Chai Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Blue Lotus Chai
Chai Description:
With its deep and truly authentic flavor and amazing ease of preparation, our flagship product has become part of the daily rhythm of many homes. Tasting is believing!
Learn more about this chai here.
Taster’s Review:
I am totally and completely in LOVE with this chai! There have been a few chai products that I’ve felt this way for, but, I think that this one may just replace them as my favorite, or at the very least, be a contender for that spot.
This is amazing. I love it not just because it tastes amazing, but also because it’s a local product and I love supporting my local community. But, I think I’d be head over heels for this even if it wasn’t local. Because it is really good.
It is a concentrated spiced powder, so, it’s very much like some of the instant chai products that are out there. But this differs in a couple of ways. First, there’s no milk products in the mix, so if you want to control the amount of milk that goes in to your chai – or the type of milk that goes in to your chai – you can do that. Second, there is no sweetener in this chai, so you can decide if you want it sweet (or not!) and what kind of sweetener you want to use. I love it for these reasons alone, because I find that so many of the chai preparations out there tend to be overly sweetened and I like being able to have the freedom to choose how much milk I want … sometimes those other prepared chai mixes have too much milk product in them and they end up tasting too creamy for my liking.
I mean, I like a decadent, creamy beverage, but, I don’t like it to be so heavily laden with cream that I feel like I need to scrape the residue off my tongue, you know? I like that this product offers me the freedom to choose just how much milk goes in to my chai latte!
The first time I prepared this, I prepared it according to the suggested preparation instructions, which suggests 4 oz. of boiling water, 1 rounded scoop of chai powder (each package comes with the most adorable little bamboo scoop that measures out 1/4 teaspoon of chai powder), and 4 oz. of milk. Add sweetener of choice if desired (I added about 1/4 teaspoon of turbinado sugar). After you stir to combine the ingredients, heat it up a bit (to replace the heat taken by the chill of the milk), and enjoy. It was delicious, but I found that I wanted the flavors to be a little stronger, so I added another half a scoop – yet another reason I love this chai, I can add more to the cup if I want to! – and found the beverage to be perfect chai JOY!
The cup was rich, spicy, and creamy. Decadent! I can taste the richness and hint of malty notes from the black tea, and I love that I can taste the nutmeg here! This chai blend has all the “usual” suspects: cinnamon, clove, cardamom and ginger … plus some black pepper to spice it up (which I can taste too!) and then the aforementioned nutmeg. It is spicy but not overwhelmingly so. Blue Lotus Chai has achieved a really nice balance. (However, if they’re looking for suggestions for blend #4, might I suggest one with Anise and/or fennel? I do love a licorice note in my chai!)
I love this chai latte that I made thanks to the ease of Blue Lotus Chai! This blend has everything I want from a chai latte, and I loved that I could very easily customize it to make it that way. You can’t get that from your local coffee shop! This is the way chai SHOULD be!
Traditional Guayusa from Runa
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Guayusa
Where to Buy: Runa
Tisane Description:
Known for its stimulating effects, indigenous hunters drink guayusa to sharpen their instincts. They call it the “Night Watchman” because it helps them stay awake and alert all night.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
This is the second tea/tisane that I’ve tried from the April Steepster Select box – themed “New Frontiers” – and while I did express my disappointment previously with this box, I have to admit that I am enjoying this Guayusa. It is nothing spectacular, but, it is enjoyable.
Since I previously reviewed Traditional Guayusa from Runa, and really, the only big difference between this cup of Guayusa and the one that I’ve already reviewed is that the previous cup was prepared with a sachet of Guayusa, while this is loose leaf. Since it’s been almost a year since I had that cup, though, I can’t really tell you if the cups are significantly different, and in what ways they differ.
What I can say, though, is that this is a tasty cup of Guayusa – rich, flavorful, and it has a very energetic quality to it that I’d expect from Guayusa. It tastes a bit like a slightly thin cup of coffee, but without the bitterness. It’s very smooth.
So, instead of going into depth about this tisane again, I thought I’d share with you the information on the New Frontiers theme card. I always enjoy these writings from the minds at Steepster:
Classical tea drinkers hold fast to the idea that “tea” only includes leaves from the camellia sinensis plant. Our vision of tea encompasses a wide variety of non-camellia sinensis plants – better known as tisanes – prepared, consumed and enjoyed in the same way as traditional tea.
So we venture forward, tastebuds first, to explore the ever expanding tea world.
Our quest introduces us to new lands and new species, but unlike previous explorers who feared the precipice at the end of the earth, we know our voyage will bring us full circle, back home and enriched with a deeper love for our favorite drink.
Raise the anchor! Hoist the sail! Join us as we set forth to explore these unique teas from non-traditional homes.
When I first opened the box and saw that it included two unflavored tisanes, I was very surprised and as I mentioned, disappointed. But, I do understand the inspiration behind these choices after reading the theme card. And while I do understand … it doesn’t keep me from hoping that next month’s theme will allow for more exciting choices!
Yorkshire Harrogate Tea from Culinary Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Product Description:
Few teas have such rich fullness and flavor. Yorkshire Harrogate has a lightly astringent cup becomes golden bright on milk. A traditional tea that befits a Yorkshire man!
Taster’s Review:
For many tea drinkers out there – this is the kind of blend that they think of when they think of tea. It is good and strong. As in STRONG! This is the kind of tea that you’ll reach for time and time again when you want something that will invigorate you and get you going. A perfect morning cuppa!
This is definitely a masculine kind of tea, and yet, I’m discovering a wonderful complexity to this full-flavored cup. Yes, it is an incredibly bold cup of tea, I am not finding it to be too strong. Layers of flavor! A wonderful sweetness that is somewhat caramel-y (which is further enhanced by the malty tones), as well as a honey-esque sweetness.
The malty tones not only highlight the caramel-like flavors to this cup, but also its biscuit-y tones that remind me of a freshly baked loaf of yeasty bread. And despite its robust nature, it is quite smooth. It doesn’t have a strong bitter note (although I do taste a hint of savory bitterness toward mid-sip, it does not offer a powerful bite), and there is a fair amount of a slightly dry astringency. If you find the astringency to be a bit too much (I do not), it can be softened significantly with the addition of milk. In fact, it takes to this addition quite well (a drizzle of honey is quite nice too) Overall, I’m finding this to be a well-rounded cup of tea.
A right proper brew, this Yorkshire Harrogate!
Traditional Guayusa from Runa
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Guayusa
Where to Buy: Runa
Product Information:
Known for its stimulating effects, indigenous hunters drink guayusa to sharpen their instincts. They call it the “Night Watchman” because it helps them stay awake and alert all night.
Taster’s Review:
I haven’t consumed much Guayusa, but what I’ve tried thus far I’ve really liked. I was certain I’d enjoy this offering from Runa, since Runa is one of the principal suppliers of Guayusa within the United States. This is FRESH from the source!
This Traditional Guayusa is the plain, unflavored Guayusa – and it’s really good on its own. It has a pleasant flavor. It is earthy and vegetative, and the immediate product that comes to mind to compare it to would be green Yerba Maté – but the earthy/vegetative taste is not as prominent with the Guayusa as it is with Yerba Maté. It also has a coffee-like taste to it, but without that coffee bitterness.
Guayusa is a powerful stimulant, so I recommend drinking this one early enough in the day so that it’s not keeping you awake when you should be sleeping. But, even though it is an eye-opening cup, it doesn’t pack that caffeine JOLT that coffee (and sometimes Yerba Maté) does. It is remarkably smooth with a pleasant undertone of sweetness.
I like this with just a tiny drizzle of honey to bring out some of the sweeter notes of the Guayusa, although it is tasty served straight up too. And if you want a creamier cup, it takes the addition of milk well. If you’ve been curious about Guayusa, this Traditional Guayusa from Runa is a perfect place to start!