Original Chai

when was the last time you had a cup of ‘wow’? i mean on here, although we’re polite about it, we’re all fortunate enough to be afforded the luxury to be tea snobs (or connoisseurs if you’re more comfortable=0). so many companies send out ‘wow’ samples…. how do you measure after such skilled generosity?

for me this is WOW.

LiberTEAS drew my attention to the fact that they offered a sampler. that worked well for me seeing as i had just gone through my ‘rishi chocolate chai’ fiasco and i was not prepared to invest a ton without trying some first.

chico’s a california company, free trade, fresh made, highly spoken of by LiberTEAS. i love chai… never had it fresh =0)…. i was intrigued. the brilliant LiberTEAS even included a link for me!

the sampler included an original mix, a chocolate, a mate and a rooiboos. aw! rooiboos…. i wrote a letter. the tea blender, sarah replied promptly: ‘no problem. we can offer you another sample as your fourth.’ perfect!

as asked i made a note during checkout to remind sarah of our conversation and hit the ‘pay now’ button. …. …….. ………. ‘confirm payment’ WHAT???? THIRTY FIVE DOLLARS FOR SHIPPING FROM CALIFORNIA TO BC? um, no. i politely said so.

again i got a very polite and prompt reply from a now concerned sarah. ‘WHAT? it is NOT supposed to be doing that!!!!’ of course it all wound up fine after a bit of fiddling, and i got my rooiboos free sampler with a surprise strainer included which perfectly fits the top of my mug! sarah! thank you so much!

customer service 5/5. on to the chai.

fresh makes all the difference apparently. it makes very good sense of course, but never having had it how could i know? lots of heat from the spice, a well rounded, comforting punch.

i used 7grams for 1.5 cups of water. water brought to a boil and then dropped to a simmer at which point i added the chai and let it roil for a conservative 10 minutes (they recommend anywhere from 5-30 minutes lol). i thought i’d start conservatively!

OMG…. LiberTEAS… i owe you. this is spice cake, this is spicy enough to give me an endophin rush but not so spicy that i have to sacrifice dignity by fanning my tongue. decadent, fresh, no hint of off-the-shelf spices. beautifully balanced. with cream added it reminds me of the spiced cream i make in the summertime with a lot more punch….

i absolutely see why sarah and chico are award winners. if i had more and (arguably) if i were a nicer guy i’d share to prove my point, but i don’t ….. and i’m rather in love so in this instance i’m not feeling abundantly nice! lol.

by FAR the best chai i’ve ever had. i will definitely order more… just have to figure out which one!

http://chicochaitea.com/shop/chico-chai-variety-box/

Backlog:

A very delicious chai. Good and spicy! Makes an excellent latte too.

Warm, spicy … I love the anise in this one. The touch of vanilla gives is a pleasing, creamy undertone so you don’t need to add dairy to it … it has a nice creaminess to it without the dairy (although like I said, the dairy does make a delectable latte)

A rich malty assam serves as the base for this, and it’s a really rewarding Chai.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/10/02/original-loose-leaf-chai-chico-chai/

I’m getting close to a sipdown on this tin, yet I haven’t made a tasting note! I had a sample of this at the SF Tea Festival a couple years ago and bought a tin based on that. I’ve had it many times over the years, but I was steeping it like I would a regular black tea and getting a mediocre cup out of it. I recently looked up the company’s instructions, followed them and got a much better cup. 1c water to 1 scoop tea simmered on the stove for 10m, adding a 1/2 c of milk and letting it simmer for a few more. The pepper came out nicely with that preparation. I added a little more cracked pepper and sweetened with some ginger flavored honey and got such a wonderfully spicy warming cup that I sipped through what turned out to be a 3hr long family yoga zoom class today. I’m likely to make this tea daily until this tin is done. It’s perfect for warming up in cold weather.

From my November Sips by box.

I plan on using most of the pouch to brew this on the stovetop with milk per the instructions, but it seemed silly not to try a small cup of it straight first.

Wow, this is very powerful! It’s hard to pin down all of the spices because there are so many, but I’m definitely getting the clove, cardamom, ginger, and nutmeg. The black pepper shows up mid-sip and builds in heat toward the end. There’s a hint of orange as well.

It’s definitely not something I would drink straight, as it’s a bit much for me. But it definitely seems fresh and is very flavorful! More to come on the stovetop preparation.

I’ve been trying different chai blends by various brands for a number of years.
And then I discovered Chico Chai.
A bit on the pricey side for my budget, but I had a discount code from the Sips By site so I justified the expense.
Worth. Every. Penny.
Easily the best chai latte I’ve ever made or tasted.
The perfect amount of spice that just warms your soul.
8oz of brewed chai, 4oz of hot milk (I use almond milk, by Orgain), and the tiniest splash of SF vanilla syrup…
It’ll cure what ails ya.
I always make sure my cupboard is well stocked with this chai.

Finally, a chai that impresses! I have tried so many lackluster ones in the past few years that I was starting to think I didn’t like chai anymore. (52teas chais excluded. Those are still great.)

The spices in this taste so fresh and bright. For once, it isn’t all musty powdered ginger and cinnamon. No, this tastes wonderfully of star anise and allspice on top of the classics. Maybe a hint of clove, too. I’m sipping it over ice right now and it such a treat. I’m getting really curious about their other flavors. Definitely something to look into as fall slowly approaches.

Anyway, thank you, Sipsby.

EDIT: $18 for 4 ounces?? Dang. You know, I’m honestly willing to pay it.

Big chai fan, but I definitely didn’t like this one. If you like or don’t mind anise, this may be fine for you, but the flavor was overwhelming and very unpleasant for me.

Very spicy and electrifying taste! This is my favorite tea as of right now. I add just a little honey to the already powerful flavor. The sweetness of the honey helps balance the spiciness.

Ooh, this one isn’t for me. It’s strongly spicy but there’s no sweetness to it at all so it just ends up tasting harsh. I added sugar to this cup and it’s better this way but since I don’t like it plain I’m unlikely to reach for it again. To the swap pile!