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drank Chocolate Chai by Indonique
60 tasting notes

First off I’d like to thank LiberTEAS for sending me a sample of this! The smell is amazing and it makes me think of some dessert that I had when I was a kid but I can’t put my finger on it. It’s a very smooth chocolatey tea but I don’t taste anything that says chai, although I do smell the cinnamon with the cocoa powder. I think I will leave this without a rating for now because it tastes good but I just had spaghetti and the garlic is messing with the flavor of the tea. I know I like it, just not sure how much yet. :)

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This must be a new tea from Indonique, because I can’t even find it on the website.

It is one that I will be trying again before I include a numeric rating, because I want to play around with the steeping parameters of this tea. The cut is quite fine on the Assam leaves so a teaspoon of the leaves is probably equal to two or more teaspoons of another tea leaf… and because the cut is so fine there is more surface area exposed, and therefore it brews faster than a typical Assam would.

That is not to say that my current cuppa tastes off, because it is actually quite good. The flavor is rich and sweet … very honey-like! But, with my Assam I do like a little deeper flavor and I feel like I used too little leaf this time for fear of overdoing it. This tea is reminding me more of an outstanding Ceylon rather than an Assam. I am getting a little bit of a malty note, but, not as much as I’d expect from Assam.

So, as I say, I shall play with this one a bit before I rate it. It is good, but I think it could be even better.

Preparation
Boiling 2 min, 0 sec
Cofftea

I think this would be a great base for a chai!

Indonique

Thanks for reviewing! We’re experimenting with our Assam teas and will have a final product soon. I believe you have the CTC that has the benefit of opening slowly. So don’t be afraid to use more leaf. This is our favorite breakfast tea. Use a heavy or condensed cream with Splenda or sugar. The aroma is killer honey scent. When brewed in a batch at a Cafe, sales tend to soar! If you need more, call me.

Indonique

Coftea: Assams are often used as Chai bases in India. We’ve found that they tend to taste a bit sour after adding spices. Nilgiri blends work much better with traditional masala blends. Chocolate chai, however, begs for an Assam base. Contact me for some samples!

Cofftea

Shrugs… I like Assams because they are traditionally used. I’ve never had a sour Assam Chai. And I would think the honey in this particular tea should, and would, take care of that anyway. I don’t think I’ve ever knowingly had a Nilgiri based chai. Sending you a PM.

Cofftea

Ok, never mind- you need to follow me 1st:)

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Another sample from the fabulous Lena. This tea was weaker than I expected. I’m not getting much cherry or much tea flavor out of it. I think I may have left the sample out in the sun for a day after I got it, so I think it may not be at it’s best. I’m going to leave off rating it, but merely log that I drank it.

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69
drank Chocolate Chai by Indonique
6768 tasting notes

This is my last attempt with this tea before sending the rest to Susan and Azzrian.

I purposely under infused in both length and amount.

It smells just like it should…chocolate and chai.

The tea color and texture is dark muddy brown and chalky.

This time around I can taste the chai flavors and a little bit of milk chocolate powdery something like hot cocoa or something.

This one still isn’t jiving for me. BUT…maybe the MILK is the key as Liberteas said. Plain…I can’t get it to ‘float my boat’ I guess! LOL :)

TeaEqualsBliss

Ok…as I continue to sip this…at ‘warm’ temperature…It’s starting to grow on me a little more. Still not my fave but I will be increasing rating. I can taste the chocolate and the chai now. This is a touchy tea for me but at least I finally enjoyed a cuppa.

Azzrian

Thats good that you got it to a liking point. I will see if I can do anything good with it – it SOUNDs as if it would be good in baking too!

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69
drank Chocolate Chai by Indonique
6768 tasting notes

Trying this one again just because I saw it in my stash and thought it had been a while. I really want to like this one. It’s just not doing much for me tho. This time I did it with about a tsp of loose and it was MUCH better than my first two attempts but still left wanting…I suppose…

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69
drank Chocolate Chai by Indonique
6768 tasting notes

I tried this one again today – and it could have been human error because I doubled the amount – to infuse – but this is something I do NOT suggest! It was VERY bitter even with under infusing – and I couldn’t even bring myself to complete the first sip. BLAH!

So…I will hold off on the rating AGAIN until I can try it with milk. BUT so far without milk – a double shot – I would give it a 1 rating…yes…a ONE…but like I said…I will try it again…hopefully soon, with milk…

LENA

I tried this one on the stovetop a while back and hated it. It was super bitter and generally yucky tasting. Maybe it’s the grade of black tea…I seem to remember the leaves were like coffee grounds. Perhaps you can only steep it like you would a teabag. I’m not sure what the key to this tea is. Maybe it doesn’t have one. :(

TeaEqualsBliss

Thank Goodness I wasn’t the only one! And yes, they were like little pebbles! Weird! I’m willing to give it one more try…because of MY error this time around! LOLBUT…I have a strict “three strikes you’re out” policy LOL – thanks for commenting! :) Glad to hear I I’m not the only one having problems with this one!

LiberTEAS

I loved this one. But it is one that requires some careful brewing. Shake the package before you measure because of the cocoa powder, and don’t over measure or over steep.

TeaEqualsBliss

AND…that is what I totally did…I over measured thinking I would taste more chocolate! Whoooooops! LOL – teahee!

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69
drank Chocolate Chai by Indonique
6768 tasting notes

I’m not going to rate this one because I want to try it with…WAIT FOR IT…Milk…(if you know me then you know I do not add ANYTHING to my teas not even chai) But LiberTEAs says it’s ‘killer’ with milk and I am hoping that will do the trick. Plain…I’m not digging it, personally. It tastes like coffee, actually. But I am not getting much Chai flavors nor am I understand the chocolate parts…I can see the texture-E type liquid which would make sense for the chocolate but I don’t smell or taste any chocolate. Nor do I with the chai.

I’m dumbfounded with this one but certainly willing to give it another shot…perhaps…WAIT FOR IT…with Milk.

Cofftea

Mayan Chocolate Chai is killer w/ milk too:)

ashmanra

I prefer Florence, which is chocoalte and hazelnut, and the plain Chocolate tea by Harney and Sons with milk as well. It really brings out the chocolate flavor for me.

TeaEqualsBliss

I do like Florence (plain) :)

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81

I thought this one was going to be very usual and not bad but not wonderful! It IS quite good! Because it’s a plain unflavored honeybush there isn’t much to say about it but it is tasty and sweet but also light on the tongue. Nice!

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72
drank Chocolate Chai by Indonique
39 tasting notes

Very tasty on a cold morning. I added just a bit of cocoa powder and sugar to this, because I’m not a big fan of chai spice, but this is really tasty.

TeaEqualsBliss

I might try adding cocoa powder and sugar to mine – II didn’t have much luck stand-alone with this one…

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72
drank Chocolate Chai by Indonique
39 tasting notes

I’m not a huge chai fan. It’s never been one of my favorite teas, but today was cold and I had this, so I brewed a pot to take to class with me. I’m pleasantly surprised. It smells more chocolatey than it tastes, but it’s definitely more mellow than most chai teas I’ve had. It’s also possible I’m not really brewing it well. I’d welcome any suggestions or tips from chai-lovers! It’s still not my favorite, but it’s definitely nice on a cold day.

Cofftea

I like mine a couple ways, but the leaf amount is always the same 1 heaping teaspoon per 6oz serving. 5min steeping in boiling water (for black based chais) if you’re going to drink it neat, 6 if you’re going to add any milk or creamer. I like to change up my water:milk ratios- either 1:1 or 1:2. 1:1 is most common for me. Or I add 1TB of creamer per 6oz cup.

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85
drank Vanilla Chai by Indonique
4843 tasting notes

I actually steeped this stovetop method this evening… something I almost never do because I hate the mess, but, for whatever reason, I wanted to make a mess today, so I did.

So GOOD. I don’t know if I prefer it stovetop or my tried and true method of steeping extra strong in water and then adding milk, both result in a delicious cuppa. This method also results in mess though… which is a big negative unless I am in one of these weird moods where I feel like making a mess… then, I guess it’s all good.

Anyways, I don’t know that I notice any significant difference between brewing this way and brewing the way I usually do, except that the flavor and texture is creamier. Thicker. But, other than that, both methods produce a very delicious tea. Rich black tea base, sweet vanilla and robust spices! YUM! And perfect on this chilly evening.

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85
drank Vanilla Chai by Indonique
4843 tasting notes

I enjoyed a latte that I made using this chai while eating a white tea brownie (yum).

This chai has a lovely Nilgiri base that is strong and stout, and the spices are warm and I love the vanilla in this. It adds a really smooth, sweet taste to it.

I’ve reviewed this tea previously for the Tea Review Blog, please check it out here:

http://www.teareviewblog.com/?p=7369

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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80

It’s been a while since I’ve last had an unflavored Honeybush, and I’ve forgotten just how good it is unflavored!

I don’t really care for unflavored rooibos, but I do enjoy unflavored honeybush. The flavor is not quite as woody, it’s a little lighter and brighter and I love the sweetness of it.

A very pleasant cup!

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more
teabird

Good to know – I’ve never had honeybush unflavored. I’ll have to try it sometime now!

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82

Another gift from LiberTEAs.

Since this infused SO quickly I only steeped for 2 mins MAX…and you know…I usually like to go stronger and over do it or take the longer of the suggested infusion time…but…with this one I think that if I were to go longer than the 2 mins it would have been really bitter and/or gross. As I sip this I am more happy with my decision to stick with the 2 min steep! This is bold and Malty yet smooth and NOT Bitter. There is a natural milky and honey like textures to it. Pretty good!

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94
drank Chocolate Chai by Indonique
4843 tasting notes

Yum!

Of all the chocolate chai teas that I’ve tasted up until now, this one is by far the most chocolate-y. There is a smoothness to the tea and to the spices as a whole – it is very well rounded. It isn’t overwhelmingly spicy and in fact I could even call it somewhat mild in the spice department, but, the stronger cocoa presence more than makes up for that.

The tea is not bitter despite my longer than usual steep time. I’m really loving this…

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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94
drank Chocolate Chai by Indonique
4843 tasting notes

Yum… Chai Latte Time!

Yep, I even warmed up the milk and frothed it.

This is really nice. A pleasing balance of chocolate (rich and delish!) spice (strong but not super spicy) and tea (brisk and strong enough to hold its own with the other powerful flavors). I will have to try this without the milk sometime and see how it is – but it is EXTRAORDINARILY good with the milk. yummy nom nom nom!

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
TeaEqualsBliss

still looking for THE Chocolate Chai ‘for me’…perhaps this is it/…

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78

just finishing up the last of this sample=[. So sad because this was one of my favorites. It has the typical black tea taste, that is sweet, a bit caramel-y, and malty. BUT, there is the added flavor of the flowers and passionfruit, which is a wonderful combo! The tea smells great too, the aroma is sweet and mainly passionfruit.

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100
drank Indian Spiced Tea by Indonique
13 tasting notes

I originally bought this tea as a nice spiced iced tea, but as the weather wasn’t quite warm enough, I started brewing it hot. I love this tea so much I may have to buy more for summer! It is is a great tea blend – reminds me a lot of “Yorkshire Red”, but it has a great spicy flavor with the whole cloves and cardamom and the black pepper. It’s great black – with a nice spicy bite to it – it takes milk well and even a bit of sweetener if you want. An amazingly versatile tea! It’s only down fall is that the leaves are very tiny – again like the “Yorkshire Red” and so you need a good strainer for this loose leaf tea.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 7 min, 0 sec
TeaEqualsBliss

Hi there! Not sure if you got my other comment…a while back…it;’s nice seeing you on here!!!

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83

I’m noticing an oddly dry sort of characteristic to this tea’s flavour – it’s not dry as in astringent, more like a sort of dusty dry. I made that sound horrible and gross, didn’t I? It wasn’t meant that way; it doesn’t spoil the tea for me, it’s more of an “oh, that’s interesting” sort of thing.

It give a very flavourful resteep (@ 5:15) which I can still taste the cherry in. A lot of flavoured teas will lose their flavour after their first steeping I’ve noticed, but not this one.

This would be an interesting tea to try sweetened but unfortunately I’m all out of the little sample I got from TeaEqualsBliss.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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83

Yum, this tea smells deliciously cherry-like. Cherry and mango are my two favorite fruits and sadly there don’t seem to be many (good) cherry-flavoured teas out there. The flavour is mostly that of a nice, mild Russian Caravan. I’ve found that a lot of Russian Caravan blends are too heavy on the Lapsang Souchong, but this one is quite pleasent.

I’d like maybe a touch more cherry flavour, though. Right now I’m just getting a slight hint and a bit of an aftertate. Still is makes for a nice variation on a common tea blend like this.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
Indonique

Thanks for the review Jillian. We have very similar interests. I’m a retired paleontologist & currently owner of Indonique. Check out our Blog, http://indonique.blogspot.com, if you like tea & history. Thanks again.

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100
drank Assam Breakfast by Indonique
1 tasting notes

The Estate Owner at Rani and Satrupa in Assam India introduced me to this one. He ripped open a sack and the smell of chocolate of all things filled the room. It amazed me but was in a days work for him, apparently. When he steeped me cup, a rich honey aroma filled the room. So rich and malty. Definitely a tea for milk and sugar, rather strong otherwise.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
LENA

Oooh, I love deep and malty teas. I would be very interested in trying some samples of your tea.

Indonique

contact me directly shipping address at george@indonique.com

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77

This was fairly good. I love that the oolong and peach cut back on the ginger. It’s right were it should be!

Cofftea

YUM! I have organic ginger root and peach oolong- I think I may play around w/ this after my matcha tomorrow morning. It’s more time consuming and putzy, but that way I can get the exact peach oolong/ginger ratio I want and even steep each tea separately so they can have their own optimum water temp and steeping time parameters. Thanks for the inspiration!

silvermage2000

Nice review I love peach teas.

Cofftea

Have you tried Adagio’s ginger peach?

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79
drank Vanilla Chai by Indonique
6768 tasting notes

7 months ago I logged this. Must have forgot! LOL
Here’s another attempt.

I can’t really smell vanilla or chai aromas from this. It’s ‘brews’ REALLY dark. It’s mostly black tea tasting, but I can taste a hint of vanilla in the aftertaste. Not so much chai-ness happening tho.

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