Chai Information:
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Chico Chai
Chai Description:
Fair Trade Organic black tea and exotic organic spices are hand-blended to create this spicy, aromatic tea. Blended in small batches, by hand in Chico, California. Only Organic Ingredients and Fair Trade Organic teas are used to make Chico Chai.
Learn more about this chai here.
Taster’s Review:
As some of you may remember, I’ve already reviewed the strong brew original chai concentrate from Chico Chai, and I loved it. But sometimes, I want a cup of spicy tea without the latte … and that’s when a loose leaf tea like this Original Chai from Chico Chai comes in. This gives me the spicy flavor I’m craving without the heavy creaminess of a latte. Don’t get me wrong, I love that thick, rich, creamy taste of a chai latte. It’s yummy … but sometimes I just want spice without the milk.
Of course, you can easily turn this into a latte too by simply brewing it extra strong (add an extra teaspoon or two of the loose leaf to your teapot when you steep it) and then adding steamed milk to the brewed product. A frothing tool will add that light, creamy top of the latte that you’ll get in a coffee shop (and pay six bucks a pop for!) Or … if you really want to go traditional, you can prepare this “stovetop” by simmering the spices in a milk/water combination and straining the spices. That produces a really delicious chai … but it also produces a mess which is why I prefer to make my lattes brewing it strong in water, and then adding steamed milk to the brewed tea.
But … if you’re like me and like to enjoy a good, spicy cup of tea without the latte sometimes … this loose leaf Original Chai from Chico Chai is just the thing. It’s a really flavorful chai! Lots of spice to it – including a really nice touch of anise in there! I love that licorice-y taste! – but I like that I can also taste the rich, malty Assam in this blend too.
I like that the cinnamon does not overpower the cup, I taste the cinnamon, but I also taste the peppery edge from the ginger and black pepper. And the warmth of the cardamom and I think I even taste a hint of vanilla to this too … nice!
There is a hint of nutty nutmeg flavor in this, and I love it when a chai has nutmeg. I think it’s one of those very underused spices for chai … something that is often overlooked as a spice but something that adds such a wonderful dimension of flavor that it’s so awesome when I do find a chai that has nutmeg.
I think I should also take a moment to mention the tin that this chai was packaged in. It’s a double lidded tin, with a tight fitted inner lid that seals in all the spice. I really found myself appreciating this tin as I was opening it this morning, because as I was opening it, I found myself wondering why I hadn’t yet had my senses overwrought with the aroma of spice. The inner lid managed to seal in all the spices so that I couldn’t smell them until I got that lid open! I think that how tea is packaged is something that is often overlooked by some companies, but I like that Chico Chai thought about this when they selected their tins!
This chai has a really nice balance of spices that is deliciously warm without setting my palate on fire. This makes a perfect cuppa for cold, wet autumn days like this one! Have I mentioned lately that I’m glad that autumn is finally here?
Napalm Ferret Green Tea Blend from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
I apologize if this disappoints anyone, but this week’s tea tastes like neither napalm nor ferrets. And no animals were harmed in the manufacture of the tea.
Instead, what we have here is a tea blend from the warped imagination of one of our former tea bar customers. I’m honestly not sure exactly what it means or why it was so important to him, but then, that’s kind of the way a lot of the conversations at Zoomdweebie’s went for me–a bit over my head: like, outer space over my head. But that’s okay.
After explaining to me that he really wanted me to make a Napalm Ferret tea, Joe and I sat down to determine what exactly would constitute a Napalm Ferret tea. He decided right away that it needed to be a gunpowder base, with bananas because ferrets like bananas, I guess. It also needed cinnamon chips and just a touch of cayenne pepper. And that is how Napalm Ferret tea was born.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn more about Zoomdweebie’s fundraising campaign to reopen the Tea Bar here.
Taster’s Review:
I found this Napalm Ferret Green Tea Blend from 52Teas to be … entertaining … before I even opened the pouch. I started laughing out loud when I read the label, which reads:
*NOT flavored like ferret or napalm.
No animals were harmed making this tea.
This is one of the reasons why I love getting tea from 52Teas – Frank is a real person and he has a great sense of humor. He doesn’t take himself too seriously, and he makes tea … FUN! And since I spend a great deal of time drinking tea … I want it to be fun.
And this is a fun blend. The aroma of the dry leaf is primarily cinnamon, but I smell notes of banana, as well as the cayenne and the green tea … and these components alter the cinnamon-y notes just enough to offer what I’ll call a skewed cinnamon scent. Skewed … but I like it!
And I really like how it tastes! The cinnamon and cayenne work together to offer a burn in the back of the throat that starts off soft and builds gradually. By mid-cup, the sensation in the back of my throat is a very warm burn … but it burns so good!
And the banana … I like that it’s there. It offers a soft, sweet fruity note that offers a pleasing distinction between the heat from the cinnamon and cayenne pepper. The green tea is light and delicately sweet, with hints of a background “smoke” that enhances the overall “napalmishness” of this cup. (Yes, napalmishness is a word, I just made it up for the purposes of this review as I could think of no other word that worked quite as effectively as napalmishness. Hey, I’m a tea reviewer, trust me, I know what I’m doing!)
If I could offer any constructive criticism of this tea, it would be that I think I’d like just a little bit more banana to this. Just a little bit more. I can taste the banana and I like the way it comes through here, but, I think … just a little bit more would be nice. However, I found myself quite satisfied with how this tea turned out … I really like it.
At the end of my reviews of teas from 52Teas lately, I’ve been including a bit about the fundraising campaign to reopen Zoomdweebies. But, this time, I think I’m going to include a bit written by Frank himself, found on the notes about this tea:
If you would like to support our effort to reopen Zoomdweebie’s Tea Bar, so that creative minds like Joseph’s can continue to thrive in a groovy environment like our tea bar, PLEASE visit our crowd-funding campaign page via the link above. Alternatively, if you think folks like Joseph should not be left freely wandering the streets, PLEASE support our crowd-funding effort so we can corral him with the rest of the freaks and geeks that make up Zoomdweebie’s. We promise, they’ll likely spend a lot of time at the tea bar and less time wandering the streets thinking about napalm ferrets and quoting Charlie the Unicorn.
I hope you’ll help them keep this dude off the streets of Wichita. I’m sure that the citizens of Wichita will thank you too!
PRODUCT REVIEW: Chico Chai Strong Brew Chai Concentrate from Chico Chai
Product Information:
For more information, please visit: Chico Chai
Chico Chai Strong Brew Concentrate is available at these locations.
Product Description:
A strong, spicy brew, ready to be mixed with milk and heated or poured over ice, for a lovely “chai latte”. Chico Chai is brewed by hand, from whole, organic ingredients, and is less sweet than mainstream chai. Each batch is made without preservatives, it’s simply brewed and refrigerated for a unique, fresh flavor.
Taster’s Review:
It would seem that lately, I’m on a bit of a chai kick. What can I say? At the first signs of autumn, I’m all about the chai! Now, I’ll happily consume a chai latte any time of year, but, there’s just something that is so rewarding about sipping a chai – whether it be a latte or drinking it non-latte with just a dollop of honey to bring out those spices. Nothing tastes more like autumn to me than a good cup of chai!
Right now, I’m enjoying this Chico Chai Strong Brew Chai Concentrate from Chico Chai as a blended ice drink. I measured out a combination of ice cubes and milk into the blender, and then added the same amount (OK … I admit it, I eyeballed it!) of the strong brew concentrate into the blender and blended it until it was smooth.
Side note: My husband would like me to add that the blender is loud. Ha! When I operated the blender, he thought I was making a chocolate milkshake, and when I told him what it was and that I’d be writing a review, he asked me what I thought of my iced chai drink and I told him “It’s YUMMY!” and he says, there you go. That’s your review. Tell them that it’s yummy and your blender is loud.
I am really enjoying this blended drink. It is cool and frosty and refreshing – but with just enough spice to get my taste buds all warmed up and tingling! This is sweet – but not too sweet. (I didn’t add any additional sweeteners to this blended drink. It is just ice cubes, milk, and the strong brew concentrate.) I get a good amount of peppery taste from the ginger … ginger is the note that stands out strongest to me.
The peppery quality of the ginger is accentuated with black pepper, and as I continue to drink this icy beverage, I notice the pepper more and more. I also taste the rich black tea in the background. It’s a malty black tea – but in this concentrate, I notice no signs of bitterness. Just a good, strong black tea flavor.
I taste hints of nutmeg. Ohhh I like the nutmeg! There are notes of cinnamon, anise, clove and cardamom. It’s a warm and comforting combination of spices … and it’s spicy, but it’s not a spicy-hot kind of spicy. It’s more of a comforting warmth that I’d liken to curling up with a good book in front of a crackling fire … that warm, cozy feeling with just enough heat to keep the taste buds dancing.
As delicious as my blended ice beverage was … serving this hot with a 1:1 ratio with milk is even better! I actually used a combination of half 1% milk and half half & half (did that make sense? ha! that is to say that my milk was one part 1% milk and one part half & half!) because I don’t really care for 1% milk but my hubby prefers it. So, I usually doctor up the 1% with some half & half to give me that creamy taste that I miss with the 1% on its own.
Once I measured out the milk, I brought it to a steamy heat and then frothed it a little bit with my hand held frother. Then I added the strong brew chai concentrate and heated it up a little bit (Since this product is stored in the fridge and I wanted a hot latte) and frothed it a little more. The result is a creamy, frothy, deliciously decadent treat that is better than what I’ve ever had from any coffee house!
This is spicy and sweet … but not too sweet. Of all the sweetened chai concentrates that I’ve tasted, this is definitely one of the best ones (if not THE best) that I’ve tried because it isn’t overly sweet. This is JUST the way I like it. Sweet but not cloying. Spicy but my mouth isn’t on fire. The spices here are balanced in such a way that I can enjoy all the little nuances of the different spices as well as the black tea … and none of these are overwhelmed by the milk.
This is pure chai JOY! I’m absolutely loving this stuff!
In The Mood Herbal Tisane from Hari Tea (Shoti Maa)
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Fruit/Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Hari Tea
Tisane Description:
We appreciate the magic of the moment and celebrate that what is gives us and the world.
This tea stimulates your senses from the first sip and awakens your awareness of how nice it is to be alive: Orange treats with sweet, Hibiscus promises romance, pepper makes you awake for the adventure of the moment.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
So, hibiscus is supposed to be an aphrodisiac? That’s what I’m getting from the above description (taken from the Hari Tea website). If so, this is something I did not know about the herb.
It doesn’t make me like hibiscus any better.
This In the Mood Herbal Tisane from Hari Tea (Shoti Maa) has a bit too much hibiscus for my liking. What saves it for me is the notes of orange and the spice. The spicy notes, especially, help keep the cup interesting and detracts the palate from feeling inundated by the thickness of the hibiscus infusion. The spice also keeps the cup from being too tart. As it is, it’s drinkable for me, but, I can’t say that this is my favorite beverage.
It’s alright though. The orange gives it a little bit of sweetness, and a juicy taste – it tastes almost like there’s a couple of drops of freshly squeezed orange in this. I like that. I am wishing I could taste more of the other spices that are in this blend, particularly, I’d love to taste more of the licorice (or liquorice) and the cardamom. Every once in a while, I’ll notice a note pass my palate that I’ll think … “oh there it is!” but, then it disappears as quickly as it appears.
Overall, this wasn’t horrible. But, I don’t think it put me in the mood for anything other than a desire for some black licorice.
Organic Redbush Chai from Steenbergs Organic
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Steenbergs Organics
Tisane Description:
Steenbergs Organic Redbush Chai Tea combines with a delicious blend of Steenbergs organic spices with organic redbush tea to create our own wonderful organic redbush chai tea. You brew Steenbergs Organic Redbush Chai Tea in the same way as normal chai tea and can add sugar, honey or milk to taste.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I have tried a couple of different teas from Steenbergs Organic now, and I must say that I’m continually impressed with their quality products! This Organic Redbush Chai is no exception. This is a wonderful spiced tisane!
I know I’ve mentioned this on more than one occasion, but there is a big difference in flavor between conventionally grown rooibos and organically grown rooibos. The organic rooibos is SO much better. The conventionally grown rooibos tends to have a very woody taste, veering on the side of “sour wood” that is somewhat off-putting. However, I don’t really notice the sour wood taste in the organic rooibos … yes, it still tastes “woody” but, not like sour wood. Not an off-putting woody tone.
And in this particular blend, the difference is important because unlike some other rooibos blends where the rooibos is indistinguishable, here, the rooibos is tasted. The natural woody and nutty flavors of the rooibos, as well as the sweetness of the rooibos, meld beautifully with the spices.
I taste the peppery notes of the ginger and the pepper accentuates the ginger nicely, offering a pleasantly warm taste without coming across as overtly spicy. The cardamom and cloves give the cup a solid background of spice – exotic, warm and inviting. The lemongrass perks up the cup just a little bit without being too obvious a flavor.
But what I’m liking best about this particular blend is that the cinnamon is nicely done. It isn’t overdone – and this is so often the case with chai blends. Here the cinnamon is sweet, yet spicy, but not overly sweet or spicy. It doesn’t taste like cinnamon candy. It tastes the way cinnamon should taste!
Bravo to Steenbergs Organic for yet another well-crafted chai! Very nice, indeed.