I still remember my first Chai latte. It was love at first sip. And the spicier the better! Whether at a coffee shop or at home, I never imagined drinking Chai without some sort of plant milk, my favorite is coconut milk.
However, I am also a very impatient person, and I wanted to try this Masala Chai from Hope&Glory, and I have no plant milk. I was kind of scared to try this straight, because some Chai’s I’ve gad in the past are a bit sharp, and need something to tone it down a bit. But it was a cool and crisp morning, the type of morning where I like a cozy Chai.
First of all, the smell of this blend is amazing. I want to live in a field of this blend, and bathe in it. It smells of cinnamon and spice and everything nice that I want in a tea. I put one teaspoon of coconut sugar in my cup, and took my first sip. Smooth, spicy, clean and the perfect amount of everything. It’s spicy without being too sharp, and it tastes like real ingredients, real spices. It tastes like someone whipped it up personally for me.
I’m sad that I have none left. This is the perfect tea for the upcoming cooler months. This is what you want to come home to after a long day, or better yet this is how you want to start your day. This is by far my favorite Chai blend ever.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Hope and Glory
Description
A full-bodied blend of organic Ceylon black tea and spices, Masala Chai derives from the Hindi literally meaning ‘mixed-spice tea’. Spices such as cardamom and cinnamon have been expertly blended to give a warming, rich blend of flavours and a sweet aroma.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Rani Collection Organic Earl Grey from Hope and Glory
The more tea friends I meet online the more I realize that Earl Grey is hit and miss for some people. Lucky for me – I’m generally a fan of Earl Grey – so today I would like to share with you Rani Collection Organic Earl Grey from Hope & Glory!
The dry leaf aroma is stereo-typically Earl Grey potent but once the hot water is added and the loose leaf infused it tones down a bit in terms of potency-aroma-wise. Rani Collection Organic Earl Grey from Hope & Glory still smells pretty terrific in the cup just before sipping! And then once I took a sip…there is that Earl Grey flavor I was looking for! It’s not an overbearing EG flavor, tho, I must point out.
Rani Collection Organic Earl Grey from Hope & Glory doesn’t have an overbearing EG Flavor but it’s not a plain or weak flavor either. It has a nice level of Earl Grey and makes for satisfying sipping!
I appreciate the aftertaste being a bit on the weaker side – I have to say! Some EG’s give you that bitter and over-the-top bergamot oil linger – but NOT this aftertaste! Rani Collection Organic Earl Grey from Hope & Glory ends softer than some Earls and leaves behind a more pleasant citrus linger that makes me want another cup! Rani Collection Organic Earl Grey from Hope & Glory just might be a tea to tempt those who are uneasy about other Earls! Dare I say – give it a whirl? I did and I enjoyed it!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Straight Black Tea
Where to Buy: Hope and Glory
Description
A scented black tea which may be taken with or without milk.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Maharajah Collection Organic English Breakfast from Hope and Glory
I remember the first full day of my study abroad semester in London like it was yesterday (instead of 2009– wait, am I getting old? Don’t
answer that). After a sleepless trans-Atlantic flight and a lazy day of getting acclimated, we were invited to a proper cream tea at a local historic hotel. My love of tea had begun long before my international journey, but it was fairly exclusive to basic herbals and the occasional green– every time I tried to drink straight black tea, I got this stomach-turning ick and would set it aside until it turned cold and eventually would be dumped out. Something about this particular day, though– maybe it was my eagerness to acclimate to my new (kinda) foreign home, maybe it was jetlag– but I poured myself a cuppa, and it was like the heavens parted above me. I was ALL. IN. As if in an instant with my first sip, I understood what all the fuss was about in this country I was to call my home for the next six months– cream tea? Yes please.
Pretty much not a day went by for that next half-year that didn’t begin with my favorite strong cuppa, wasn’t intersected mid-day for a break with another, or my commute home that wasn’t warmed and nourished by a creamy, strong to-go. I learned that the best–and only way to brew really *good* English breakfast was to drop your (strong, very strong) tea bag in some hot water, swirl for a few seconds and immediately draw out, leaving dark, golden-brown nectar in the cup.
And that’s how I judge my English Breakfasts to this very day– can it brew to full strength in just a few stirs? Does it hold milk and sugar (or now, a few years later for me– coconut milk and honey) well?
And I was abundantly pleased to see that Hope & Glory fit the bill– and with the ‘organic’ delineation to boot! This robust breakfast tea does the English stereotype of strong tea justice, and hits that perfectly balanced, comforting flavor that I’ve come to expect from a well-brewed cup. For a pyramid bag, the leaves were well-intact, and I’d absolutely keep this one in my desk at work for a mid-day pick-me-up without the fuss of loose leaves.
Well done, Hope & Glory!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Hope and Glory
Description
A lively, full bodied blend of Assam and Ceylon organic black teas. Assam provides body and thickness to the tea while Ceylon gives it brightness and citrus character. This blend is best served with milk.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Masala Chai from Hope and Glory
I love that chai is the mingling of the world’s tastes. It’s the tea culture from China; the spice from India; and the English’s ability to spread and co-mingle the two.
It’s impossible to untangle chai from its history. Britain colonized India around the time America escaped it. It was called “the jewel in the British crown” because it was so profitable. The English used their property in India and Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) to grow tea for its citizens in order to lessen their dependence on China.
The English’s obsession with tea fused with India’s love of spice, and here we are.
Hope & Glory has made an excellent example of the genre. This chai is beautiful. It’s spicy, rich, and zingy. It’s a great pick-me-up.
I find it comforting that at least one lovely thing came from hundreds of years of fraught cultural relations. Chai is a reminder that every cloud has a silver lining.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Hope & Glory
Description
A full-bodied blend of organic Ceylon black tea and spices, Masala Chai derives from the Hindi literally meaning ‘mixed-spice tea’. Spices such as cardamom and cinnamon have been expertly blended to give a warming, rich blend of flavours and a sweet aroma.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Organic Earl Grey from Hope and Glory
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Hope and Glory
Description
A scented black tea which may be taken with or without milk. Our Earl Grey is scented with natural Bergamot oil; a hybrid of the sweet lime which gives this blend a distinct citrus character.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
