Hope & Glory is a new company to me but this was a lovely introduction to their teas. While exploring their site, I noticed they had an interesting assortment of tea collections which see the teas sorted by certain characteristics. This particular tea is part of the Rajah Collection which is Hope & Glory’s collection of special and unique teas.
In keeping with the idea of “special and unique” I decided to do something new and different when I prepped this tea. I used a glass of skim milk and about 2-3 teaspoons of tea and heated it over the stove, bringing the milk to a boil and then dropping the heat and letting it simmer for 10 minutes. Alright, so maybe it isn’t that innovative a brewing technique, especially for a chai, but this method was new and different for me.
As I stood at the stove whisking away for the entire 15 minute process, all I could think was “this better be worth it” and now that I am sipping away at the tea I made, I think I can say it was. Normally I brew chai the same way I would a latte, by steeping it in boiled water and topping it with steamed milk. This honestly brought everything together much more harmoniously. As someone who doesn’t love chai, this is a drink I am really enjoying.
What stands out to me is the ginger. It isn’t contributing heat but there is a huge punch of ginger flavor that is providing an awesome contrast to the more sweeter flavors here such as the milk, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The cloves are also front and center, contributing another flavor punch while still feeling as though it mixes perfectly with the rest of the ingredients. Creamy and delightful, this tea has a whole lot going for it. As someone who finds spices in chai are often way off balance, this one is really doing it for me. Now I am wondering if that is the tea or the prep method? Either way I am glad I have some more of this sample left so I can have this again. It’s the perfect spicy/sweet treat to keep warm with on the cold evenings ahead.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
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 Masala Chai from Hope and Glory
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!
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!
Maharajah Collection Organic English Breakfast from Hope and Glory
Maharajah Collection Organic English Breakfast from Hope & Glory may be one of the sturdiest black teas that isn’t technically loose that I have ever tasted! The sample of Maharajah Collection Organic English Breakfast from Hope & Glory that I tried was their loose blend IN a silken sachet.
Right away I could smell that there was glorious Assam in there somewhere! I was right! Maharajah Collection Organic English Breakfast from Hope & Glory is made up of BOTH Assam AND Ceylon Organic Black Teas!
Maharajah Collection Organic English Breakfast from Hope & Glory is ABSOLUTELY an eye-opening English Breakfast Tea! It’s full bodied, thick, astringent, bold, and leaves a subtle lingering citrus aftertaste. The citrus notes are more like a citrus PEEL or PITH than a bergamot that you would taste in an Earl Grey for example.
Word to the wise with Maharajah Collection Organic English Breakfast from Hope & Glory, tho, try NOT to over infuse this one as it turns a bit sour. If infused correctly I doubt you will have a problem.
Maharajah Collection Organic English Breakfast from Hope & Glory is a wonderful tea to kick you in the butt on those hard to deal with mornings! I give it a round of applause!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Hope and Glory
Description
A lively, full bodied blend of Assam and Ceylon organic black teas.
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!
