Tea Type: Rooibos
Where To Buy: Sands of Thyme
Product Description:
Ingredients: rooibos, cherries, flavor, cinnamon, orange peels, ginger bits, cinnamon sticks, candied pineapple bits (pineapple, sugar), candied papaya bits (papaya, sugar), candied mango bits (mango, sugar), cardamom, star-anise, cloves, vanilla bits, rose petals
Tasters Review:
You know when you go to Folk Art Fairs and you smell dried fruits and spices in potpourri…that’s what this smells like! This is very nice and very home-E.
The ingredients go well with the Rooibos here. I can first taste the cherries and cinnamon/stick as well as a hint of vanilla and sugar. I can also pick up on subtle hints of pineapple, mango, and anise. The after taste is sugary-fruity-sweet.
This is tasty! There is a lot going on here but it’s a fun and interesting cuppa!
Chai from Supple Skin Boutique
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Supple Skin Boutique
Product Description:
Chai has long been attributed to its healthy properties. With herbs that naturally promote digestion and balance you can’t lose. Our Chai tea is a burst of spice and ginger aromas that you will love.
Ingredients Black teas, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom, peppercorn, star anise, shatavari, natural flavors
Taster’s Review:
I didn’t find this chai on the Supple Skin Boutique website, but I did find a tea they call Masala Chai. I thought that they might be the same tea, but, a quick comparison of the ingredient lists suggests that this chai may be different.
Regardless, this is a very tasty chai. The black tea base is robust and invigorating. It manages to hold its own with the strong spices of this blend. The black tea is strong and slightly astringent.
The star anise is the spice that stands out most as I taste this. I can taste the other spices, certainly, but, I like that I can really taste the snappy licorice flavor of the star anise distinctly. The cinnamon is also quite strong, and the peppery taste from the ginger and peppercorns add a nice kick that is especially noticeable at the tail of the sip.
I am not too familiar with shatavari, but from what I understand of it, it is an Asparagus that is native to India, and is said to promote health and vitality. I don’t know what it contributes to the overall flavor here, though I don’t know that this would taste the same without it. And if it benefits me, then it’s all good.
Overall, I am finding this to be a very pleasant cup of chai. The spices are not overwhelming here – this is not a spicy chai. Instead, it is a mildly warming spiced tea that is quite delicious, one that I think is mellow enough for even those who are timid when it comes to spice can enjoy. This makes a fabulous chai latte – sweet, creamy, and with just enough spice. Delicious!
Extra Bold Masala Chai from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Product Information:
I have a confession to make. Early on in my tea career, I did not make my own chai. I just didn’t feel confident enough that I wouldn’t mess it up. Well, I have been making our own chai for a few months now and experimenting with a few things. And I received this message from one of our customers via Facebook:
“I’m dying for a powerful traditional chai blend black tea with all the works – no frills with chocolate or vanilla. Cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, anise seed. I need it potent in its flavor. This is not Grandma’s tea. I want an Indian man from India to drink it and when he closes his eyes to be as though transported to his childhood kitchen.”
Well, I have accepted the challenge, and here is the result. We started with a hearty blend of CTC Assam teas (used in our RadioactiviTEA [I was going to call this RadioactiviTEA Chai, but given the recent happenings in Japan, I was afraid this might not sound so appealing]) and freshly minced spices including cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, star anise, clove and black peppercorns. I ran all of the spices through a coffee/spice grinder so they would mingle better with the ctc tea (and to release all of their goodnesss), and I think my office is going to smell like chai for months now (not that I am complaining).
This is the boldest chai you will find anywhere. Spicy, malty, DELICIOUS. You do NOT want to miss out on this.
Taster’s Review:
This blend looks different from a typical 52Teas blend – which is usually large chunks of fruit, spice, and/or flower tossed amongst the tea leaves. This, however, is a very finely ground blend of black tea and spice. So finely ground that I wouldn’t recommend putting this in a mesh ball or other similar infuser basket as it will sift through the mesh. I used my smart tea brewer to steep this, and while it did dispense rather slowly (the fine grind of the tea sort of “clogged” up the nylon mesh that strains the tea), at least there are no bits of tea leaf in my cup.
And this is indeed BOLD! Very strong and stout – this tea has GUSTO! Even if steamed milk is added to make a latte, the bold flavor of the tea and spice are not muted by the addition. (A sign of a very well-blended chai, in my opinion)
The spices are nicely balanced as well. While the ginger and cinnamon are just a little stronger than the other spices, they harmonize well, and no one spice attempts to aggressively overthrow the cup.
I do recommend sweetening it with some honey 0r some turbinado sugar to enhance the spices. The molasses in the turbinado sugar adds an especially nice “homey” kind of feel to the cup.
Overall, this is a wonderful cup of chai and a splash of steamed milk will turn this into a delicious chai latte. For something extra special, try pairing this tea with these Ginger Snapdragons from Liz Lovely! AMAZING!
Raspberry Ginger from Element Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White & Green
Where to Buy: Element Tea
Product Description:
Support your health with this popular blend of Pai Mu Tan White tea, Chinese Sencha Green tea, whole raspberries, and an array of healthful spices. Throw in the crisp taste of ginger, and you’ve got the perfect balance of delicious and palate pleasing flavors!
Brew Time: 3 – 4 minutesIngredients: Pai Mu Tan White Tea, China Green Tea Sencha, Jasmine, Ginger, Cardamom, Cloves, Raspberries, Black Pepper, Star-of-Anise
Taster’s Review:
Wow! This is really good. Very different. It is unlike any tea I’ve ever tasted … but then, it is very familiar too. Not familiar as in I’ve tried a blend like this before (because I haven’t!), but familiar as in each of the ingredients are ones that I enjoy when it comes to tea. But I would have never imagined them all put together like this!
The white tea is surprisingly strong in the midst of all these ingredients. It lends a fresh, sweet and creamy taste to the cup, while the green tea is more of an understated flavor – providing a solid base but without interfering with the other flavors.
The ginger is the strongest note, followed by the cardamom, cloves and star anise. The black pepper isn’t very prevalent in the sip but reveals itself in the aftertaste which is lightly peppery with a whisper of jasmine sweetness.
While the raspberry is not as strong a flavor – or perhaps “not as aggressive a flavor” would be the right terminology here – it still seems to be the star of the show. It’s the scene-stealer! The sweet yet tart berry weaves its way throughout the sip, never letting this taster forget that this is a raspberry flavored tea. It even has that pleasing tingle of tartness in the finish.
If you’re looking for something very out of the ordinary – try this blend! It blew me away!
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.