Product Information:
Spicy chai blend of cinnamon, black tea and rooibos, lightly sweetened and finished with steamed milk.
Where to Buy: Your Local Starbucks
Learn more about this product here.
Taster’s Review:
This product combines two things that I do not like with a couple of things that I do like. I don’t like Teavana and I don’t like Starbucks. But I do like chai lattes and I like Oprah Winfrey. So, I decided that since I happened to be at my local Safeway and there happens to be a Starbucks inside that I’d try Oprah’s “new” (it’s not really new anymore, but it’s new to me) Chai from Teavana that has been crafted into a latte by Starbucks.
Two things that I noticed right off the bat that I appreciated – first thing: it wasn’t prepared too hot. The very rare times that I stop at a coffee shop to get a chai latte (very rare), it seems like the drink is too hot to consume and it takes forever for the temperature to drop. This was prepared at a slightly lower temperature, I think, and it was a drinkable temperature. Nice.
The second thing that I noticed: it’s not too sweet. Yeah, it’s been sweetened. But it’s not cloyingly sweet. It’s not so sweet that I felt myself recoil from the overwhelming sweetness. And there’s a nice balance between sweet and spice.
I can taste the tea here and that’s another thing I appreciate. More often than not, when I do have that rare latte from a coffee shop, many times it’s made from a concentrate and it’s overly processed and I just can’t taste any tea. I taste some spice but mostly what I end up tasting is warm milk and sweetener.
That’s not happening with this. I can taste the black tea and I taste a light nutty flavor from the rooibos. The spices are nicely balanced. Overall, it’s a pleasant chai latte. Not my favorite – my favorite is the kind that I make at home where I control the sweetness and the amount of dairy that goes into it. But for a latte that I picked up at a coffee shop (even if it is Starbucks), it’s pretty good. And it’s definitely better than Starbucks “classic” chai latte.
I don’t know that I’ll be lining up at Starbucks to get this again soon, but, if I happen to find myself at Starbucks, this is probably what I’ll order.
Chocolate Strawberry Tempation from Talbott Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Talbott Teas
Product Description:
Juicy red strawberries with a kiss of dark coca -this black tea is all about you. Bursting with luxurious flavor, it’s decadence dipped in excess with a side of unbridled joy.
All natural premium ingredients: Full-leaf black tea, strawberry pieces, cacao nibs, strawberry leaf, chocolate and strawberry flavors.
Taster’s Review:
I tried this tea back in December, but I held off on publishing the review until just before Valentines Day, because when I think of chocolate and strawberries, I think of Valentine’s Day.
The fragrance of the tea that sits before me is delicious – it is making my mouth water! I can smell notes of chocolate and strawberry, as well as a very pleasant-smelling black tea. The combination of these scents is fantastic.
The black tea base tastes like a Ceylon tea to me, it has a brisk flavor but a fairly even-toned taste to it. It has a smooth, clean taste with a light astringency that lightly dries the palate in the finish.
The strawberry flavor hits strongest in the aftertaste. I can taste the strawberry throughout the sip, but it is in the aftertaste where I taste the sweet yet tart tingle that is very strawberry-esque. It reminds me of a fresh, delicious strawberry.
This is a tea that should be served hot… but, should not be consumed until it has had a few moments to cool. The slight cooling will allow the flavors to develop a little bit, and I found that this tea was much more satisfying when it was still hot, but not directly-from-the-teapot-hot. The chocolate flavor is the reason I mention this about allowing the tea to cool slightly… I find that when the tea is still piping hot, the chocolate flavor seems almost… absent. But, as it cools a little (I’d say its now an easily sip-able temperature. That is, it is not so hot that it scalds my tongue) the chocolate flavor develops nicely.
Overall, this is a very pleasant cuppa. I would probably find it even more satisfying with a little more chocolate, but then, I’m a chocoholic, and I’m of the belief that more chocolate is always better. As it is, though, it’s quite delicious.