Steeped with a heaping tablespoon of leaves at 175 degrees in about 1 cup of water.
This tea was a new experience for me! I’ve tried lots of flavored green teas, but never one where the green tea was a substitute for black tea in a chai blend. As a result of this tea, I’ve realized how different these spices are outside of a conventional chai context and how much I take the black tea base for granted in chai blends!
As it steeps, I can detect a fragrance of spices; it smells like cinnamon and possibly cloves. The tea liquid isn’t very dark. In fact it’s only achieved a pale honeylike color after it’s finished steeping; it’s a little viscous, with nearly invisible flecks (of cinnamon, perhaps?) swimming in it.
The flavor is very different from any chai I’ve ever tried. The spices, instead of melding with a malty black tea flavor to form a rounded flavor profile, are instead mingling with the bright astringent green tea notes (grassy almost, but not much on the floral side that I can detect). This makes for a very focused flavor overall. It’s highly concentrated in the bright and forward flavor notes and not so much rounded out with the deeper tones that a black tea normally imparts to a chai (in my experience). It’s almost bitter, but then again, I may have oversteeped it a bit–I like my chais strong.
With milk, it’s suddenly not very strong at all. It still has spice flavors, but I’m really missing the black tea base here. And I know you aren’t really “supposed” to put milk in green tea, but that’s what I normally do with chai so I figured why not?
So to sum up, don’t expect this to taste like a more conventional chai! Instead, expect a bright, spicy, focused flavor that’s intended to be enjoyed alone or with a little sweetener; I recommend trying it without milk. In fact, I bet this would make a great iced tea!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Vahdam Teas
Description
A superior blend of fresh green tea from Darjeeling blended with choicest Indian spices like Cardamom, Cinnamon, Clove & Black Peppercorns. Discover a smooth fulfilling aroma of fresh greens with delicious undertones of raw spices in every sip. The liquor is bright green with an energizing aroma. A unique chai tea which can be served with or without milk.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Hojicha Chai from Eden Foods. . . . .
It’s been awhile since I’ve had Chai tea. Lately I’ve been drinking a lot of Tulsi herbal and ginger teas. I’m working on living a mostly caffeine free life, which can be a struggle at times.
I was excited to try this Hojicha Chai because it is made with green tea, which of course is lower in caffeine than black. After checking their website, I was pleased to learn that this teas is made from larger leaves that have begun to lose their caffeine strength! Total win! I could smell the spices through the packet, and they smelled divine. I could definitely smell star anise and cinnamon.
I brewed a cup and used a very small amount of sugar and some coconut milk and sipped happily away. It’s spicy without being too spicy, and naturally sweet. I actually think I could have had it with no sweetener. It also had a nice roasted flavor which you don’t always find in Chai teas. It added a richness and depth of flavor.
According to Eden Foods website, this tea has sixty seven percent less caffeine than coffee, so this is a delicious way to get a little caffeine without too much. The roasted flavor perfectly balances the spices, and it was a wonderful way to start my day!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: Eden Foods
Description
Master blender acclaimed, “Innovating, breathtaking, this audacious blend combines familiar malty notes of Hojicha with exotic Indian spices. A classic revisited.” Chai, generic for tea in many south Asian countries, is usually made with black tea. This is made with EDEN Hojicha, roasted summer green tea leaves. Rich, smoky, deep flavor similar to that of black tea, but better. Antioxidant health benefits with 67% less than brewed coffee. Delicious plain, with Vanilla EDENSOY, Vanilla EDENSOY Extra, or with hot apple juice or cider. Spicy, warming, delightful. Quick and easy, environmentally appropriate tea bags. 
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Happily Headless from Adagio Teas. . . GoT Inspired Tea!
Now that Game of Thrones is six seasons in and the books have been around even longer, I think it is safe to say that referencing Ned’s death doesn’t really require a spoiler warning. I mean you would basically need to have lived under a rock to not know the shocking decapitation that befell the Stark patriarch. I guess people should have seen it coming when the show cast Sean Bean in the role given he is known for being killed off. In fact, this particular blend is merely one of a series of teas inspired by the many Sean Bean deaths.
One of the biggest appeals of Adagio is their fandom blends. They don’t have the best quality ingredients but something about pairing a tea with beloved characters just gives them an edge. Nostalgia is probably to blame but slapping a name like “Happily Headless” on a blend just makes me enjoy the tea that much more. Maybe its just me who feels this way though.
This is a black tea/green tea blend with chai spices, cream flavor, orange, and bits of candy canes in the leaf. The combination creates a sort of spice cake flavor that is rather intoxicating. The green base is slightly vegetal and the orange can be a bit pithy but mostly this is a whole lot of delicious. The peppermint from the candy canes is lacking just a touch but I am not sure how well it would blend with the other flavors that are present anyways, so perhaps that is for the best. If anything, the candy canes contribute a bit of a winter bite as you finish the sip – perhaps a nod to Ned’s famous warning?
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Description
You’ll lose your head over your loyalty to this kingly brew!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
