Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Tea Chai Té
Product Description:
Medicinal elixir with rooibos, cardamom, cherry bark, slippery elm, licorice root & clove to relieve sore throats and stuffy sinuses. A terrific evening tea as well. Organic.
Taster’s Review:
As I mentioned in another recent review, I am trying to avoid catching the flu. This is another tea that I’m drinking a lot of lately to help in that quest.
This blend is a little on the medicinal side, but I don’t find it brackish at all. On the contrary, it’s actually rather tasty! The licorice root is sharp and sweet without overwhelming the cup. And, I can barely taste the rooibos – just a slight woodsy tone in the background. In fact, had I not seen the rooibos in the blend (and of course, read the above description), I would not have known that this was a rooibos blend.
The real stars of this cup are the cardamom and clove. I like how they invigorate the flavor of this cup with their warm spicy tone. As a result, this comes across a little like a spice melangé rather than a functional tea. It’s really quite pleasant, with the medicinal taste being more of a background characteristic rather than something that hits you right up front.
This tisane has an agreeable sweetness to it that I choose to augment with a little raw honey. This seems to emphasize the nutty tone to this cup, and makes it even more enjoyable to sip.
Coconut Pouchong from Tea Chai Te
Tea Type: Oolong
Where To Buy: Tea Chai Te
Product Description:
This lightly fermented oolong tea is instilled with young coconut nectar.
Tasters Review:
I found that I really LOVE Pouchongs. I also happen to LOVE Coconut Pouchongs! It just seems like they are MEANT for each other! Tea Chai Te makes a great Coconut Pouchong…there is no doubt about it!
It smells like coconut and popcorn.
It’s also incredibly smooth. It’s crisp, clean, mouth-watering, and velvety smooth. This is a great quality Pouchong and the Coconut is perfectly done, too…not too little and not too much…but just right!
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!