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.
Cinnamon Chai Iced Honeybush Tea from Southern Boy Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: Zoomdweebies
Tea Description:
If you’ve never had an iced chai, you’re missing out. And this one, with it’s organic honeybush base, is exceptional. I think we found just the right balance of chai spice flavors to add to this one–some cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, black pepper and a touch of clove.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn about SBT’s subscriptions here.
Taster’s Review:
I personally prefer my chai hot, but, it’s really nice to drink an iced chai now and then. This is really refreshing and flavorful.
If you’ve read any of my other SBT reviews, you’re probably familiar with how I brew these teas. The tea comes in a big sachet which is really convenient for iced tea brewing. You can cold brew it or hot brew it and because it’s in a sachet, you can stash the brewed sachet in the fridge to resteep it for a second pitcher of tea if you’re so inclined.
I don’t usually resteep honeybush teas because I find that they lose flavor quicker than say, a white or green tea. But I highly recommend resteeping the white and green tea varieties of Southern Boy Teas!
I heated 1 quart of water to 195°F and then I added the sachet to the pitcher and let it steep for 9 minutes (because it’s a honeybush base, there are no tannins – this won’t become bitter if you ‘oversteep’ it – so keep it steeping for maximum flavor!) Then I poured the tea into my favorite tea pitcher and I repeated the process with a second quart of water, resteeping the sachet for 12 minutes. This produced a full 1/2 gallon pitcher of iced tea. (Well, you gotta let it cool first! I usually brew the tea at night and in the morning, I have a pitcher full of refreshing iced tea.)
I like the honeyed sweetness from the honeybush. It’s a light, nutty taste that melds well with the chai spices. The spices are zesty but not overly spicy. The name of this chai is “Cinnamon Chai” so I expected a big burst of cinnamon flavor but that didn’t happen. It’s got the cinnamon flavor there, to be sure, but it’s not super cinnamon-y. It’s a gentle warmth and I’m getting that not just from the cinnamon but also the ginger, cardamom, pepper, and cloves.
It’s warm and zesty, but not what I’d call ‘spicy.’ Just a pleasant, warmly spiced tea. I like this one – it’s one I wouldn’t mind having on hand to enjoy regularly. It’s tasty!
Please don’t forget about Southern Boy Teas’ Indiegogo Fundraiser! Help this small business grow! As little as $4 can help further their dream and you’ll get some really tasty tea in return!
Relax Ayurvedic Rooibos Tisane from TeaVeda
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: The Veda Company
Tea Description:
Sweet, romantic and warming flavors of vanilla, cinnamon, rooibos and spices entice and entitle you to “Relax.”
Learn more about the teas from TeaVeda here.
Taster’s Review:
I know I’ve said it more than once here on this blog, but I’m a sucker for packaging. I’m also really into presentation. And I have to say that I really like the presentation – and the packaging! – from this new-to-me company, The Veda Company, and their line of teas called TeaVeda.
The Veda Company sells not just an intriguing line of teas, but also candles, body care and home décor. And I love the presentation of their TeaVeda line. The tins are GORGEOUS and isn’t the teapot and teacup (in the photo above) absolutely beautiful? The teacup is also called “Relax” and each of the teacups in the TeaVeda line has an inspiring message printed on the inside of the cup. For the Relax cup, the message is:
“A happy family is but an earlier heaven.” ~George Bernard Shaw
I love it all: the teapot, the teacup, and the gorgeous tins that the teas are packaged in. Beautifully ornate with a very tight fitting, double lid system to help keep your tea protected from the elements.
But wait, there’s more! There’s TEA!
Tonight, I’m in need of a soothing, relaxing cup of tea so I’m sipping on “Relax” from TeaVeda, which is a chai-like blend of spices, vanilla and rooibos. This chai has the “usual” chai ingredients: ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Plus it also has some black pepper to spice it up even more and some vanilla to sweeten it.
This blend is a lovely spicy-sweet blend that teases my taste buds! At first I think that the cloves are the most prominent flavor of the cup, but then the pepper and ginger come through strongly. Then the cinnamon and cardamom come shining through.
The vanilla is a subtle flavor to this cup, adding a creamy flavor to the drink without softening the spices. There is a warm, nutty flavor from the rooibos that complements the spices well. And, even though the spices are vibrant, the beverage has a calming overall effect.
A nice, soothing cup of “Relax”!
When I first encountered The Veda Company, I found that their website is not an e-commerce/shopping cart type of site. Instead, to place your order, you need to utilize their inquiry page and place the order via this system. Not quite as convenient as the shopping cart, I realize, and they realize it too, so until they do get the shopping cart up and running, they are offering a 20% discount on retail orders made through the inquiry page! I love saving money!
Rooibos Spice Tisane from Mint Tea
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Tea Purchased from Mint Tea
Product Available Online at Strand Tea
Tisane Description:
Rooibos Spice Caffeine Free Herbal Tea. Organic Red Rooibos blended with Natural Cacao Bits, Ginger Pieces, Cinnamon Bark, Chicory Root, Barley Malt, Cardamom Pods, and Black Peppercorns. What a great winter tea! Rich & flavorful, sure to be a favorite treat any time of year.
Taster’s Review:
I bought this tisane when I visited the Mint Tea Shop in Vancouver, Washington some time ago. I knew that they obtained some of their teas from Strand Tea, including this one.
While some of the ingredients in this Rooibos Spice Tisane from Mint Tea appear to be chai-like, and the flavor of the tisane is somewhat chai-esque, there’s some other flavors going on here that I don’t usually find in a chai.
Like chicory and barley malt, for example. The chicory gives the drink a coffee-ish background note, a deep, roasted sort of flavor that accentuates the spices in a really interesting way. I also enjoy the way the chicory and the cacao work together. I also taste the malty tones from the barley malt, giving the cup a “grainy” flavor that adds an intriguing depth.
The spices are well-defined here. I taste the cinnamon throughout the sip, and there is a backdrop of pepper and ginger. The cardamom adds some exotic warmth to this beverage.
This is really tasty, winter-y kind of tisane, something that I can see myself drinking whenever I want something warm and soothing, but something that won’t stimulate me the way a caffeinated tea would.
Gnarly Masala Chai from Steep This!
Chai Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Steep This!
Chai Description:
A shockingly addictive blend of Rose Petals, Jasmine Flowers, Cinnamon and Lavender among others. This gnarly blend of all things romantic is a treat after dinner and can be enjoyed iced for an extra special party drink.
Learn more about this chai here.
Taster’s Review:
I learned about this company – Steep This! – on Steepster. I’m always interested to try offerings from new companies (as well as to support these new companies!) so, I placed a small order to try ’em out.
And while perusing through the tea selections at Steep This!, I was very intrigued by this Gnarly Masala Chai. It’s a chai with most of the usual suspects present: cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and black pepper (but no ginger!), and then they added a sprinkling of lavender, rose and jasmine just to make things interesting … and it also made the blend really visually appealing.
It’s also quite an appealing blend to the nose. The fragrance of the dry leaf is spicy and floral, with a little more spice than flower. I like how these two profiles complement each other. The floral notes soften the spices just enough so that my olfactory nerves aren’t heavily assaulted with strong spice, and the spices counter the flower so that I’m not smelling an overly perfume-y aroma.
This is tasty! It’s a little spicier than I expected it to be. I guess I was expecting the floral notes to soften the spices a little bit, but I’m getting some fiery black pepper notes! The cinnamon is also warm! The cloves and cardamom sort of fill out the spice flavor. This blend doesn’t NEED the ginger, it’s getting plenty of pep from the black pepper!
I don’t taste a whole lot from the rose, jasmine or lavender unless I sip with a slurp. When the tea is aerated as it hits the palate, those floral notes come out, and they are flavors that develop as I continue to sip as well.
The sip starts out with a peppery note, and then quickly moves in to the other spices. The spices really round out the flavor for the palate. Then, right at mid-sip, the floral notes come into focus. I don’t really taste a specific flower … it’s more like a medley of the rose, jasmine and lavender. Sweet, exotic and soft. Just after mid-sip, the notes of the tea start to come forward – a rich, earthy flavor.
The aftertaste is a peppery taste with notes of flower. It’s a very interesting and delightfully different taste that I really enjoy.
I didn’t prepare this as a latte, mostly because I figured this chai had enough going on with the spices and the flowers … I didn’t want to add something that could possibly overwhelm the delicate floral notes because it was the flowers in this blend that enticed me to purchase this sample! I wanted to experience them in their splendor and not risk overpowering them with a splash of milk. But this tea is DELICIOUS served straight up. I really like the uniqueness of this chai.
This is the first tea that I’ve tried from this new company, and I’m enjoying it. I was VERY impressed with how quickly my order arrived, especially since this is a Canadian company and I’m here in the US. I guess my only complaint … and it’s not really a “complaint” but more of a comment … is that I just didn’t feel all that special as a customer. I placed a very small “samples” order, so I didn’t really expect a free sample with my order, but, something would have been appreciated.
I understand if some companies don’t include a free sample, because that’s product and especially with a new company, it can be expensive to include free samples with every order. However, a little acknowledgement would have been nice. A quick, hand-written “thank you” on the invoice would have been very appreciated and made me feel a little more appreciated as a customer. These little things – free samples, special attention to packaging, a piece of individually wrapped candy, or even just a hand-written note – make the customer feel like they are appreciated and it’s these little touches that send me back to try a company again and again. When I feel special as a customer, I will return to that vendor who made me feel that way.