Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Product Description:
This chai is grown in South India and contains cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger, and pepper for an exotic flavor that has a hint of earthiness.
Taster’s Review:
This is a delicious chai blend that has a very smooth, rich taste to it.
The aroma of the dry leaf is very pleasant … it smells like a spice shop! The cinnamon and ginger are most prevalent, but the cardamom and cloves make their presence known too. The pepper is not quite as strong, but, it’s there too!
The flavor of the fine CTC black tea base is vibrant. BOLD! It definitely has an edge to it. Not bitter (but would become bitter, I imagine, if left to steep too long), but certainly strong and stout. There is some malty tones to the tea as well, which makes me think that this is an Assam base, or at least a blend that includes Assam. It might also be a Nilgiri, but, it tastes a bit more like Assam to me. Either way, it is a delicious, hefty base with some real gusto!
And that gusto is necessary with a blend of spices like this tea has. The spices are robust. The ginger really shines through, while the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves seem to even things out a bit so that the ginger doesn’t become too overwhelming. The pepper adds a delightful kick to the cup.
I brewed this my traditional method, which is: steeped strong (using extra leaf) with boiling water, in my teapot for 4 minutes and then I strain it. I served it with steamed, frothed milk and honey to make a delicious, satisfying latte.
I think that this blend would do equally well (or perhaps even better) using the stovetop method with milk or a milk/water combination. Of course, you can just serve it straight, but, what fun is that? Chai is meant to latte!
This is the first tea that I’ve tried from Butiki Teas and it is a good one! I recommend it to all the chai fans out there – you may just find a new staple for your tea shelf!
Yerba Maté Chai from Tea Chai Té
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Yerba Maté
Where to Buy: Tea Chai Té
Product Description:
Yerba mate blended with cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, orange peel, clove, allspice, and star anise. Organic.
Taster’s Review:
I’m always excited when I find a new tea company that’s local! Tea Chai Té has a tea shop that just so happens to be on one of my favorite streets in Portland, so the next time I’m shopping there I will have to stop in for a cuppa!
In the meantime, I will enjoy some of their teas that can be purchased online. This chai blend is incredibly warming and even though Yerba Maté tends to be very invigorating, this blend has a very soothing effect too. Perhaps it’s the warmth of the spices that are lulling me into this unique state of comforting alertness.
The sip begins with a soft earthy flavor from the Yerba Mate and a hint of citrus from the orange. This intriguing combination of flavors is immediately enveloped by the distinctive flavor of the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Somewhere about mid-sip, a licorice-y note hits the palate, and seems to disappear just as quickly as it appears. Sort of like now I taste it, now I don’t! There is a strong, peppery flavor coming from the ginger and black pepper that hits the palate at the tail of the sip and lingers through the aftertaste, which is comprised of peppery notes and orange with just a whisper of licorice taste from the star anise.
This chai blend is an interesting adventure that is keeping my attention and my taste buds captivated! I really like this a lot. I like this with a dollop of raw honey (or if you prefer, agave nectar). I found it is delicious as a latte – just add a splash of warmed milk or cream – but it is also quite nice without this addition. It all just depends upon your mood!
Ginger Fresh from Herbal Republic
Tea Type: Herbal
Where To Buy: Herbal Republic
Product Description:
A great ginger tea that’s an original ayurveda blend.
Contains ginger, citrus peels, liquorice, peppermint and pepper.
Tasters Review:
Ginger. Where to start!? Ginger and I have a back and forth sort of relationship! Some call me Ginger because of my Red Hair…and that’s fine, I suppose. I LOVE Ginger in most foods. Ginger in teas and tisanes!? Well, that’s where it seems to get complicated!
Most of the Ginger Flavored Teas and Tisanes I have had aren’t really on my LOVE or even my LIKE list. It seems most of the flavoring is overdone and/or cancel out the other flavors in the blend or mixture. Sometimes it tastes too herbally or chemically or just spicy or peppery and nothing else! So, yeah…I guess you can call me PICKY when it comes to Ginger-Type Teas and Tisanes!
Having said that…
Every assumption and thought I had holding me back from having a cup I am now completely throwing out the window! This was a complete surprise and in a good way! It proved me wrong in every way and I certainly don’t mind being proved wrong if the end result is a tasty tea/tisane!
I was so worried this was going to be TOO Gingery for me…it wasn’t…
The Lemongrass totally evened that out…both the lemon grass AND the ginger are gentle yet flavorful and pair well together! I wouldn’t change the ratio any…it’s good the way it is!
I can’t really smell the licorice but I can taste it a little bit and with the licorice and the pepper pairing they also work nicely together and are subtle…again, thanks to the lemongrass.
I can smell the peppermint but the taste of the peppermint really isn’t the flavor in the forefront…it’s just enough to be there – in comparison I would say a little less than the licorice. Maybe moreso in the aftertaste.
This is very different yet quite good and I am so pleased it’s NOT ‘run of the mill’ and even more so excited that it’s more than just ginger!
Kapha Balance Tea from Shanti Tea
Tea Type: Rooibos, Herbal
Where To Buy: Shanti Tea
Product Description:
An energizing and warming blend which is spicy and robust.
An energizing and warming blend of rooibos, holy basil, fennel, ginger, cardamom, orange peel, sage, pepper, and licorice. A rich orange infusion which is spicy and robust. Great for combating fatigue and balancing Kapha.
Tasters Review:
This Herbally-Rooibos is from Shanti Tea and it’s called Kapha Balance.
This Kapha Balance Tea is WARM – naturally. Yes, it is spicy but you can’t really pick out each spice…except for maybe the pepper…
I enjoyed what they did this with Rooibos here – almost like a Rooibos Chai, even. The rooibos along side the other ingredients make the taste of the rooibos not-so-stereotypical. Yes, it’s naturally sweet but it’s much more than your run-of-the-mill rooibos taste.
This one surprised me and I ended up liking it quite a bit more than I thought I would.
If you would like to learn more about Kapha and Balancing Kapha – check this out:
Of the three mind-body types in Ayurveda, Kapha is the one that is the most steady in energy, temperament and mood. Ayurveda dates back 5,000 years to India, where rishis (sages) codified guidelines for diet and how to treat different diseases.Read more: How to Create Balance Kapha Ayurveda Mind-Body Type | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4495046_create-balance-kapha-ayurveda-mindbody.html#ixzz0zHTq8kph