I’ll give this the highest praise I’ve ever given any chai blend: Not disappointing.
Ever since warming up with “real” chai on a cold rainy day in Ithaca, NY during a road-trip to Albany, I’ve never found one that comes close to what I had at that Indian restaurant. I think it’s my preparation, I’m told that infusing the milk with the spices for a long time (~1 hour) before adding the tea is the secret to chai success. As soon as I can remember to buy all of the whole spices, I’ll try it ;-) I don’t think I’ll ever find a chai blend that can reproduce that taste without the extra hassle.
I tried this without milk, not my usual method for making chai. This tea tastes sweet and spicy, and the cinnamon is not overpowering (Like teavana’s chai…stay away, just trust me!). It needs to cool off a bit before everything levels out, it’s rather misleadingly musky out of the pot. The oolong is barely noticable to me on the first steep, but there is a solid base behind the sweetness and spice.
Maybe a second steep will tone down the spices and let more of the oolong through?
Wish I would’ve read this prior to purchasing Teavana’s version (which is okay but the cinnamon is excessive). I guess I should try this one!