Chai On Life

I figured I might as well start in on the sample package I got, because it’s kind of like replying to emails: I either reply within three minutes or three months; there’s pretty much no in-between. yes, I’m not a very good person. But yeah, I knew that if I didn’t bust open this package, I’d probably guiltily be reviewing it in May or June, or forget that I had it and just buy more tea (which will likely happen anyway).

So i brewed this up this morning, and after I lifted my basket out of the mug and inhaled, I instantly thought “Hey! I’ve smelled this before!” and I sat there, wondering where on earth i’d smelled something so similar. And then I realized that this smelled almost identical to (but a bit lighter than) Sugar and Spice! I’m not entirely surprised—both teas are spice-heavy, it’s just that the sugar and spice has a bit more vanilla and cakiness, plus it’s on a black base whereas this one isn’t. When I sipped, I got cloves first, followed by a jumble of spices, the most prominent of them being the cinnamon and ginger (although when not in latte form, I’m getting less ginger overall, which I’m ok with). I was a little disappointed that this felt so similar to sugar and spice, although I liked that tea very much when I first tried it—I think I was just hoping for something markedly different. Having said that, I really do want to polish off this package because I hate half-filled sample packages, and they’re pretty much taking over my house at the moment. How annoying. This is also low-caffeine, which means I can have it in the evenings, which will aid in sipdownatude.

Thank you Cavocorax for sharing this tea. I find I am always drawn to DAVIDs Teas of the month even when it might not be something I truly enjoy. For instance, I am not a chai fan but was still interested in tasting this and thus I am happy I was given the oppurtunity to try it without having to commit to a lot of it.

I actually am not minding the combination of spices in this cup. They are nicely balanced between each other and the fruit in the blend. There is no one spice jumping out and taking over the cup. However, at the end of the day, I think this is still a bit too heavy on the spices for my tastes (which tend to lean toward the sweet and fruity) and consequently I won’t be getting more when my sample runs out.

So I haven’t had tea since Sunday! :O What the heck?
I’ve been sick. So terribly sick. I just started eating again too, but this seemed like a good cup to ease back into things with. It’s low caffeine so it won’t upset my stomach, but it should have a little bit to avoid withdrawal :P I under-steeped it a little to make sure it wasn’t too spicy.

Yay for being able to drink again! :D

Also the little bear is sick (again? Holy man, do kids stop being sick???) so we’re watching non-stop cartoons today, and listening to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-GLuydiMe4

So, I was running out of paper tea bag filters to use at work, which gave me an excuse to go to DavidsTea on my lunch and see the new mugs, and check out the tea of the month! ;) The new mugs are cute, but there weren’t any that I was totally in love with, so I’m going to wait to see what they come out with next. They had samples of this tea made up, so I tried it. Very mellow, but I could definitely taste cinnamon. It was a nice cinnamon flavor though, so I picked up an ounce. :) Made this at work yesterday afternoon and it was really good. It’s like a lightweight chai, good for the afternoon and evening. The cinnamon is prominent, but there’s a freshness from the lemongrass and pineapple. It’s definitely mellow, and that’s why I found it kind of relaxing. I will definitely enjoy drinking more of this unique tea! Good job, DavidsTea!

Dry Leaf Nose: Sweet, warm spices with a hint of lemongrass and coconut. The cinnamon comes forward in the spices and some cardamom notes. The teas are evident but play a minor role in the nose.

Liquor: A lovely and clear yellow gold liquor with the aroma of warm spices and coconut. Sweet and round with notes of lemongrass.

Flavour: A sweet and complex overall flavour, filled with warm spices and a hint of lemongrass. Delicate and smooth in the cup.

I was in the mood for some chai tea today so I pulled out my sample of this and decided to give it a go.

First sip: It definitely doesn’t scream chai to me, although I do like it. Its a mild chai, so its good if you’re not a huge chai fan. I can definitely taste the spiciness, and I find it quite refreshing.

After finishing: I ended up really enjoying this! Perfect for those nights when you just want a nice refreshing cup of tea to warm you up after a long day. Its not something I would drink every day, but it was better then I was expecting. It definitely reminded me of Splash, but spicy. So if you enjoy that then chances are you’ll enjoy this.

Happy New Year and hope you all had a great holiday season. First tasting note of 2014. It’s almost hard to believe how quick time passes and how some things change and remain the same. Unexpected meetings and new outlooks on life. It’s all quite refreshing and familiar all at the same time much like this special Chai.

It’s much like “Splash” with its medicinal properties and detoxifying benefits. But its new in its spicy qualities and taste of the tropics. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loved “Splash” and to any Chai connoisseurs who want to experiment with all the various types of Chai. For those back east it’s just the trick for those cold evenings, to melt the Winter ice.

As for those in the West, it keeps that mild ambiance going no matter where your journeys happen to take you. Best of all worlds, wouldn’t you agree? To conclude I raise a “Cheers” to my fellow tea drinkers and hope we continue to prosper in the new year. Best wishes!

Surprisingly, not bad, and I am not a chai fan! it is definitely a chai, but it is not super spicy. Instead, the coconut and the lemongrass go a long way to tone down the spice and add a fresh background note. I am super impressed, this is the chai for those of us who aren’t this biggest chai fans.

I had a cup of this the other day while at the mall. I tried this as a sample when I first walked in the store and this was enough to entice me into trying a full cup. I was really pleased with this tea; although to me it doesn’t overly scream “chai”. I found it to be much lighter than many other chai teas I have had over the years and the spices are definitely not as overwhelming. It is very warm from the spices yet, the lemongrass gives it a lighter citrus note and makes it almost, dare I say it, refreshing to drink. I would definitely try this tea again and would encourage those of you who are interested to give it a try as well. This is not something I can see myself craving and wanting to drink all the time (and therefore will probably not be rushing out for a tin) but I think every once in a while this would be a nice tea to sip on.

I was hoping that this would be the winter version of “Cocolemon Thai” which is my go to tea in the Spring months. It is okay, but it doesn’t have that addictive quality that usually has me going back for more. It is truly a lighter Chai, but there is something about the way the ingredients go together… it is just not quite “there”.