Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black Tea (Chai)
Where to Buy: Tea of the People
Tea Description:
Chai is to many tea drinkers to what The Beatles are to music. Paul sang, “Let it Be”, but we went “Across the Universe” and landed in Silk Road, the once legendary trade route between China, India and beyond. Barrel aged with Szechuan peppers, we made Imperial Keemun, “Come Together” with this Indian Chai. Sweet and spicy flavours will leave you wanting it “8 Days a Week”.
WHY BARREL AGED TEA?
Barrel aging is a new and exciting way to handcraft a sophisticated cup of tea. Our barrel aging process begins by carefully hand-blending the tea and ingredients together and placing the blend into charred white oak wood barrels. Flown in from France, the barrels are then stored in our private tea cellar for five months. The oak keeps the ingredients tightly stored, allowing for the ingredient’s flavours to fuse harmoniously with the tea.
WHAT IS ORGANIC IMPERIAL KEEMUN?
Awarded both the prestigious designation for being one of China’s Ten Famous Teas and Official Imperial Tea of the Queen of England, Organic Imperial Keemun is one of the best black teas in the world. Great for stress management, studies have shown organic Imperial Keemun also promotes excellent oral, heart and bone health.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Most of the teas I have tasted – I can fully form my opinion about them – by the end of the cup. This one took a while. It took me until my 3rd cup to full form my opinion. Not that it was a bad tasting chai – that couldn’t be further from the truth – it was just more complex than the others I have been sipping on as of late. Barrel Aged Chai – Silk Road – from Tea of the People was quite the experience.
I read the ingredients label over and over again. I couldn’t find anything that would make it different than the other chai’s to be honest. Perhaps it was all of the organic ingredients – but – I have a hunch that the REAL taste difference is because it was barrel aged. I have to say I haven’t tried many age barrels teas – a few – but not a ton of them – probably because there aren’t that many on the market.
That’s why I think this offering it wonderful! It gives it that little extra something. Something you can’t quite put your finger on – or in this case – your tongue on! The spicy flavor blast of this chai really awakens your senses. It forces you to taste and pick out each and every ingredients and ponder on it for a bit before completing your sipping adventure. There seems to be a mysterious semi juicy undertone that is very much appreciated. This is one chai that I will remember for a long time, that is for sure! Very nicely done!
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!
Chai Tea from Tealated
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tealated
Tea Description:
This spicy Chai delights the senses with its blend of cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves with organic Assam tea. Try it with milk and sugar for a culinary treat!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yeah! I’m liking this chai!
I worried that I might have oversteeped it, because I absent-mindedly set the timer for 3 minutes without taking into consideration that this is a) an Assam and b) a CTC Assam at that!
But I’m not experiencing any bitterness. I don’t know if that’s because the spices are overpowering any bitter tones or if it’s because this Assam is a bit more forgiving than others that I’ve had. I just know that I’m tasting a really enjoyable cup of Chai that isn’t bitter. It’s smooth, rich and flavorful and jam-packed with masala spice – just the way I like my chai blends to be!
I like that this is warm and zesty – and yeah, I’d even go so far as to say it’s spicy! But it isn’t a ‘too much’ kind of spicy. It’s just right. This is the spice levels that I prefer my chai blends to have. I like a good bit of spice to the cup but I don’t want it to be so overwhelmed with spice that I can’t taste that rich, delicious black tea base.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed many a chai that didn’t meet these specifications. But as far as the kind of chai that I would go back to … this is the kind of chai that I’d be happy to drink again and again.
There’s even the faintest hint of creaminess to the cup which I’m not quite sure where it comes from except that perhaps it’s from the malty notes of the Assam – but it tastes really good served without the dairy. It’s certainly not “latte” like without the dairy, but there is enough of a creamy hint to it that I find enjoyable enough without the dairy.
I think I might serve this to my husband when he gets home. He has recently ‘discovered’ the joy of chai and I think he’ll really enjoy this one.
Product Review: Teavana® Oprah Chai Tea Latte from Starbucks
Product Information:
Spicy chai blend of cinnamon, black tea and rooibos, lightly sweetened and finished with steamed milk.
Where to Buy: Your Local Starbucks
Learn more about this product here.
Taster’s Review:
This product combines two things that I do not like with a couple of things that I do like. I don’t like Teavana and I don’t like Starbucks. But I do like chai lattes and I like Oprah Winfrey. So, I decided that since I happened to be at my local Safeway and there happens to be a Starbucks inside that I’d try Oprah’s “new” (it’s not really new anymore, but it’s new to me) Chai from Teavana that has been crafted into a latte by Starbucks.
Two things that I noticed right off the bat that I appreciated – first thing: it wasn’t prepared too hot. The very rare times that I stop at a coffee shop to get a chai latte (very rare), it seems like the drink is too hot to consume and it takes forever for the temperature to drop. This was prepared at a slightly lower temperature, I think, and it was a drinkable temperature. Nice.
The second thing that I noticed: it’s not too sweet. Yeah, it’s been sweetened. But it’s not cloyingly sweet. It’s not so sweet that I felt myself recoil from the overwhelming sweetness. And there’s a nice balance between sweet and spice.
I can taste the tea here and that’s another thing I appreciate. More often than not, when I do have that rare latte from a coffee shop, many times it’s made from a concentrate and it’s overly processed and I just can’t taste any tea. I taste some spice but mostly what I end up tasting is warm milk and sweetener.
That’s not happening with this. I can taste the black tea and I taste a light nutty flavor from the rooibos. The spices are nicely balanced. Overall, it’s a pleasant chai latte. Not my favorite – my favorite is the kind that I make at home where I control the sweetness and the amount of dairy that goes into it. But for a latte that I picked up at a coffee shop (even if it is Starbucks), it’s pretty good. And it’s definitely better than Starbucks “classic” chai latte.
I don’t know that I’ll be lining up at Starbucks to get this again soon, but, if I happen to find myself at Starbucks, this is probably what I’ll order.
Himalayan Masala Spiced Black Tea Blend from Nepali Tea Traders
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Nepali Tea Traders
Tea Description:
An authentic medley of black tea lightly spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves and other spices traditional in Nepal.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a different chai! Usually, when I think of a chai, I think of a very strong black tea base with spices that are equally as strong to create a robust, full-flavored cuppa that is ideal as a latte. This isn’t that chai.
That’s not to say that I dislike it. On the contrary, I’m actually quite enjoying this Himalayan Masala Spiced Tea from Nepali Tea Traders! It’s different, sure, but, I like the warm, cozy flavor of this tea. It’s a lovely tea to enjoy on a chilly afternoon – like today!
The black tea base is lighter than I’m used to in a chai – but it’s smooth and crisp. I’d categorize this as a medium-bodied tea, it’s a little crisper, and a little lighter than an Assam or a Nilgiri which are the teas most often used as a base for a chai. This base is more reminiscent of a Darjeeling, but perhaps a little more substantial. It has some lovely fruit notes to it that meld beautifully with the warm spices.
The spices here are consistent with the body of the tea – that is to say that the spices aren’t overpowering the tea base. Instead, since this is a slightly lighter bodied tea, the spices are not as strong. I get gentle notes of cardamom, ginger, cloves and cinnamon. It’s a cozy, comforting combination of flavors that is reminiscent of a spice cookie.
I didn’t go latte with this blend because I felt that it would overwhelm the lighter character of the cup. And because it is a little lighter, if you’re one who automatically adds sweetener to your tea before tasting, I’d suggest tasting this one first. It has a gentle sweetness to it and it’s really good without anything added.
A really lovely chai – this is one I’d recommend to those who tend to shy away from chai blends because they find them to be too spicy. This one might be more to your liking – it’s a warmly spiced blend, but not what I’d call spicy. It’s quite delightful.