Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Tea Description:
A sweet-spiced black chai tea blend with traditional spices and citrus notes. We dare you to try it with a bit of sugar and no milk!
Learn more about Spire Tea on their website.
Taster’s Review:
Also known as Soho Chai, this Sweet Chai Black Tea Blend from Spire Tea is a delightfully spicy-sweet chai that evokes thoughts of the holidays with its notes of spicy-hot cinnamon, warm cloves and sweet orange.
And what I like best about this particular cinnamon-orange type of chai is that while it has those familiar sweet-spiced notes of the red-hot candies, it isn’t as over-the-top or in-your-face as some of those teas can be. This has a little mellower, a little milder … and this makes a big difference. I can taste the rich black tea in this … this tea is not all about the cinnamon and orange!
But the cinnamon and orange play big roles in this tea. This is a very energetic, warm tasting tea that will invigorate you on those cold days when served hot, but it also tastes GREAT iced! It’s a very refreshing, deliciously different tea when served iced. The spice becomes slightly more subdued with the chill, and this makes the tea very thirst quenching and easy to drink.
This is one of those middle of the road spicy-hot yet sweet cinnamon teas that is not quite as in your face as some of the teas out there … but it’s bold enough to take your taste buds on a wild ride. I like it.
Coconut Chai Tea from Zhena’s Gypsy Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Zhena’s Gypsy Tea
Tea Description:
A robust and full flavored black tea accented with exotic imperial spices. The bold concentrated character of this lush black tea lends itself well to the full notes of cardamom, ginger and clove. The sweet hint of tropical coconut fragrantly fills the cup, offering an inviting taste of paradise to savor from any spot on the map. Delicious with a splash of milk. A bright and flavorful steep. Sunglasses not included.
Fair Trade Certified Indian Black Tea*, Cinnamon*, Ginger*, Cardamom Pods*, Whole Cloves*, Orange Peels*, Nutmeg*, Black Pepper*, Natural Coconut Flavor, Natural Cinnamon Flavor.
* Certified Organic
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I really have to be in the mood for a chai. Coconut Chai Tea from Zhena’s Gypsy Tea was really calling to me today. Sent to me from a Steepster.com friend, and I am happy for it, I am sipping a yummy chai with a nice hint at coconut, and a slight taste of vanilla. No vanilla is listed in the ingredients but I taste it nonetheless. Must be how the coconut gives the tea a light milky and nutty flavor combined with the typical spices in chai. Regardless, I am really enjoying this chai from Zhena’s.
Somehow I have managed to drink loose leaf for over a year now and had yet to have tried Zhena’s Teas. This is an excellent first introduction to this company.
I will say if you are expecting a really coconutty tea, this isn’t it. Honestly I would not mind a bit more coconut flavor myself, but I am satisfied with it being lightly flavored.
I had the first half of my cup straight, then added a little vanilla almond milk to the rest. It was excellent both ways but I think I prefer it straight which is interesting because most of my experience with chai has always been the tea mixed with milk of some kind.
I look forward to trying more of the teas offered by Zhena’s Gypsy Tea.
Chai Green Tea from Compass Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Compass Teas
Tea Description:
You will love the amazing aroma of Cinnamon, Almonds & Spices in this Chai Green Tea. Enjoyable hot or iced, sweetened or unsweetened.
Learn more about this chai blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m really enjoying this Chai Green Tea from Compass Teas, and I think what I’m liking best about this particular chai blend is that it doesn’t have ginger! Now, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE ginger – LOVE it! But, I think that ginger in this particular blend would have overpowered the smooth flavor of the green tea as well as the delicate note of almond, and that’s what’s really winning me over!
The green tea base is a soft flavor. Hints of subtle vegetation and a light, creamy tone add a delightful dimension of flavor to the spices in this blend. It isn’t bitter, it just tastes fresh and light and sweet … with notes of butter and cream.
And those butter/creamy notes really play nicely to the hint of almond in the cup. When measuring out the dry leaf, I really had expected more of an almond flavor based on the sheer number of slivered almonds that landed in my teapot. But, the almond notes are really very subtle … and for that reason, I really wouldn’t recommend going latte with this particular blend. I think that adding dairy to this cup would completely overwhelm the almond notes … and the almond notes are what makes this blend really special in my opinion.
The cinnamon is the strongest spice note in this blend. It is a spicy-sweet cinnamon that is just a little more sweet than spicy. I like that, because, again, too spicy a cinnamon would throw off the balance that Compass Teas has achieved with this chai. The cloves and cardamom give a nice background of warm spice.
Overall, this is a very pleasant cup of chai. It isn’t a ~spicy~ chai, but, it has a certain zesty quality to it that I find quite enjoyable. It is a gentle, warmly spiced chai with a smooth, sweet flavor and just a hint of nutty sweetness. A really nice way to sip away the chill on these still cold days of early spring!
Spiced Doughnut Chai Black Tea Blend from Compass Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Compass Teas
Tea Description:
Mmmm… Doughnut Tea! It could easily be considered a ‘dessert tea’ that could help you cut your calorie and fat intake by substituting this yummy cup for your normal dessert. Scrumptious as is, but tastes amazing with a spoonful or two of our all natural Amber Sugar Gems (made of pure Cane Sugar) and a dash of milk, if you like.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a tasty chai blend from Compass Teas, but, I’m just not getting Spiced Doughnut from it. It is a rich, flavorful black tea blend, but, I guess with a name like Spiced Doughnut Chai, I was expecting more of a sweet, dessert-y taste that just isn’t there.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s still really good. The black tea base is bold and full-flavored. I taste more of an Assam-like base here than I taste Darjeeling, but I do taste certain notes that hint of a Darjeeling presence in the blend. Every once in a while I note a sort of “lightness” … a bright note, if you will, that is distinctly Darjeeling-esque. But the Darjeeling is more of a presence in the background … very soft-spoken and allows the other flavors to do their thing.
The spices are pleasant … the ginger is warm but not too peppery, the cinnamon is more of a spicy than a sweet cinnamon, and I like the nutmeg in this blend. I taste the cardamom … I taste the cloves.
I am wishing for more of a vanilla taste to this … perhaps that would give it more of the sweet, dessert-y flavor that I had mentioned previously. The aftertaste has an almost “bake-y” kind of flavor so I can ~almost~ taste where they might get the idea of a spiced doughnut … almost … but not quite. It’s like almost reaching the finish line … but if you don’t reach the finish line did you really run the race? Sure. And this cup almost makes it.
It’s a flavorful tea, but, it doesn’t quite live up to the name Spiced Doughnut Chai for me. I wish it did, because the idea of a Spiced Doughnut Chai sounds absolutely divine. Close … but this one isn’t quite there yet.
Toasta Rica from Mad Pots of Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong, Black, Yerba Mate & Rooibos
Where to Buy: Mad Pots of Tea
Tea Description:
Rainforest, Autumn, Rich spice scents, Costa Rica, Full-Bodied, Meditative Toasty, Aromatic, Fruity, Spicy, Exotic, Intense, Earth Tones.
Learn more about getting a tea designed according to your PersonaliTEA here.
Taster’s Description:
This Toasta Rica from Mad Pots of Tea is a PersonaliTEA that was created for my SororiTea Sister, Azzrian! And it is really delicious. I love that I’m tasting all the components here … with the exception of the Stevia … of which I taste very little! Perfect!
As I sit here and sip and peruse the words of inspiration list (which I’ve included as the “Tea Description” above), I realize that this tea really does fit every single one of these words to a TEA! This tea evokes thoughts of the rainforest with its earthy notes and warm, woodsy tones. The spices speak of autumn to me. It is indeed a meditative, toasty, aromatic, fruity, spicy, exotic, intense, Earthy, full-bodied blend of flavors!
I love that I’m tasting the ginger, the allspice, the coriander and the cardamom. I taste a warm, peppery taste to this cup. There are notes of fruit that taste as though they have been baked in spices … like a baked apple that has been liberally spiced. It is toasty and warm … and definitely exotic.
But the best part of this tea for me is the Sarsaparilla. I love it! It adds just a hint of root beer-ish flavor to the cup … and the spices and sweetness of this cup seem to enhance the root-beer-y taste … like one of those gourmet root beers you might pick up in one of the expensive grocery stores.
If you haven’t yet filled out your own PersonaliTEA questionnaire to order your own custom tea … what are you waiting for? It’s fun … and it really is a delight to receive a package from Mrs. Potts! I need to be reordering my own Personalized blend (Anne’s Creative Cup!) because I’ve been out of it for a while now and I miss it!
