Callisto Chai from Moongleam Tea Shoppe

by Hillary

I woke up to a light dusting of snow. It feels like a cozy holiday morning, so of course I’m craving Chai!

I decided to try this Callisto chai and first of all, I have to comment on the beauty of the tea itself. It has so many beautiful cardamom pods. I always know the tea will be amazing when I see cardamom! And it smells out of this world! It smells like a cozy winter morning. I smell nutmeg and cloves, not just the usual cinnamon. It smells much spicier than it tastes.

I’m having mine with a teaspoon of brown sugar and a splash of coconut milk. It’s smooth and delicious. The spice is there, but it’s subtle and sweet, not at all sharp.

I know I keep saying each new chai I try is a new favorite, but I can’t help it, they’ve all been so amazing! This is a chai I would serve to people who are not huge spice fans and might be a little leery of chai or other more “exotic” teas!

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:
Where to Buy: Moongleam Tea Shoppe
Description

This tea is no longer on the site but please click on the link below for what is available.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Hillary

Book reading, cat loving, tea sipping vegan.

This post was posted in Black Tea, Moongleam Tea Shoppe

Firebird Chai by Wendigo

by Sensiblyscript

While sniffing this tea before steeping (what? Don’t tell me I’m the only one who does this) I can definitely pick up a big whiff of ginger in the dry leaves. The leaves are better-looking than average for chai; they also have more of a presence in the blend (as far as fragrance and so on) than some do. I also observed lots of chunks of other stuff (spices?) in there with the tea leaves. The curls of dried ginger were the most noticeable of these. (And also were quite impressive. Don’t most chais just have minced ginger or something? These curls were really cool-looking.)

When steeping, I used a couple of generous spoonfuls for my latte mug and hot water that I poured out just after boiling. I may have been a bit over-lavish with the leaves compared to what the steeping instructions said, but I was feeling like drinking a strong chai. I steeped it four minutes before removing the leaves. The rehydrated pods (I think that’s the cardamom?) and curls of ginger were much more obvious in the tea leaves now. The brewed tea turned out a strongish darkish brown (but not the darkest ever).
Now that the finished product is in hand, I can actually smell the black tea along with the spices. This isn’t always the case with chai, so I appreciated it. Ginger seems the predominant spice (rather than cinnamon) upon first sip. Each sip has a sweet, smooth taste (despite not having any sugar in it yet) and a warming effect.
Certainly it’s exotic as well as pleasant and comforting, with all that ginger and cardamom, and manages to carve a unique flavor profile for itself rather than just being a run-of-the-mill “chai” flavor. I’m unsure where the sweetness is coming from–surely not the ginger or the cinnamon– but I suppose it could be from the black tea itself if it’s as high-quality as it seems.
Overall I’d say this tea is lively, warming, and full and rich without  being cliche. It offers a bright flavor palette that’s not too spicy to enjoy. It’s great with milk and sugar too; they “muffle” the spices a bit, as expected, and enhance the richness of the black tea flavor.

 

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Wendigo Tea
wendigo-teaDescription

FireBird

I, the glorious FireBird, am an imposing beast with the exotic complexity to guide you through a wild adventure of savory, sweet, spicy, and back again. Brace yourself if you think you are ready to experience the wonder of FireBird. I am a Spicy Masala Chai that leaves scorched remnants of other Chai teas far below my ferocious wings.
I am born of the meanest Indian Estate black tea available, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, black pepper & all spice. Where other Chai teas expect you to add milk and heaps of sweetener to balance the bitter taste of inferior ingredients, I stand alone as a unique masterpiece.
My elevated nature is most notable from the refusal of being satisfied with anything but the very best and strongest tasting Premium Indian Estate Tea available. This compliments the spices and will not dare be buried under them, but earthy decadence soaring ahead for the lingering trail of spice and flavor following on your pallet.
Feel the Burn. Love the taste.

 

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Sensiblyscript

Hi! My name is Tabitha and I'm an uprooted PNW native living in the South with my husband and my cocker spaniel. My favorite teas are usually dark and strong and go well with milk and sugar. I like to combine tea-drinking with all of my favorite activities, such as listening to music, reading YA fiction, knitting, and writing blog and website content for businesses. Because I'm a well-rounded person, I also have other interests, such as wearing mismatched socks and pretending to be ambidextrous.

This post was posted in Black Tea, Wendigo Tea Co

Firebird Chai from Wendigo Tea Co

by SuperStarling

I regret to inform you, darling Tea-ple, that there is nothing I could possibly say about this tea that has not been said better on the tea’s own description.

Said information implores you to “brace yourself” for “an imposing beast” that “leaves scorched remnants of other Chai teas far img_5152_grandebelow ferocious wings.”

Have I just been schooled?

Does Wendigo keep its own Starling! on staff? An even more super Super Starling! ?

firebirdchaiThe tea’s description also touts the tea as a “unique masterpiece” that requires no additional flavoring because its base is not cheap, icky tea like other chais. You are encouraged to “enjoy your ride.”

This tea DOES have a flowery sweetness that I can’t seem to explain based on the ingredients. I think it’s a note on the black tea, which is superior to a LOT of black teas I’ve had. It really does require no milk or honey to avoid being bitter or overwhelming.

Despite the floral notes, I dare say that this FireBird has MELTED MY FACE OFF, Raiders of the Lost Ark style.

Climb on, kids.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black/Chai
Where to Buy: Wendigo Tea Co.

wendigo-teaDescription

FireBird

I, the glorious FireBird, am an imposing beast with the exotic complexity to guide you through a wild adventure of savory, sweet, spicy, and back again. Brace yourself if you think you are ready to experience the wonder of FireBird. I am a Spicy Masala Chai that leaves scorched remnants of other Chai teas far below my ferocious wings.
I am born of the meanest Indian Estate black tea available, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, black pepper & all spice. Where other Chai teas expect you to add milk and heaps of sweetener to balance the bitter taste of inferior ingredients, I stand alone as a unique masterpiece.
My elevated nature is most notable from the refusal of being satisfied with anything but the very best and strongest tasting Premium Indian Estate Tea available. This compliments the spices and will not dare be buried under them, but earthy decadence soaring ahead for the lingering trail of spice and flavor following on your pallet.
Feel the Burn. Love the taste.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

SuperStarling

"Hey, everybody! I'm Leah, a graphic designer from Pennsylvania, United States. I live with my husband and rescue mutt in a house with colorful walls. I love fonts, colors, animals, flowers, novels, illustration, geeking out, and -- obviously! -- tea. I've only been heavily into tea for about a year, but I've found I tend to prefer loose blended black dessert teas. I normally drink them hot western style without anything added; if I add in some vanilla almond milk or honey, I promise I'll mention it! When I'm not blogging here, I'm blogging at leahlucci.com/starling or posting to Instagram (super_starling), so come say hi!"

This post was posted in Black Tea, Wendigo Tea Co