Saigon Chai (Organic)

This chai blend is pretty evenly balanced. No super aggressive cloves (adagio’s masala chai) or weird licorice. It’s a light-tasting tea in general, but I could taste the cinnamon and ginger notes without any trouble. I didn’t try it with milk or sweetener, and honestly am not sure if the spices would hold up under milk. Maybe if you made it extra strong to start with. Experiments for another time!

I still love Coco Chai Rooibos better, but so far this one’s the black tea winner at Davids. We’ll see if that lasts when I go back later to try Pumpkin Chai.

I love how this one looks — pink peppercorns just make everything so pretty! Between this and the sakurambo, I think peppercorns in tea might be my new favorite thing.

I took a few moments out of a hectic morning yesterday to enjoy a cup of this — in one of the elegant white teacups, with a bit of cream and a dash of sugar. I didn’t really have the time to properly savor or pay attention to it, and I didn’t find it particularly striking, but I kept looking back at that moment throughout the day. The strong black tea, the rich creaminess, the sweet, subtle spiciness lingering on the tongue, the sudden moment of peace amidst a sea of turmoil.

It was a perfect moment to hold on to. It made me happy. More thorough review to come (maybe).

Taste and smell is mostly cinnamon and tea, but it’s not overpowering. Smoother mouthfeel and taste than most of the other chais I’ve had. It reminds me a bit of a lot of christmas blends I’ve had. In latte form it’s good, and probably in my top 3 chai latte list. As it’s cooling I’m starting to taste more of the pepper.

I was a little worry about trying this tea at first because I was afraid it would be to light and weak. I’m a big fan of strong and robust chai’s that wake you up.

To prevent it from being weak, I crush the spices with the back of my spoon before steeping it. It opened the cardamom pods and really woke up the flavour.

By crushing the spices, The tea became really flavourful. The cinnamon and cardamon are the first things you smelt and it had spicy floral note while you drink it. I definably recommend drinking it with some evaporated milk to round out the flavour.

Tried this the other day as recommended by the description: Viet-style, with condensed milk. I didn’t have it iced, though. Interesting blend of flavors. It doesn’t pack a sugar-rush whammy like Vietnamese iced coffee with milk (ca phe sua da) but it wasn’t bad, either. It was the last of my stash, so unfortunately, I won’t be able to continue my experiment further.

Wow – this tea is so amazing! I save it for after lunch, at a time I call “the best part of the day”. It really takes me through that tired bit in the afternoon when it is hard to stay motivated. You can really taste the strong cinnamon, but it is tempered by a richness that makes this a real treat. If this tea were a wine, it would be a Shiraz. Very full and “fat” as the Aussies would say. I put in milk and more sugar than I usually put in tea so it tastes like a proper Chai.

This is my go to chai tea at the moment. I usually drink this with milk and honey. I love cinnamon so Saigon Chai was perfect. It has a very prominent and natural cinnamon flavor with clove following close behind. There’s a wide blend of spices in this and when brewed the spices work very well together to make a very yummy cup of tea.

The secret to this tea is in the preparation. It is best when made on the stove top in a pot. OH me oh my. It is like drinking an Indian food dish, drenched in the most fabulous hot sauce. The spiciness of the peppercorn is positively mind blowing, and adds such a robust, lingering flavour to this tea. Such a great wake up tea. I love watching the leaves roll as they boil. Normally I like chai with a bit of milk and sugar – but both ruin this one. Maybe I just like my tea hot n’ spicy. Anyway, it’s great, and if you haven’t made it on the stove top yet, please do!

To say I’m a fan of chai is to say that Picasso was just an okay painter. So when I say this is the best I’ve ever had, it’s an impressive feat. The wonderfully potent aroma fills the room in a way only beaten by the flavour hits the palate like a freight train (of tea awesomeness). A wonderfully strong chai with a very noticeable cinnamon. Avoid oversteeping though, it will become too bitter after about 6 minutes.

Highly recommended!

This tea smells spicy and sweet. Still not sure if I really am a fan of chai teas, but this is still tasty.
The cinnamon really comes through whether it’s dry or steeped. That with the other spices gives it a bit of warmth, so it’s definitely a good drink for cold nights. And it’s one of those teas that look pretty, with the red peppercorns and bits of cinnamon and clove.
I put a little honey and milk in mine and let it steep for about 5 minutes, but I think it would be even better in a latte (or iced with sweetened condensed milk like they suggest ;)