Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: M&K’s Tea Company on Etsy
Tea Description:
A sweet cinnamon confection with just enough spice to pack a punch, but not enough to send you to the emergency room. We threw four different types of cinnamon bark into this thing, just so you know we mean business. Assam black tea for a a little maltiness coupled with Keemun black tea for a little smokiness, and, well, you have yourself some Red Hot Cinnamon Spice!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
After reading the ingredient list of this Red Hot Cinnamon Spice Black Tea from M&K’s Tea Company, I was excited to try it. Yeah, it has hibiscus in it and as you know, I’m not a fan of hibiscus, but what impressed me is that the base of this black tea is a blend of Assam and Keemun! With most of the Red Hot type of black teas that I’ve tried in the past, the tea company uses Ceylon. I like that M&K’s is adventurous enough to try something different!
I brewed this in my Kati Tumbler. I put a heaping scoop of the loose leaf tea in the basket of the tumbler and poured in 12 ounces of boiling water. I let it steep for 3 minutes.
I’m enjoying this. This isn’t exactly what I think of when I think “Red Hot Cinnamon” – there are quite a few teas out there that taste like liquefied red hot cinnamon candies. This isn’t like that.
Oh, sure, it’s got a strong, spicy, cinnamon-y kick to it. But it tastes like pure, real cinnamon, not like the candy. And I like that. Sure, I enjoy those spicy-sweet confectionery-type teas too, but it goes back to what I said in the first paragraph, I like that M&K’s is adventurous to try something different. They’re celebrating the true, spicy flavor of cinnamon here rather than going the candy-like route.
The black tea is strong! The Assam adds a bold, malty flavor and the Keemun adds just a hint of smoke to the cup that accentuates the cinnamon in a pleasing way. The black tea is robust, earthy and has a moderate astringency.
The hibiscus actually works quite well in this blend, I think that the tartness of the herb helps to offer contrast to the spicy cinnamon. It isn’t a heavy hibiscus flavor, in fact, I really have to focus to actually taste the hibiscus. There’s just enough in there to offset some of the spice but not so much that I taste an obvious hibiscus note.
Mostly, what I taste here is cinnamon. Not surprising, right? I like that I am tasting true cinnamon flavor. This doesn’t have an artificial or candy flavor. It tastes like the kind of cinnamon I might grab off my pantry shelf and sprinkle in my oatmeal. (I do combine two different time of cassia for my cinnamon blend … this tea blend uses four types of cinnamon, they got me beat!) The clove gives a background warmth to the cup and complements the cinnamon, and I like that the clove isn’t too aggressive here. I like that this tea is a celebration of cinnamon!
A really tasty blend, I’m glad I had this opportunity to try it!
Pumpkin Spice Chai from The Tea Spot
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Tea Spot
Tea Description:
Our NEW seasonal Pumpkin Spice Chai may soon become your favorite tea to look forward to each Fall! This chai blend boasts a perfectly-balanced full leaf Assam black tea base with cinnamon, clove, cardamom, allspice, and pumpkin flavor to get you warmed up for Fall. This tea makes an amazing pumpkin latte with the simple addition of steamed milk. This seasonal treat will have you jumping in piles of rainbow-colored leaves in no time!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This year (at least this time of the year this year) seems like it’s been the year of the pumpkin chai! I’ve reviewed quite a few different pumpkin chai teas this year! I’ve enjoyed most of what I’ve tried (nothing comes to mind immediately that I did not enjoy, but some I definitely enjoyed more than others), but I think I’m saving the best for last! This one – this! This is one of the very best pumpkin chai teas that I’ve ever tasted.
The first thing that really impressed me when I opened the pouch of this tea is the aroma! Wow! I can really smell the pumpkin! It is a distinct pumpkin-y fragrance. It smells like the kitchen on Thanksgiving morning when the pies are baking! I smell notes of spice and black tea too, but the pumpkin notes are prominent!
The aromatic pumpkin notes are there in the brewed tea too. The fragrance wafting out of my teacup right now are scrumptious! To brew this, I used my Kati Tumbler and measured 1 heaping bamboo scoop of tea into the basket. I like to use just a little more leaf when I’m brewing a chai! This is especially important if you plan on going latte, because you want to accommodate for the heavier flavor of the dairy – or whatever product you’re using to make it a latte.
I brought 12 ounces of water to boiling and poured it into the tumbler and let this tea steep for 3 1/2 minutes. I usually stop at 3 minutes with a black tea (and especially an Assam, which this is!) but because of the spices, I wanted to give them a little more time to develop so I crossed my fingers and hoped that the Assam would let me steep it a little longer!
Fortunately, the Assam didn’t seem to mind the slightly longer steep.
This is a really delicious pumpkin chai. The pumpkin notes are distinct. They are THERE. There’s no mistaking the pumpkin here! This isn’t a pumpkin pie spice type chai where you’re tasting the spices of a pumpkin pie but no pumpkin flavor. This is PUMPKIN!
And even though the pumpkin flavor is strong, it is a true-to-the-squash type of flavor. It doesn’t taste artificial. It tastes like someone liquefied pumpkin puree and added it to my teacup.
The spices are nice. They’re good and strong – flavorful – without pushing it to the spicy level! It’s a distinct, spiced blend. Not just warmly spiced, but not quite “spicy” either. It’s somewhere between. Consider the amount of spice that you’d find in the typical pumpkin pie. Let’s call that mild spice. And then there’s the super zesty, spicy level … this is somewhere in between. This tastes like a chai that is also a pumpkin tea.
And I like that the spices are so thoughtfully balanced. I like that this tastes like a chai! I taste each of the spices: cinnamon, cardamom, clove, ginger. I am also tasting the allspice which is nice (and not always something that’s added to chai!) It’s warm, it’s cozy, but it’s also got a certain zippy invigorating quality that I get from a well-spiced chai.
You might think that with all that pumpkin and spice, that the tea winds up on the short end of the stick. But no! This is an Assam tea and it’s got some gusto! It is a rich, malty tea and the sweet, caramel-y notes together with the malt really play nicely with the flavors of pumpkin and spice.
For the purposes of this review, I didn’t go latte with this chai. I wanted to experience the tea straight up, with just a little bit of raw sugar added to enhance the spices a little. (This would also be amazing with honey!) After I finished writing my thoughts about the non-latte chai, I decided to add some steamed milk and it’s awesome like that too! So rich and creamy and yum! Better than what you’d find in the local coffee stop!
This is a very clever, well-crafted pumpkin chai. This is the best of the pumpkin patch!
9 Spice Chai Black Tea from M&K’s Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: M&K’s Tea Company on Etsy
Tea Description:
Could it be? A perfectly balanced chai tea? Yes, we know chai means tea and we are saying tea tea. But we like tea tea. Anyway. 9 Spice Chai is a smooth, deep, and complex black tea with just enough spiced flavor to penetrate the Indian and Sri Lankan black teas. Finally, a cup of chai that isn’t literally a cup of cloves or a cup of cinnamon nutmeg! Rejoice! This blend is part of the Original 20 M&K’s Blends.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
If you’ve read many of my reviews, you know by now that I love a good chai! So, I looked forward to trying this 9 Spice Chai from M&K’s Tea Company. After reading the description, it would seem that M&K’s is promising me a good chai here, so I am eagerly anticipating that!
And I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the humor in M&K’s description. I know that ‘Chai’ means tea and when I say “Chai,” I am more often than not – 99 times out of 100 – referring to a spiced tea blend. But I also often find myself worrying about those purists out there that might read one of my post titles that say “chai tea” and they’re snickering about me saying “tea tea.” I like that M&K’s addresses this “confusing” subject with humor. Thank you.
Anyway … let’s move on to the chai tea that sits in front of me, tempting me with it’s lovely aroma. It smells warm and spicy, like the kitchen during the holidays when there are lots of tasty things being baked.
Especially when I was a kid in my gramma’s kitchen … not so much now because if tasty things were being baked in the kitchen, that would mean that I was baking them and doing all the work. Things smell a lot better when I’m not the one doing the work. I think that’s why the childhood memories of pies, cakes, cookies and other yummies “smelled” so much better than when I make those things.
I’m just full of tangent today, aren’t I?
As I was saying, this chai smells good. It has a lovely, warmly spiced fragrance. And, I’m happy to say that it tastes as good as it smells! The spices are nicely balanced (as promised in the above description), I taste gentle notes of cinnamon and cardamom and clove. Hints of nutmeg and vanilla. The pepper and ginger are zesty. The allspice and coriander round out the flavors. The spices have been carefully considered here to create a pleasing, round flavor that warms you from the inside out without coming across as too spicy.
It has a flavor that is reminiscent of a homemade spice cookie. It isn’t too strongly spiced – but it isn’t subtle either. It’s somewhere in between a very strong, spicy chai and a more softly spiced chai. The spices aren’t competing with one another and there isn’t one spice that overpowers the others. This isn’t all about the cinnamon or ginger or clove. I get a little bit of each spice in each sip and that’s what I mean by a nice balance of spice.
The black tea base is a blend of Ceylon and Assam, and these two teas provide a solid background of flavor. It’s robust and holds its own against the strong spices so that I’m not just tasting spices in each sip, I’m also tasting tea. The teas don’t taste bitter but there is some dryness toward the tail – a slightly astringent sensation – but it isn’t unpleasant. I like the way the dryness allows the spice notes (a contrast between spicy and sweet) to come through in the aftertaste.
I really am enjoying this chai. I think if I’m to offer any kind of criticism about it at all, it would be that I think I’d like just a tad more vanilla to this. The vanilla here is rather subdued, perhaps because it’s in the presence of so many other spices but I think I’d like to experience a little more of the sweet, creamy notes of vanilla here. A little more vanilla and you wouldn’t need to add dairy to make this a latte – it would be like a latte in a cup without the dairy!
Organic Matcha Chai Green Tea from Aftelier Perfumed Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Aftelier Perfumed Teas
Product Description:
Our Organic Matcha Chai Tea is grown under diffused sunlight in Nishio, Japan, where the leaves are then ground into a fine vibrant emerald-green powder. I create our exceptionally delicious green Chai tea by flavoring the naturally creamy and sweet ceremonial-grade organic matcha with Aftelier Chef’s Essences: vanilla absolute from Madagascar, organic cinnamon from Vietnam, organic pimento berry from Jamaica, and organic cardamom from India.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was very excited to try this new Organic Matcha Chai Green Tea from Aftelier Perfumed Teas, because I have really enjoyed the perfumed teas that I’ve tried from Aftelier Perfumed Teas in the past and this was a Matcha Chai! YUM!
One thing that stands out to me about this tea is the ingredient list. This is not your “usual” run of the mill chai spices. There are a couple of “usual suspects” here, like the cinnamon and cardamom, and vanilla is another flavoring that is often used in chai blends these days. But pimento berry (aka allspice)? And no ginger or clove?
Not to say that these changes are bad … they’re just different and it’s my job to spot things like that and point them out.
Another thing that is definitely different with this Matcha Chai from some other Matcha Chai blends that I’ve tasted in the past is that this is a VERY high grade of Matcha. This is apparent in the color of the powder, the bright, vivid jade hue of the liquid, and all that frothy foam on the top of my freshly prepared bowl of Matcha!
It’s also apparent in the flavor. I can taste the quality of the Matcha – it is sweet and slightly vegetative, with a delicious buttery tone. It’s so creamy and smooth.
The spices are on the milder side of “chai” – that is to say that this is not a spicy chai … it is warm with cinnamon, cardamom and allspice, but it isn’t peppery or spicy-hot. It’s a very “autumnal” sort of taste … like spiced cider or something (but without the apples). The vanilla adds a luscious creaminess which enhances the natural creamy quality of the Matcha.
The Matcha isn’t grainy on the palate … it’s very smooth and silky. And even though the product description of this tea states that its
It is normal for a bit of the powder to remain in the bottom of your cup…
the Matcha stays incorporated in the water. There was no sediment when I reached the bottom of the bowl. Of course, if I had let it sit for a while, there may have been a different result. But as it is, it was so delicious that I finished the bowl before I could finish typing the review.
This is REALLY good. If you’re a fan of Matcha … this is one to add to your shopping list. Oh … and it’s a lot of fun receiving a package of tea from Aftelier too! Their packaging makes me feel special. It’s like receiving a beautifully wrapped gift rather than getting an order in the mail. Gorgeous packaging for a superb product … this company really delivers!
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!