Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teapigs
Product Description:
Every vendor, in every city, in every region of India, offers their own version of Chai Masala, the aromatic, spiced, milky tea that has been the Indian drink of choice for hundreds of years. Here’s our version: a rich, malty Assam tea blended with cardamom pods, cinnamon, ginger and cassia. A satisfying, healthy drink that captures the vibrancy and colour of India in a cup.
Taster’s Review:
Ah … a steamy cup of spiced chai on a cold afternoon. A picture perfect autumn afternoon, in my opinion!
This chai has all the “usual” suspects: Assam base, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and cloves. A relatively straight forward chai, delicious and well-spiced.
The Assam is a little surprising to me, in that it tastes a little thinner than I am used to when it comes to Assam. That is not to say it is not tasty, it is very flavorful. It just doesn’t have that rich, thick texture and taste that I’d expect from an Assam. It still has a significant punch to it, though, and it is providing a pleasant background of flavor for the spices.
And when it comes to Assam, it usually is all about the spice, am I right? The blending here is pleasant, I’m not finding it to be overwhelmingly spicy, but it is not mild either. The cinnamon is the strongest flavor, and the cardamom comes through nicely too. Not a lot of peppery impact from the ginger, but just enough so that you can taste it without it overpowering the other spices.
Overall, a very pleasing cup of chai. As always, I recommend taking chai with a sweetener, and honey is preferred. I love the way it enhances the flavor of the spice, giving it a pleasing spicy-sweet contrast. Nice and creamy when you add milk to make a latte, but I like it quite fine without the milk.
