Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teabox
Tea Description:
Our Assam Masala Chai blend is made with premium Assam CTC black tea mixed with dry spices that include cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves and black pepper corns.
This spiced chai blend has been expertly put together by our in-house tea masters for a flavorful cup that envelopes the decadent flavor of Assam tea in the warmth of exotic spices.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
A new to me company that I had been hearing about on Steepster, I was in the mood for some new chai and I saw that Teabox had a really nice selection.
My first impression of the company following my order? I’m impressed: I placed this order five days ago. Five days after I placed the order, my tea has been delivered! From India! (I’m in the US!) I don’t think I’ve ever had an international order arrive so swiftly.
The packaging was nice too. It arrived via DHL, so the outer package was nothing spectacular, just a DHL poly envelope. But inside was a box. The inside of the box was lined with tissue paper that was adorned with a sticker, and my teas were tucked a bag. It’s a nice presentation. It looks like someone took a few minutes to prepare this package instead of having everything thrown into a box or an envelope and shipped out. It was packaged with some care and this shows me that this vendor cares about the product that they’re sending out.
Unfortunately, there was a little problem with what I received from them. I received two pouches of tea that are called “Assam Masala Chai” – actually, one is labeled “Masala Chai” but on the label, it lists these ingredients:
Cinnamon, Cardamom, Clove, Assam Tea
The second pouch is labeled Assam Masala Chai and lists the following ingredients:
Cinnamon, Cardamom, Clove, Ginger, Black Pepper.
Since it’s called “Assam Masala Chai, I guess it’s also fair to assume that Assam Tea is part of this blend.
When I brought this issue to the attention of Teabox, I was sent some very prompt replies to get the issue resolved. They informed me that the first tea that I tried (which included the first set of ingredients) was their Masala Indian Chai Tea, but it isn’t. Even though the SKU matches, the Masala Indian Chai Tea has green tea and Tulsi, and this tea was a black tea with no tulsi. It had Cinnamon, clove, and cardamom. And Black tea.
Teabox asked me to send them a photo of the tea and the label, but, I’m not going to do that because the battery in my camera isn’t working at the moment and the camera in my phone is pretty much worthless. I love my phone, it’s great for texting and phone calls and that’s what I use it for. I haven’t gotten on the smart phone train yet. I’m still pretty old school with my LG enV3. Love it. Not ready to ditch it yet.
So, I’m still pretty impressed with this company, because I’m not going to let something like this product mislabeling get me down. I still got six chai teas for a low price and with very speedy shipping. And their customer service IS responsive. I just wasn’t so concerned about the tea that I was going to worry about sending them photos. I’ll just let the issue be. I decided to ditch the review of the “Masala Chai” and go with the “Assam Masala Chai.”
The spices are very fragrant. The tea is a fine CTC (as is in the picture) but the spices are much larger in the photo than in the actual tea. And the photo shows ginger and there was no sign of ginger in this blend. Everything has been chopped pretty finely.
And what that says to me is to reduce the steep time. A smaller cut to the leaves means more surface area exposed which means it steeps faster, releasing its flavor faster, but it also means that the tea can become bitter faster so take care to not oversteep. With a chai like this one, I steeped the tea for 2 1/2 minutes. (1 heaping bamboo scoop in the basket of my Kati Tumbler along with 12 ounces of water heated to 205°.)
Mmm! Nice. It’s a good, flavorful chai with a warm, zesty kick of spice. The Assam is a robust black tea with notes of malt. This is a tea that I strongly recommend not oversteeping. It’s a very finely chopped CTC and I think that for my palate, I wouldn’t steep longer than 2 1/2 minutes. I might even go for 2 minutes if I were steeping this for someone else because while I’m not getting a strong bitter note, I do detect some bitterness.
But it does have a very lovely malty flavor and a pleasant richness to it. It’s a hearty, full-flavored Assam.
The spices are strong but well-balanced. I get a spicy, peppery note from the ginger and black pepper, but this flavor doesn’t overpower the cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. It’s warm and spicy, but it’s not what I’d call spicy-hot. It doesn’t have my throat or mouth feeling as though I need a fire extinguisher, but it does offer a soothing warmth that is perfect on this cold afternoon.
If you love a sweet, creamy chai latte, brew this tea a little stronger than you would for a straight up cup by adding a little extra leaf. (Don’t steep it longer, it will be stronger but it will also be bitter!) Then warm up some milk (or almond milk!) in the microwave for about 45 seconds and add a splash of the milk (to your taste) to the brewed chai. If you have a frother, use it on the milk before you add it to the tea, this will make it frothy and fluffy. Add a little bit of honey or turbinado sugar if you like your chai sweet. (A little bit of sugar will enhance the spices too!)
Rather than go latte with this tea, I decided to not add the milk but I did add about half a teaspoon of turbinado sugar to the cup. As I said above, I find that this brings out the flavor of the spices just a little more.
This is a delightful chai for these chilly winter afternoons (or morning!) A great tea to curl up to while reading a good book.
Yun Nan Dian Hong Black Tea Golden Tip from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
Dian Hong black tea, also known as Yunnan black tea, is one of China’s most famous black teas. This is the highest grade Dian Hong generally available in China – called Golden Tip Dian Hong. It has lots of orange pekoe in the dried tea, and brews into an absolutely great tasting, golden coloured tea, with very rich taste and aroma.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I reviewed this tea a couple of years ago, but I’m revisiting it because it’s a new year and a new harvest! Plus, it’s a chance for me to taste this amazing tea again – how could I resist?
Because mmmmmM! So good!
Rich! Smooth! Delicious.
When I first opened the sample pouch, I could smell notes of sweet molasses. The dry leaf aroma reminds me a bit of freshly baked cookies – like rich molasses spice cookies without the strong notes of spice. I can almost smell the cake-y notes of the cookie in the leaves!
To brew this, I used my Breville One-Touch. The sampler pouch is just the right amount for my Breville, so I poured the contents of the pouch into the basket and added 500ml of water to the jug. I set the parameters for 212°F and 2 1/2 minutes – and the tea came out perfectly!
This is a wonderful, full-flavored tea. It’s nicely round. It’s got a really robust flavor with notes of earth and leather with hints of smoke and spice. And then I pick up on the sweet molasses-y, caramel-y notes with hints of cream. It’s got a really delectable balance between savory and sweet.
A truly remarkable black tea – definitely something I’d recommend to all tea drinkers who are looking for something exceptionally excellent!
White Chocolate Raspberry Shou Mei from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
This is a blissful blend of premium Shou Mei white tea, freeze-dried raspberries, white chocolate chips and organic flavors. I’m pretty sure even the Grinch would like this one.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn more about 52Teas’ subscriptions here.
Taster’s Review:
I brewed up a big pot of this tea for my daughter and I – she loves raspberry and white chocolate, so it was as if this tea was custom designed just for her. As for me, I’m not as crazy about white chocolate as I am about dark chocolate. But, I like it alright.
And her verdict? She really liked this one. When the tea is still quite hot, the white tea is difficult to detect. It’s very much a raspberry tea when the tea is fresh-from-the-teapot hot. But after the tea has had a little time to cool, the white chocolate starts to come into focus. It’s a creamy, sweet note, somewhat vanilla-y and soft.
That said, this is still very much a raspberry tea. The raspberry really comes through strong and is especially focused in the aftertaste when the tongue tingles from the sweet-tart notes of berry.
And you’d think that maybe with as strong a raspberry flavor that this tea has, that the delicate quality of the white tea would be overpowered, but no. I find that the white chocolate notes seem to enhance the Shou Mei. The Shou Mei seems stronger here than in many of 52Teas recent white tea offerings.
Overall, this is a pleasant cuppa.
I infused the leaves a second time and I drank a small cup of that tea hot and chilled the rest. I actually preferred the second infusion to the first. The raspberry notes have mellowed a bit with this second pot of tea, and the white tea notes are more balanced with the berry. And it surprises me to say this, but I think that this is even better as an iced tea than as a hot tea. I usually prefer my chocolate blends to be hot, but this is really good iced.
Please take a moment to visit my Kickstarter Campaign to Take Over 52Teas! Please help me achieve my goal and make this dream of mine a reality!
Halmari Gold Assam Second Flush Black Tea from Golden Tips
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Golden Tips
Tea Description:
Handpicked from superior P126 clonal bushes at the Halmari Tea estate, the opulent appearance of the tea is characteristic of an almost equal combination of black and golden tipped leaves with a smooth texture. Carved out selectively from specially plucked tender young shoots, the tea brings in a unique rich maltiness which is only found in select Assams during the peak second flush tea growing season. The flavor is exhilarating with a perfect balance of strength, full-body and smoothness. This unique clonal tea brings in a sweet fruity finish in the mouth with a lingering aftertaste. The highest grade GTGFOP1 CL leaves prepare a sharp infusion which can be brewed several times. A bright golden amber liquoring cup greets your eyes when you strain out the royal dark brownish infusion.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
So very lovely! I love it when I discover an Assam like this one: Rich, full-flavored with a whole lot of MALT!
The dry leaf is quite beautiful. Dark, chocolate-y brown, curly leaves with golden tips lots of golden tips. To brew these beauties, I measured a bamboo scoop into the basket of my Kati tumbler and added 12 ounces of hot water (205°F). I let it steep for 2 1/2 minutes.
The tea brews up dark. It has a deliciously sweet aroma with notes of earth and leather.
The flavor is bold! This is one of those teas that would serve you well as a morning tea if you’re looking for one. It’s smooth with a moderately astringent tail. It’s got that robust quality of earth and leather but it also has a pleasant malty, caramel-y sweetness that balances out the edgy flavors.
A really invigorating tea – this would take the additions of milk and honey really well if you like to add those to your cuppa, it’s also quite nice served straight up.
Rara Willow White Tea from Nepali Tea Traders
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Tea Information:
A classic, aromatic, second-flush white tea. Meaning? It’s sweet and fruity with subtle classic white tea notes. There’s also citrus notes to be noticed subtly in the finish. This is a fine example of a white tea! It’s a summer harvest that’s hand-picked – one leaf and one bud.
This tea is available from Amoda Tea.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda Tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I reviewed this tea last year but I’m revisiting it for a couple of reasons: first, it was part of my January box (themed “Fresh Start”) from Amoda Tea. Second, it’s an amazing tea that I’m only too happy to be enjoying once again.
I think I’d like to start this review by pointing out that I just love the boxes that Amoda Tea curates! They have great taste when it comes to tea and it’s evident in the teas that they select that they are very passionate about tea. If you haven’t yet tried their new monthly subscription, you’re missing out!
This is an excellent white tea. I described it previously as a trip to the candy shop on Main Street in Disneyland – the flavor of this tea reminds me of those yummy rock sugar lollipops I used to buy there! That description still pretty much nails my first impression of this tea – it’s sweet and delightful.
Once your palate becomes acclimated to the sweetness, you start to pick up on light citrus notes, especially noticeable near the finish. I find this citrus-y note to be very refreshing. My palate feels clean and invigorated after each sip.
As I said in that previous review: this is a tea that all tea drinkers should try. It’s a remarkable white tea. One of the finest I’ve ever tasted. It resteeps beautifully too – the second infusion is just as delicious as the first!