White Winter Chai

yum yum
This is a mighty tasty tea, it’s been taking me a while to finish off these little tins I got from the Art of Tea. I really like this with both soymilk and sugar. It’s…. zesty!

Meditation for this afternoon: I will not accept anyone dumping their shame and contempt on me. I was not put on this Earth to feel bad about myself.

Wow, the brewed tea smells amazing! Part of an Art of Tea group buy with Sara.

It tastes like the holidays! I can pick out cinnamon, clove, and I think cardamom, and there’s plenty more dancing in the background. There’s a faint licorice note too. This would be great while walking around Christmas in the Park in San Jose, instead of that rehydrated powdered cocoa mix they sell. It’s very festive.

I got this tea in a holiday sampler collection of Art of Tea blends a few years ago, and of the different white tea chais I’ve tried, so far this one has been my favorite, as all the others are trying to duplicate each other on a certain specific flavor profile, and this one is quite unique and I haven’t managed to find anything quite like it anywhere else. Which happens to be a problem for me, because Art of Tea is one of those places that goes from a sampler size to a 4 oz. bag, and I loathe having a quarter pound of tea around… it takes me eons to go through that much and is just not feasible for me (not to mention storage is a big problem in my tiny apartment). But a little 5-7 cup sampler is just not economical for restocking when shipping prices aren’t getting any lower. So once this sampler is gone, it’s going to be a very sad farewell to this tea… I’m really going to miss this one! I really wish I could find something like it from a place that sells their tea in one or two ounce sizes… sigh

The leaf to this tea actually smells like fresh evergreen trees to me, and once it has steeped, it has a bit of a pine aroma that is very refreshing and really does evoke thoughts of winter as the name implies. The flavor has a nice spiciness to it. It’s just a little peppery, but more tickling rather than biting, with a lot of clove and anise in the finish. I’m one of those folks that is very “spicy-sensitive” and have to get all my food “0-star” and I can affirm that this is a nice, mellow, relaxing chai, not a “burn-your-mouth-off-where-is-the-milk-aaaaagh-it-needs-more-milk-and-sugar!” kind of chai. I take it plain and really enjoy the play of the spices and that sort of evergreen-freshness along my tongue. It feels warm yet refreshing at the same time!

Full Review: https://teatimetuesdayreviews.wordpress.com/2017/12/12/tea50/