Chai Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Blue Lotus Chai
Chai Description:
With its deep and truly authentic flavor and amazing ease of preparation, our flagship product has become part of the daily rhythm of many homes. Tasting is believing!
Learn more about this chai here.
Taster’s Review:
I am totally and completely in LOVE with this chai! There have been a few chai products that I’ve felt this way for, but, I think that this one may just replace them as my favorite, or at the very least, be a contender for that spot.
This is amazing. I love it not just because it tastes amazing, but also because it’s a local product and I love supporting my local community. But, I think I’d be head over heels for this even if it wasn’t local. Because it is really good.
It is a concentrated spiced powder, so, it’s very much like some of the instant chai products that are out there. But this differs in a couple of ways. First, there’s no milk products in the mix, so if you want to control the amount of milk that goes in to your chai – or the type of milk that goes in to your chai – you can do that. Second, there is no sweetener in this chai, so you can decide if you want it sweet (or not!) and what kind of sweetener you want to use. I love it for these reasons alone, because I find that so many of the chai preparations out there tend to be overly sweetened and I like being able to have the freedom to choose how much milk I want … sometimes those other prepared chai mixes have too much milk product in them and they end up tasting too creamy for my liking.
I mean, I like a decadent, creamy beverage, but, I don’t like it to be so heavily laden with cream that I feel like I need to scrape the residue off my tongue, you know? I like that this product offers me the freedom to choose just how much milk goes in to my chai latte!
The first time I prepared this, I prepared it according to the suggested preparation instructions, which suggests 4 oz. of boiling water, 1 rounded scoop of chai powder (each package comes with the most adorable little bamboo scoop that measures out 1/4 teaspoon of chai powder), and 4 oz. of milk. Add sweetener of choice if desired (I added about 1/4 teaspoon of turbinado sugar). After you stir to combine the ingredients, heat it up a bit (to replace the heat taken by the chill of the milk), and enjoy. It was delicious, but I found that I wanted the flavors to be a little stronger, so I added another half a scoop – yet another reason I love this chai, I can add more to the cup if I want to! – and found the beverage to be perfect chai JOY!
The cup was rich, spicy, and creamy. Decadent! I can taste the richness and hint of malty notes from the black tea, and I love that I can taste the nutmeg here! This chai blend has all the “usual” suspects: cinnamon, clove, cardamom and ginger … plus some black pepper to spice it up (which I can taste too!) and then the aforementioned nutmeg. It is spicy but not overwhelmingly so. Blue Lotus Chai has achieved a really nice balance. (However, if they’re looking for suggestions for blend #4, might I suggest one with Anise and/or fennel? I do love a licorice note in my chai!)
I love this chai latte that I made thanks to the ease of Blue Lotus Chai! This blend has everything I want from a chai latte, and I loved that I could very easily customize it to make it that way. You can’t get that from your local coffee shop! This is the way chai SHOULD be!
Monte Branco PF1 from Upton Tea Imports
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Upton Tea Imports
Tea Description:
This versatile tea from Mozambique is a fantastic value for a smooth and flavorful everyday tea, and can be enjoyed both hot and iced. Flavor notes of vanilla, rose and nutmeg enhance the experience.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I ordered this tea on the fly. I was making an order for a trade partner but tossed in a few samples for myself from Upton just for something new. I do love that you can grab samplers of every tea Upton Tea Imports carries for a buck or two, sometimes more, depending on the tea of course. Its a great company with a ton of excellent teas to sample.
I will admit I am not a big fan of their website. Its a little cumbersome and clunky but I manage to work it out when I want to make an order. Their physical catalogue is a sight to behold and has an honorary place in my magazine basket.
When I opened this tea and poured some leaf into my hand I was taken aback. It looked like coffee grounds, or fannings from a snipped open tea bag from the grocery store. I was confused for a moment and very skeptical that this tea would produce anything I wanted to sip. Regardless I steeped it up.
Pleasantly, I was surprised. There is a nice light malty base, with a sweet fruity flavor. It is lightly floral as well but you really have to pay attention to pick up that note, except there is this interesting after taste of fresh spring water that rose petals have been resting on. It is a cleansing quality of this tea that I highly appreciate! The rose essence in the spring water flavor is so subtle, actually the spring water flavor is more prominent than the rose.
There is a slight astringency typical of a black tea, but not to be confused with bitterness.
As the cup cools the vanilla note is more obvious and a creaminess to the mouthfeel comes out.
I just want to say this is not what I expected from these tiny tea particles! Granted its not difficult to rise to one’s expectations when those expectations are set so low, but this tea really has pulled through and made me step back and appreciate it.
I could see this becoming a morning staple. Granted maybe not my very first choice but absolutely one of those dependable, good quality morning teas for when I don’t want to try something new, and just need a tea that I know is going to satisfy! I always like to have several of those on hand!
I also think this tea would be absolutely perfect as an iced tea served to friends and family. It has enough depth and boldness to hold up to ice, and it also sports a lovely deep color.
Dark Forest Chai from Townshend’s Tea Company
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Honeybush
Where to Buy: Townshend’s Tea
Tisane Description:
Dark Forest Chai is made up of honeybush, cacao, carob, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, red clover, rosemary and roasted chicory.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This tisane smells incredible. As I was pouring the tea into my favorite mug and the amazing aroma wafted through the air, it was as though I had been magically transported to a donut shop – believe it or not, this smells like a cake donut that’s been dusted with cinnamon and sugar!
And while it doesn’t taste exactly like a cinnamon and sugar donut, there are elements in this that give it a similar (and very sweet-tooth satisfying) flavor. A strong cinnamon essence, pleasantly sweet, with a somewhat savory, freshly baked cake sort of element to it, which is further enhanced by the presence of the cacao and carob.
The roasted chicory gives this cup a satisfying depth and a toasty element that is very harmonious with the other ingredients, and I think that this ingredient is what gives the cup that rich, freshly baked flavor. It also lends a hint of coffee-like flavor to the background. Coffee and donuts!
I like that this doesn’t taste strongly of any one ingredient, instead, it is a medley of all the ingredients. It is mildly spiced, and while there is some heat to it which continues to develop as I make my way to the bottom of the cup, I would not categorize it as spicy. It is warm, though, and I don’t know that I’d recommend this to someone who is extremely sensitive to spice, but, if you like a medium-warm heat to your cup, this tisane provides that.
I figured I’d like this chai – as I do love chai! – but, what a surprising treat it turned out to be! I love this!
Pumpkin Creme Brulee from Butiki Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
Cinnamon, spice, and everything nice! Our Pumpkin Creme Brulee has a premium Organic Ceylon base and combines a scrumptious pumpkin with fall spices and a touch of cream for a delicious guilt-free treat. We recommend adding brown crystal sugar to enhance the cream flavor.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
YUM!
I tend to be a little skeptical when it comes to pumpkin flavored teas, because some that I’ve tried have not really tasted very much like pumpkin. They usually end up tasting like pumpkin pie spice and not the squash itself.
But this Pumpkin Creme Brulee from Butiki Teas has pumpkin flavor … and not an artificial, chemical-y tasting pumpkin. This has a pleasantly sweet, mild squash flavor that melds deliciously with the gentle spiced notes of cinnamon and nutmeg.
And then there is the creme brulee taste! Creme brulee is without a doubt my favorite dessert. And this has that creamy, decadent flavor of the baked custard, making this a sweet, irresistibly good tea.
However, it wouldn’t BE a tea without the tea base, and Butiki Teas uses a high-quality Ceylon tea which offers a mellow background note. It is rich and pleasant, with a hint of earthiness that marries with the spices to give a slightly nutty fullness that supports the pumpkin notes well.
The flavors of this tea work together perfectly. This would be a lovely tea to serve around the fall and winter holidays to guests as it does have that autumnal feel to it. However, this IS spring, but at the time of writing this review, we are still experiencing a chilly spring … and this makes for a lovely afternoon treat – delicious and warming enough to forget that cold that lurks outside!
Chai Masala from Capital Teas
Chai Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Capital Teas
Chai Description:
An Indian specialty, warming and delicious with spices galore — orange peel, ginger, cinnamon, vanilla, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg and one secret ingredient.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh yeah! I’m always eager to try a new chai!
This one is delightful. In fact, I enjoy it so much that I had finished my first cup before I had a chance to start writing about it. But, that’s okay, it gave me the opportunity to make another cup and try it latte.
For the first cup, though, I drank it without the milk addition, just a little bit of turbinado sugar to enhance the spices. I noticed right away that the spices were well balanced, as I didn’t find myself noticing one particular note. Instead, I tasted a warm, unified set of spices. I also noticed that the black tea base was pleasantly robust: it was a good, strong black tea that provides a solid background of flavor. It doesn’t try to compete with the spices, but, it holds its own.
By about mid-cup, I noticed the orange and a hint of creaminess from the vanilla. These are not particularly strong, stand-out notes, but, they are strong enough to be noticed, and this chai would not be the same without them.
Another ingredient in this that the chai would not be the same without is the nutmeg. While it does comprise the “unified set of spices” it gives the cup a warm, nutty taste that I don’t often experience with chai, and I really enjoyed it.
As for the latte, it turned out really good too. As with any chai, I do recommend steeping it at double strength (steeping twice the amount of dry leaf) so that the milk does not overwhelm the cup. I found that the milk brought out the vanilla tones a bit more, and some of the spicier notes were muted a little, but it wasn’t too apparent. Overall, the latte was deliciously creamy, warm and satisfying. YUM!
I would recommend this to all the spiced chai enthusiasts out there, because if you’re like me, you gotta try them all! I’d also recommend this to someone looking for a well-balanced chai with just a little something different. This one is sure to satisfy!