Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Rabbit Hole
Product Description:
Sweet, smooth and spicy. Sounds like the recipe for a steamy love affair. Brew our chai with milk and a squeeze of honey then cosy up to this gorgeous hottie.
Taster’s Review:
This is a mighty fine chai!
The spices are well-balanced. I’m not finding that one spice overpowers the others, which is nice. The overall flavor is spicy, but it isn’t spicy-hot. Warm, yes, but not what I would consider hot. Definitely cozy and comforting!
I agree with my SororiTea Sister’s review of this chai – the dry leaf aroma is very memorable and quite delightful. I don’t think I’ve ever smelled a chai quite like this one. It really does have an almost bubble-gum-y like scent to it. Of course, this does not translate into the fragrance of the brewed chai (or the flavor), but it certainly makes for a very intriguing scent as I was measuring the tea into my Breville One-Touch.
The base used in this blend is a delicious black tea. It is smooth and strong, but it is playing a supporting role to the robust spices in this blend. This chai is all about the spice, but, as I mentioned before, even though this chai is about the spice … it isn’t spicy. Instead, it tastes warm, cozy and exotic. I can taste notes of ginger and pepper, but they don’t overwhelm the cup. I can taste the sweetness of the cinnamon and the warmth of the cloves. And I can even taste a hint of licorice-y goodness from the star anise. I can taste all these notes, but they are quite seamless at the same time. It is blended in such a smooth, delicious way.
This is an awesome chai! Quite delicious as a latte, but I found it to be equally as delicious without the milk, too!
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!
Spiced Cider Black Tea from MarketSpice
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: MarketSpice
Product Description:
A tea version of a classic winter drink. Contains Chinese Hunan black tea, Apple black tea, Cinnamon flavoring and mulling spices.
Taster’s Review:
When I first opened the package of this tea, I got very excited. It smelled very much like the spicy, cinnamon-y, orange-y MarketSpice signature blend which I absolutely love. That tea is a bit on the extreme side, but I think that is one of the things that I love about it.
This tea … is different. The flavors are not quite as extreme as the MarketSpice signature blend, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less tasty. The cinnamon here is softer, and instead of orange, this has a distinct apple-y flavor to it. The apple seems to act as a softer presence, providing a mellow sweetness that seems to tame the strength of the cinnamon. The mulling spices are also not aggressive; I am finding them quite soothing actually.
What this tastes like is spiced apple cider and black tea. And based upon the above description from MarketSpice, I think that’s what they were going for. Well, they nailed it!
The tea and flavors seem to meet halfway here; they aren’t really competing for the spotlight. They are all working together very harmoniously. The black tea is strong. The apple is sweet with a barely-there hint of tartness in the background. That tartness presents itself more prominently in the aftertaste, but it is never a particularly strong note. The spices are deliciously warm and comforting with just a hint of spicy heat peeking its way through.
This is a tea that I would be happy to keep in my tea cupboard as autumn approaches. It is a perfect autumn tea!
Mellie’s Spiced Orappangele from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Product Description:
I think it should be pronounced “or-AH-pang-ul-ee” though that sounds nothing like orange or apple.
You may not be able to compare apples and oranges, but we can sure blend them together! Here’s our amazing Chinese sencha green tea blended with real dried apple bits, orange peel, cinnamon chips and even some freeze-dried orange sections. This is going to blow you away.
As always, get it while you can; it’s not going to last long.
Taster’s Review:
I hadn’t planned on ordering this tea when it was first announced back in February because, well, it seemed a little “ordinary.” I mean, I can’t recall having heard of a blend with these three ingredients (apple, orange, and cinnamon) but, it just seemed a little less “different” than 52Teas usual offerings. So I thought, “eh, I could do without it.” And I knew that my pocketbook could handle my choosing not to order it. But, then I started reading the reviews of it on Steepster, and my curiosity got the better of me. I decided I had to try it!
I’m really glad that I decided to break down and order this one, because it is good – and it’s going to make AWESOME iced tea for the warmer days ahead. The Sencha green tea is smooth, very lightly vegetative and has a sweet, creamy buttery taste to it. The lightness of the Sencha green tea makes a great base for the flavors of this tea.
The apple tastes crisp and sweet with a hint of apple-y tartness. The orange tastes refreshingly juicy. The cinnamon is a sweeter cinnamon taste (not a spicy-hot cinnamon) and it accents the two fruits very nicely. I like that the cinnamon seems to cut through some of the sweet fruity notes here, adding just enough warmth to the cup so that it doesn’t taste like some fruity sweet soft drink. The flavors do not overwhelm; there is a nice harmony between tea, fruit and spice.
I guess it just goes to show not to doubt Frank when it comes to even the most unremarkable of flavors because he can take something as common and everyday as apples and oranges and turn them into something as extraordinarily delicious as this tea. The man’s a got a gift when it comes to flavoring tea, and this tea is just another example of why 52Teas is my favorite tea company.
Organic Hojicha Chai from Eden Foods
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Eden Foods
Product Description:
Our master tea blender says, “Innovating, breathtaking, this audacious blend combines familiar Malty notes of Hojicha with exotic Indian spices. A classic revisited.” Chai is the generic word for tea in many countries of southern Asia and is believed to have originated in India over 5,000 years ago. Usually made with black tea, Eden’s is made with Hojicha, roasted summer green tea leaves. Rich smoky, deep flavor similar to that of black, but with less caffeine – 67 percent less than brewed coffee. Traditional chai is made with milk and sugar or honey. We use Edensoy Vanilla or Edensoy Vanilla Extra, sweetened with naturally malted organic grain extract, or EdenBlend naturally sweet from organic amazake. It’s delicious plain as well. Spicy, warming, and stimulating.
Ingredients:
Organic Roasted Green Tea Leaves (Camellia sinensis), Organic Cinnamon Bark, Organic Cardamom Seeds, Organic Ginger Root, Organic Star Anise, Organic Roasted Chicory Root, Organic Cloves
Taster’s Review:
As some of you probably know, I love spiced chai. I love ’em spicy and I even love ’em mildly spiced. This chai falls somewhere between these two – not quite what I would call spicy, but certainly not mild either.
When I first tore in to the package, the aroma of star anise took my breath away. I love star anise; I love that sharp yet sweet licorice-y flavor it brings to a tea.
And that licorice flavor is definitely tasted in this blend, although it isn’t nearly as strong as the aroma lead me to believe. But this is a good thing, while I do love star anise, I don’t like it to overwhelm a chai.
The spices are nicely balanced. I am not finding one particular flavor standing out above the rest. Instead, they seem to bring a synergistic harmony to the cup.
But where this tea really shines is with the roasted flavor of the hojicha and chicory root. I love this toasty element in this cup. It gives it a baked sort of feel, like a freshly baked spice cake or gingerbread cookies! Yummy!
I enjoyed this. It certainly is not my favorite chai out there, but it is nice to have this bagged tea on hand when I am kind of pressed for time but still want a great tasting tea.