Central Ohio is several days into another deep freeze, and though I initially reached for something tropical to induce fantasies of warm breezes, palm trees, and lazy days on the beach with a stack of books, this vanilla chai caught my eye, and the promised warmth proved more alluring.
It yields a nicely blended, almost entirely smooth cuppa, especially with a splash of whole milk. The spices really come through at the finish, which explains my “almost” smooth reference—cinnamon nips your tongue at the end, though not unpleasantly. The vanilla and chai are what hit first, making it all a rather interesting and enlivening sip. I’m on my second steep of the leaves right now; occasionally glancing out of my studio window to the subzero, under-a-foot-of-snow world outside as I work, I do indeed feel warmed up and cozy.
