Another sample from Octavia! Thank you so much! For a chai, the brew is very very light amber on both steeps. Surprising for chai to be so light, but it really works with the spices here. The flavor just MELDS into perfection. The most balanced, perfect flavor combination. It’s almost like a spicy sweet potato dish with marshmallow on top. It’s warming, sweet, smooth. I don’t really see those huge vanilla pieces in my sample that I see in the photo for the tea. The flavor has hints of vanilla but more vanilla than I expected among these spices. That crushed cardamom really comes through in the flavor. The combination of everything here is just this calming, lingering, lovely light base chai that I don’t stumble across too often, so I can certainly appreciate this one. Even at much hotter temperatures, the second steep is the color of palest amber. (Though I love the brisk, dark chai too, this one is a change for the cupboard!)
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 26 minutes after boiling // 2 1/2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 2 minutes after boiling // 4 minute steep
This is You :-D
Profile
Bio
Hi! I love tea and trying new ones – it adds a bit of variety to my day! Books, music, TV & movies are my thing… and tea, of course.
Some of my favorite tea shops (still operating):
birdandblendtea.com
teavivre.com
52teas.com
svtea.com
whisperingpinestea.com
justea.com
harney.com
Dammann Freres
fusionteas.com
Javateaco.com
Lupicia
Octaviatea.com
Davidstea
eco-cha.com
what-cha.com
singleoriginteas.com
teasenz.com
tealyra.com
Mandala
verdanttea.com
Favorite tea shops (RIP):
butikiteas.com
steapshoppe.com
steepcityteas.com
aquartertotea.com
dellaterrateas.com
zentealife.com
angrytearoom.com
theteamerchant.net
joysteaspoon.com
tealiciousllc.com
Rivertea
Specialteas
My icon photo is Richard Mayhew from the graphic novel ‘Neverwhere’ by Neil Gaiman, Mike Carey & Glenn Fabry.
Most of the teas listed in my cupboard are actually sample sizes. I don’t really have 2,000 ounces of tea around here! Many of my teas have only one teaspoon left… maybe two. But I like keeping them in my cupboard list for reference to what I could be sipping. Usually, I write tasting notes once for each tea. I’m still drinking them, just not writing tasting notes each time!
I’m always in search of: Hattialli, Qu Hao black, Jin Jun Mei, teas using marshmallow root.
My dislikes: hibiscus, ginger (unless in chai), turmeric, bee pollen, charcoal type flavors
My ratings:
95-100 – Super awesome deliciousness favorites – cupboard essential
80-95 – Also pretty delicious
65-80 – Pretty good
50-65 – Okay
1-50 – Probably won’t want to sip it again
I’m planning on being a Steepsterer as long as there IS a Steepster, so if you’re not hearing from me, that means something happened to my health… if you know what I mean. (Or as evidenced by the great computer hiatus of 2019, something happened to my computer… I have a dumb phone so can’t access internet on that. As of 12/20/21 my wifi might start getting unreliable.)
Happy sipping!
Location
USA
Yum! I like a chai that’s a bit lighter if I want to drink it straight – sounds like this is a good one!
You should definitely keep this one in mind if you like lighter chai, Kittenna!