Chai Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Capital Teas
Chai Description:
An Indian specialty, warming and delicious with spices galore — orange peel, ginger, cinnamon, vanilla, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg and one secret ingredient.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh yeah! I’m always eager to try a new chai!
This one is delightful. In fact, I enjoy it so much that I had finished my first cup before I had a chance to start writing about it. But, that’s okay, it gave me the opportunity to make another cup and try it latte.
For the first cup, though, I drank it without the milk addition, just a little bit of turbinado sugar to enhance the spices. I noticed right away that the spices were well balanced, as I didn’t find myself noticing one particular note. Instead, I tasted a warm, unified set of spices. I also noticed that the black tea base was pleasantly robust: it was a good, strong black tea that provides a solid background of flavor. It doesn’t try to compete with the spices, but, it holds its own.
By about mid-cup, I noticed the orange and a hint of creaminess from the vanilla. These are not particularly strong, stand-out notes, but, they are strong enough to be noticed, and this chai would not be the same without them.
Another ingredient in this that the chai would not be the same without is the nutmeg. While it does comprise the “unified set of spices” it gives the cup a warm, nutty taste that I don’t often experience with chai, and I really enjoyed it.
As for the latte, it turned out really good too. As with any chai, I do recommend steeping it at double strength (steeping twice the amount of dry leaf) so that the milk does not overwhelm the cup. I found that the milk brought out the vanilla tones a bit more, and some of the spicier notes were muted a little, but it wasn’t too apparent. Overall, the latte was deliciously creamy, warm and satisfying. YUM!
I would recommend this to all the spiced chai enthusiasts out there, because if you’re like me, you gotta try them all! I’d also recommend this to someone looking for a well-balanced chai with just a little something different. This one is sure to satisfy!
