I can definitely smell the cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg as soon as I open the packaging. I find myself imagining chocolate as well, but I think it’s more a mental association than an actual scent. As it steeps I smell mainly the cloves and cinnamon – a very “wintry” scent to me conjuring up warmth, mulled cider, and baked goods.
The liguor is a lovely shade of burnt orange. The taste is primarily of cinnamon and cloves/nutmeg, with just a hint of ginger on the finish. It is a bit “sharp” to me, but then I prefer my chai without too much spice. I added about 1.5 tsp sugar and a bit of milk and that mellows it out enough for me. I think it could use vanilla, but I feel that way about all spiced chais. Overall this tea tastes exactly how it should based on the ingredients. If you like chai, this is a very good bagged blend.
I hope this tea will wake me up. I’m feeling a bit fuzzy headed, maybe from the “get some zzz’s” tea I drank at 10pm. I did sleep a bit late this morning.
adding vanilla, orange, chocolate, or apple to this tea would complement these spices nicely I think.