Golden Chai

Disappointing. The chai spice blend is far too weak for my palate. No complexity in the flavor, either. I’ve tried steeping this for different lengths of time, which made no real difference, other than the astringency. Not a win for me.

This tea is nice in the morning due to it’s low acidity. It has a nice soft taste of chai. While drinking this I am often in a working environment and it’s nice to have this tea on hand in the earlier hours of my day.

The spices are pretty strong, but it still comes off as kind of bland. I prepared it without milk; I felt like if I added milk it would lose the small amount of flavor it had.

I am NOT a chai fan. I’m learning to try things that call themselves “chai,” as I’m learning that there is more than one version of it. This was a happy accident. Husband asked me if I wanted anything from the store, and I’d told him about another brand I’d tried that was chai and asked him to look for some. He came home with this. “It was the only one that said ‘assam chai’,” he said.

I was skeptical. As I said, I don’t generally like chai. However, we were out of town and hotels – when they bother providing what could be considered tea – don’t exactly offer anything remotely drinkable. Luckily the grocery store across the way was able to provide what I’d left at the house (Bad me for not having my travel tea tin stocked. What? I have one! Don’t you?)

So, it was this, hotel “tea,” or nothing. I wasn’t about to send the husband out again, and I didn’t want to buy another whole box of tea to shove in my already-overloaded luggage.

Better than nothing, right? I brewed a cup and the aroma was pleasant. This didn’t smell like any chai I’d ever tried (and I do try them despite my prejudice against chai teas). I took a tentative sip.

Wow. That was nice. Light, flavorful, not at all spicy or bitter. This was chai? I drank the cup and made a second.

While not a favorite, it’s certainly one I will buy again. Though I prefer loose teas, this is a wonderful addition to my tea cabinet for those lazy days when I just want a cup of tea.

Because of this tea, I will give other chai teas a chance. Also because of this tea, I will give more Numi tea a chance. It’s not a brand I’m all that familiar with, but what I have tried I like.

I went through a box of this last week while working on a project. A little too mild for me when mixed with milk and sugar, I was hoping for something a little bite to it. Overall I enjoyed this tea and would buy it again.

More delicately spiced than other chai, this assam is definitely “golden” in the cup. This tea is great with or without milk.

Definitely less intricate of a blend than the Stash one I drank last night, but very smooth. The spices are much weaker, so while it’s pleasant enough, I prefer my chai quite a bit stronger. Still, a nice, basic blend that you can steep for a while without going too wrong, and mixes well with milk and sugar (of course).

One of my favourite chai drinks! It’s a pleasant taste, although I do like my chai a little spicier than most I find that if you steep it longer it deepens in complexity without becoming bitter.

A pleasant chai taste without the overpowering spice that some chai blends have. The most prominent flavour is cinnamon, followed by cardamom. Die-hard chai lovers may find this tea too weak for their tastes, as even prolonged brewing times do not produce an overly strong tea, and it is easily watered down by milk. More of a ‘beginners’ chai, but nice nonetheless!