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!
Star Anise Masala Chai from Blue Lotus Chai
Chai Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Blue Lotus Chai
Chai Description:
Our new Star Anise Masala Chai is absolutely delicious! It has all of the signature BLC spices, with star anise contributing deep, but subtle licorice notes.
Learn more about this chai here.
Taster’s Review:
OK … do you guys remember when I first reviewed the Original Masala Chai from Blue Lotus Chai and I suggested in that review that they add some Star Anise or Fennel to the chai for some licorice-y notes? Well, guess what? They took my advice! (Those people at Blue Lotus Chai … they’re smart cookies!) And they contacted me after they perfected the blend … and sent me some of it to try! And I’m sure it’s no great surprise: I love this stuff!
I like this Star Anise Masala Chai from Blue Lotus Chai even better than the original Masala Chai, and I’m not just saying that because I suggested the Star Anise. I’m saying because I love that hint of licorice-y snap that the additional spice adds. It’s just a hint of licorice-like taste. It doesn’t attempt to compete with the other spices, instead, it blends in there harmoniously, creating a very enjoyable, exceptionally well-spiced cup of chai!
This is delicious iced too. Instead of adding the full 4 ounces of water to the chai, I’ll add some ice cubes to the blender along with the chai mix and milk, and blend until the ice cubes are obliterated. It’s like a frosty cool, iced “frappe/freddo” type of beverage you might get from the local coffee shop without having to pay five bucks a cup for it. YUM!
The spices here are good and strong – just like in the original Masala Chai from Blue Lotus Chai – spicy, peppery and sweet. I love the balance of spices in this chai because one spice is not stronger or heavier than the others … I taste a little bit of cinnamon, a little bit of clove … a little bit of ginger, black pepper, nutmeg and cardamom too. And then there is that delightful licorice-y tone from the Star Anise! LOVE!
This is the PERFECT chai … I love love love it. I might … even like this better than my Masterpiece Chai. And that’s saying something … because … well, that was a masterpiece! (Even if I do say so myself.) Next suggestion for the brilliant minds at Blue Lotus Chai: How about a Chocolate Rose Chai!
Kyoto Rice Green Tea Blend from The Spice and Tea Exchange
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: The Spice and Tea Exchange
Tea Description:
(Genmaicha Tea) Kyoto green tea leaves are blended with popped and roasted rice, to make this a brothy infusion with a unique appeal. Moderate Caffeine.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I drink a Genmaicha tea, I want that sweet, roasty-toasty flavor. And that’s just what I’m getting from this Kyoto Rice Green Tea Blend from The Spice and Tea Exchange!
This is a good quality Genmaicha, with the lush, green tea flavor combined with the sweet, toasted rice flavor. It has a nice, medium body to it: smooth and brothy (just like the description above implies).
I don’t know that I’d stop in to my local Spice and Tea Exchange just to pick up some of this Kyoto Rice tea, because there are a lot of companies out there that offer good quality Genmaicha like this one … but, since they do carry some other blends that usually always interest me, if I’m low on Genmaicha I might pick up some from them. It’s a good one, and I always like to have some Genmaicha on hand!
Organic Energizing Chai Blend from Zen Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh Tea & Yerba Maté
Where to Buy: Zen Tea
Tea Description:
Velvety, mellow and deep, this chai is an enticing blend of energizing pu-erh tea, shade-grown yerba maté, and cacao. Made even more inviting by creamy vanilla, nutty coconut and fruity, pungent and uplifting Ayurvedic long pepper. It is the most sophisticated take on hot cocoa.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was skeptical. A chai blend with a pu-erh and yerba maté base? Sounds way too earthy for my liking! But, this Organic Energizing Chai Blend from Zen Tea is really quite smooth and tasty!
I don’t know if its really “fair” to call it a chai, because the only “chai” spices it has is pepper (and this is long pepper, not the usual black pepper) and cardamom. But OK, since, chai technically means “tea” and not spiced tea, I’ll accept that this is a chai.
But, that criticism notwithstanding, this is still really tasty. It’s not overtly spicy, and not nearly as spicy as I would like a “chai” to be, but, I like this for what it is. And what it is is a smooth, sweet, warm blend that brings together the flavors of chocolate, coconut and vanilla in a really exciting way.
As I mentioned before, the base of this chai is a pu-erh tea and Argentinian Yerba Maté. Both of these ingredients contribute to the earthy notes of the cup, and this is a very prominent taste to this drink. But, I am not finding it off-putting, and I’m not sure if it’s because the coconut and vanilla give it a pleasant smooth, creaminess that seems to soften the earthy tones or because the earthiness complements the chocolate notes so well (or perhaps a bit of both of these reasons!) The Pu-erh is more pronounced than the Yerba Maté, but I can taste both in this cup.
The chocolate is really nice here. It has a deep, rich, almost toasty flavor to it, and this is nicely accented with the sweet, creamy notes from the vanilla and coconut. Overall, this is a really tasty cup – certainly different from the typical chai! But, I like this one for its differences. This is not one I’d recommend to someone looking for a good, spicy chai, but, rather, someone who was looking for something that is a departure from that spicy chai. This is not spicy … but it is tasty!
I like it!
Nutty Enough Tisane from Naked Teas Galore
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Fruit/Herbal/Spice Melange (And a lot of nuts!)
Where to Buy: Amoda Tea
Tisane Description:
We taste the brazil nuts upfront and the almond/marzipan near the end. It finishes with apple that is mouthwatering and nicely tart. Similar to opening a can of mixed nuts and snacking, this cup of tea is hard to put down.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Learn how to subscribe to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
This is the third tea/tisane from my April Amoda Tea Tasting Box. And as you can see from the above information, Nutty Enough is a tisane from Naked Teas Galore. The dry leaf looks a lot like (and smells a lot like!) what you might experience if you were to open a jar of mixed nuts. Sure, there are some other components to this as well, like dried apple bits and cinnamon and cacao nibs … but it still looks like a bunch of nuts … and it smells like it too.
I taste the brazil nut right off the bat. Then the cinnamon starts to come through as well as notes of apple. I taste a hint of honey. The cacao flavor is a little less distinct and I find that this is better experienced if you slurp the tea, which allows for maximum aeration of the tea and the palate can pick up those subtle notes of cocoa.
Now that I’m about halfway through my cup, this tastes a lot like what I’d imagine a cup of apple cider that’s been simmered with a handful of nuts instead of a bunch of spices. The cinnamon is mild, and just enough to really accentuate the apple in a very pleasant way. It’s really quite tasty – different, certainly! – but I like it.
As I am finishing this cup, I look forward to what teas Amoda Tea will be putting in my mailbox this month! Have you subscribed yet? Why not? Click here to learn more.