Chai to Stay Dry… and Happy National Library Week! What?! What do you mean you don’t celebrate National Library Week? I know, this is one of those little known honorary weeks that only a librarian (like myself) would make a big deal about, but I actually do try to find either a library-themed or literary-themed tea each year for the occassion. This was actually the tea I grabbed for last year’s National Library Week, which was a fandom blend from Adagio created by Dylan. It’s a blend of Adagio’s Caramel, Rooibos Vanilla Chai, and Irish Breakfast teas.
The creator claims “the caramel cuts right through the spice of the vanilla chai, and you can just barely taste the Irish Breakfast that acts as a nice, solid base.” That certainly wasn’t the experience I had! As I’ve found with a lot of Adagio’s custom blends (and even just some of their regular teas), I seem to get a lot of variation from batch to batch as far as mix/flavor, and in this sample, it seemed to be all Rooibos Vanilla Chai. The chai spices in it were very overwhelming (particularly the clove) and dominated the flavor of the cup so much that the other flavors in the blend were completely overshadowed. It was hard for me to get much of a “malty” feel from the base, and there was no caramel flavor (or vanilla for that matter, come to think of it). The cocoa nibs may have added a little sweetness, but otherwise didn’t have much affect on the blend either. Overall it was just a heavy clove/cinnamon chai flavor. The spices definitely came off a bit overpowering and demanding. This was another one I had to take with my trusted vanilla almond milk!
Full Review: https://teatimetuesdayreviews.wordpress.com/2017/04/11/tea15/
Flavors: Cinnamon, Clove, Spicy
