Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Looking for a chai with a little extra ZING? You’ve found it! We crafted this warming chai with extra ginger and cinnamon, plenty of anise seed, peppercorns and even a touch of red pepper flakes. It’s not super spicy like they cayenne pepper blends we’ve created, but it will do a great job of warming your bones.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn more about 52Teas’ subscriptions here.
Taster’s Review:
The name of this chai made me go hmm. – Spicier Chai – Spicier than what? But after I took my first sip, I got it. I understood.
Because…
Wow! “Spicier” is right!
And to answer the question: it’s spicier than your average chai. And it might even be spicier than the average spicy chai. Frank (Chief Zoomdweebie at 52Teas) didn’t skimp on the spices in this chai.
And I’m LOVING it! This is the way chai should be.
Oh sure, I’ve loved many a mild chai. But, in my heart of hearts, I like my spices robust and zesty, and to call this Spicier chai “robust and zesty” would be an understatement. This takes robust and zesty to the extreme! This is sure to warm you up after a day out in the snow. (Or the cold, biting rain like we experience here in the Pacific Northwest.) This will warm you up – starting on the inside and that heat will radiate outward. And I like it like that.
There is a good amount of ginger to this, and that, along with some black pepper and red pepper flake is what is providing the heat. But I’m glad that there is more to this chai than just ginger and pepper! I am getting a nice cinnamon-y backdrop and a pleasant anise flavor. The snappy-sweet licorice flavor from the anise contrasts nicely with the peppery flavors. The cardamom and clove work together with the cinnamon to create a cohesive “chai” flavor rather than something that tastes like it’s all peppery/gingery heat.
I think that’s what I like best about this chai is that it’s not a one-note kind of chai. I am tasting a masala blend here, not just one or two spices.
Yes, I do taste the black tea too. I have to say that it does get a little lost in the spices here, but the black tea is strong enough to offer a background of black tea flavor. I’m not drinking an infusion of spices. I’m drinking black tea and spices and that is evident in the flavor. The nuances of the black tea are difficult to discern. I’m not tasting “delicate floral notes in the background” or “notes of fruit” within the layers of flavor. I taste SPICE and I taste black tea. And really, that’s good enough for me because the spice is bold and strong and that’s what makes this a seriously good chai.
If you’re one who tastes a chai and thinks, “Hey, where is the spice?” or if you’re one who thinks that the average chai is just a little on the tame side, you really should try this chai! This chai has some bite!
