Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Product Description:
So, what goes into a tea named after the terrifying tale of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman? Pumpkin, of course. (The story goes that the horseman had the head of a pumpkin.) Add to this a select blend of herbs and spices, chai mix, cinnamon and ginger pieces. The taste of Sleepy Hollow Pumpkin Chai, it goes without saying, is to die for!
Taster’s Review:
What better tea to drink on Halloween than a tea called Sleepy Hollow Pumpkin Chai? If this doesn’t get the taste buds excited for tonight, nothing will!
The dry leaf is visually appealing, with not only lots of large pieces of spices tossed amongst the black tea leaves, but also orange, purple and green candy sprinkles for a touch of whimsy. There aren’t a lot of sprinkles (the photo above shows more sprinkles than I could see in my package), so they don’t add a whole lot of sweetening to the chai, and as always, I do recommend sweetening the chai as it enhances the spices. (I used turbinado sugar for my cup)
I tried this two ways: first, I tried it with just the sugar added to get a taste for the blend before I lattefy (Yes, it’s a word, I just made it up, ok?) with some steamed milk. The pumpkin flavor is well-defined. Very often with pumpkin flavored teas, the pumpkin can often be somewhat obscured by the spices, and since this IS a chai, I expected that to be the case with this blend. But it is certainly NOT the case!
Yes, the chai spices are strong, but the pumpkin is equally as strong and shines through the warm, peppery flavor of the masala spice. The peppery flavor of ginger and black pepper comes through strongest, but, I can also taste the cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom … as well as the flavor of the black tea.
One look at the ingredient list and you’d think that this chai has a lot going on, but, all the ingredients work together quite well. To be honest, when I saw that hibiscus and rooibos were both in this blend, I had to go and check my package, because I really don’t taste them, and I can’t really see any evidence of their presence in the dry leaf.
After finishing one cup with just the sugar to enhance the spices, I then moved on to what I’ve been looking forward to since receiving this tea – a Sleepy Hollow Pumpkin Chai Latte! I mean, this time of year, every time I walk past a coffee shop I see signs announcing their fall flavors and it makes me WANT to try them; but, since coffee leaves me with some ill after effects, I must avoid these alluring advertisements. I love that Culinary Teas makes it possible for my own version of a fall flavored coffee-house special without the coffee.
And … YUM! All the flavors I mentioned before remain intact with the addition of the steamed milk, but instead of a “spiced pumpkin” sort of flavor, this is a bit like pumpkin pie filling topped with whipped cream that’s been added to my chai. This is absolutely delicious!
No tricks, this tea is definitely a TREAT!
Chai Spice Only from Chai-Wallah’s
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Chai (Spice Melangé)
Where to Buy: Chai-Wallah’s
Product Description:
Create your favorite chai drinks by buying your own loose tea(s) and mix with our Spice Only (instructions on rear of packet), or use the spice for a caffeine free cup of chai, make a concentrate for iced chai or add some kick to hot chocolate. Be sure to check out our recipe section for other uses.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve used this Spice Only blend on several occasions and in several different ways. It is one of the more versatile products in my tea cupboard! The spices taste fresh and robust, and can help add that chai kick to just about anything!
The first time I used it, I was making a spiced peach jam. My husband brought home a big box of peaches at the end of the season, and I knew that there was no way we’d be able to eat them all before they went bad. I mean, we love peaches in this house, but, it was a lot of peaches! So, I made a concentrated batch of tisane using hot water and this Chai Spice Only blend, allowing it to steep for about 10 minutes before straining and adding it to a pan filled with peeled and chopped peaches and a drizzle of honey. I heated this over medium-high heat for about an hour, stirring frequently, and the peaches softened and broke down, creating a delicious, perfectly spiced peach jam that made a perfect topping on my pork roast (it also was delicious on scones!)
Then, I decided to try it as a tisane. Just hot water and this spice, infused for about eight minutes, and a drizzle of honey. Delicious! Spicy! Prefer your chai a little creamier? Simmer some milk and this Spice Only blend on the stovetop for ten minutes. This would also work great using apple juice!
But, if you just want a delicious black tea based chai – you can use these spices with your favorite Assam or Nilgiri (or whatever black tea you prefer). You can use as little or as much as you’d like to customize your chai experience. Like your chai to be zesty? Add some more of the Spice Only blend. Do you just want a hint of spice? Just add a small amount of the spice.
This Chai Spice Only blend from Chai-Wallah’s is not only tasty, but it gives you something that a typical chai blend doesn’t: versatility!
Coconut Maté Masala Chai from Yogic Chai
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Yerba Maté
Where to Buy: Yogic Chai
Product Description:
We use Organic & Fair Trade Green Yerba Mate from Brazil for our Mate Chai(s)
Yerba Mate is a lightly stimulating beverage from South America that has a mild amount of caffeine with just the right kick. It produces a light green beverage, with a refreshingly bold flavor that has found a perfect match with our masala spices!
Taster’s Review:
This is one of the smoothest tasting Yerba Maté blends I’ve ever encountered. Generally, I find Yerba Maté (and particularly green Yerba Maté as in this blend) to be quite rustic, consisting of a strong earthy quality as well as a vegetative note. And, while this Yerba Maté blend does have that rustic feel to it, I think that the spices and the coconut help to even this Maté out to give it a smooth finish.
I suspect the same recipe of spices that goes in to Yogic Chai’s award-winning Original Masala Chai is used for this blend, and I like the way the spices and Yerba Maté work together in this blend. The result is a gentler Maté with a savory kick of masala spice with just a hint of coconut goodness. The flavors are warm and spicy. I find the blend to be very soothing and a pleasure to sip.
The coconut is much more subtle here than I expected, but it gives the overall cup a creamy kiss of coconut-y sweetness that I really like. The coconut is present throughout the sip, but, it is a subtle tone of coconut.
This is delicious hot but I actually prefer this one iced. While it also makes a great chai latte, I prefer it without milk. I just add a drizzle of agave nectar to enhance the spices and serve it chilled. It is so refreshing and so beautifully different with its medley of spices. It is calming and yet energizing; it is peacefully invigorating!
Extra Bold Masala Chai from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Product Information:
I have a confession to make. Early on in my tea career, I did not make my own chai. I just didn’t feel confident enough that I wouldn’t mess it up. Well, I have been making our own chai for a few months now and experimenting with a few things. And I received this message from one of our customers via Facebook:
“I’m dying for a powerful traditional chai blend black tea with all the works – no frills with chocolate or vanilla. Cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, anise seed. I need it potent in its flavor. This is not Grandma’s tea. I want an Indian man from India to drink it and when he closes his eyes to be as though transported to his childhood kitchen.”
Well, I have accepted the challenge, and here is the result. We started with a hearty blend of CTC Assam teas (used in our RadioactiviTEA [I was going to call this RadioactiviTEA Chai, but given the recent happenings in Japan, I was afraid this might not sound so appealing]) and freshly minced spices including cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, star anise, clove and black peppercorns. I ran all of the spices through a coffee/spice grinder so they would mingle better with the ctc tea (and to release all of their goodnesss), and I think my office is going to smell like chai for months now (not that I am complaining).
This is the boldest chai you will find anywhere. Spicy, malty, DELICIOUS. You do NOT want to miss out on this.
Taster’s Review:
This blend looks different from a typical 52Teas blend – which is usually large chunks of fruit, spice, and/or flower tossed amongst the tea leaves. This, however, is a very finely ground blend of black tea and spice. So finely ground that I wouldn’t recommend putting this in a mesh ball or other similar infuser basket as it will sift through the mesh. I used my smart tea brewer to steep this, and while it did dispense rather slowly (the fine grind of the tea sort of “clogged” up the nylon mesh that strains the tea), at least there are no bits of tea leaf in my cup.
And this is indeed BOLD! Very strong and stout – this tea has GUSTO! Even if steamed milk is added to make a latte, the bold flavor of the tea and spice are not muted by the addition. (A sign of a very well-blended chai, in my opinion)
The spices are nicely balanced as well. While the ginger and cinnamon are just a little stronger than the other spices, they harmonize well, and no one spice attempts to aggressively overthrow the cup.
I do recommend sweetening it with some honey 0r some turbinado sugar to enhance the spices. The molasses in the turbinado sugar adds an especially nice “homey” kind of feel to the cup.
Overall, this is a wonderful cup of chai and a splash of steamed milk will turn this into a delicious chai latte. For something extra special, try pairing this tea with these Ginger Snapdragons from Liz Lovely! AMAZING!
Cochin Masala Chai from Culinary Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Product Description:
This traditional Indian Chai is named for the city that is the birthplace of chai. Cochin Masala includes Ceylon black tea, ginger, cardamom, coriander, cinnamon, and black pepper. When brewed this full body tea produces a spicy aromatic flavor. Superb with milk and sugar.
Taster’s Review:
The dry leaf is interesting – the leaves look almost like granules. They are very small, and as a result, you may find this is a bit difficult to strain because the fine leaves tend to congest the mesh in a strainer. But it is certainly worth the effort, because this is a really delicious chai.
The spices in this chai are quite bold and on the peppery side, as the ginger and black pepper are a little more prominent than the other spices. The others hold their own, though, and I can taste each individual spice – and I like that! The cinnamon offers a warm, zesty background note, and I like how the cardamom and coriander compliment each other. The spices are spicy-warm, but not what I would consider spicy-hot. There is a certain intriguing sweetness to these spices as well. It’s a very well-conceived masala blend.
The black tea is robust. Much more robust than I would expect from a Ceylon, which I often consider to be on the mellow side. But the word “mellow” certainly doesn’t come to mind when considering this Ceylon. It has a strong character! It is full of flavor and provides ample body to support the masala spices.
I added a dollop of honey to my cup and found that this helped to soften the edge just a little (if you prefer your chai to be on the edgy side, though, don’t add the sweetener), and a splash of milk makes this a very delicious chai latte. If you want to go the traditional route, you can also prepare this stovetop – although I prefer to steep my chai in water.
However you choose to steep and serve your chai – this one is certainly worth a try!