Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Product Description:
This chai is grown in South India and contains cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger, and pepper for an exotic flavor that has a hint of earthiness.
Taster’s Review:
This is a delicious chai blend that has a very smooth, rich taste to it.
The aroma of the dry leaf is very pleasant … it smells like a spice shop! The cinnamon and ginger are most prevalent, but the cardamom and cloves make their presence known too. The pepper is not quite as strong, but, it’s there too!
The flavor of the fine CTC black tea base is vibrant. BOLD! It definitely has an edge to it. Not bitter (but would become bitter, I imagine, if left to steep too long), but certainly strong and stout. There is some malty tones to the tea as well, which makes me think that this is an Assam base, or at least a blend that includes Assam. It might also be a Nilgiri, but, it tastes a bit more like Assam to me. Either way, it is a delicious, hefty base with some real gusto!
And that gusto is necessary with a blend of spices like this tea has. The spices are robust. The ginger really shines through, while the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves seem to even things out a bit so that the ginger doesn’t become too overwhelming. The pepper adds a delightful kick to the cup.
I brewed this my traditional method, which is: steeped strong (using extra leaf) with boiling water, in my teapot for 4 minutes and then I strain it. I served it with steamed, frothed milk and honey to make a delicious, satisfying latte.
I think that this blend would do equally well (or perhaps even better) using the stovetop method with milk or a milk/water combination. Of course, you can just serve it straight, but, what fun is that? Chai is meant to latte!
This is the first tea that I’ve tried from Butiki Teas and it is a good one! I recommend it to all the chai fans out there – you may just find a new staple for your tea shelf!
