location about a month ago.

I purchased three teas that day.  The Strawberry Sencha I selected because that is the tea I happened to order as an iced tea, so I wanted to take some home with me to try it hot (and of course, review it!)  I chose the Vanilla Macadamia Nut Maté because I don’t usually order Maté blends and I wanted to step outside my comfort zone.  I chose this chai because I simply could not resist it.  It sounded so yummy, I had to try it!

Wow!  This is incredible!  The spices are mellow and warm.  This is not a spicy chai.  It is warmly spiced; not spicy-hot.  I taste the cinnamon and cardamom most prominently.  The vanilla tones are almost as strong as the cinnamon, which gives it a sweet, creamy taste that is quite luxurious.  The touch of rose adds to that taste of luxury.

The black tea is not overwhelmed here.  It provides a richly satisfying, slightly malty tone in the background.  It supports the flavors of the spices as well as the vanilla and rose notes without attempting to overpower them – it is content to stay in the background and let the other ingredients do their thing.

I absolutely love this.  It is one of the best “mild” chai blends I’ve had, and while I usually tend to prefer a spicy-hot kind of chai, this is one that is so good I can see keeping it as a part of my permanent tea stash.  It’s that good!