Chai French Vanilla

Drinking this again this morning.
We have an air quality alert at red today because of all the smoke from the numerous fires here.
My throat is burning and my nose is stuffy.
This tea sounded good to me this morning.
Hoping it will clear out my nose and throat and be soothing.
Drinking it while eating a pumpkin spice muffin.
Feeling better already.

You know when you get really pissed about something and you want to lash out and stay pissed but also want to act on something or have a partner in your rage? For example…when I get pissed I sometimes BLAST really HARD Music. Well, what kind of tea does one drink to accompany something like that? I don’t mean one that will mellow you out or calm you down…I mean a ‘Misery Loves Company’ sort of tea?

Perhaps I will start a thread about this. You know…one that is like that HARD music to aid your rage? Anyways…enough of the mini-rant for now…

This is the first of the new-to-me teas from my friends at S&V and I’m super excited!

This smells like a very warming, spicy, potpourri type aroma. The black tea is of medium to medium-strong in strength.

The spices are great in this. They are a chai type spicy but also a bit of potpourri type spicy, too, with floral notes of sorts. In addition the French Vanilla is a neat touch. It’s not over powering but it would well here. A touch more would be welcomed but I do like it the way it is.

I’m so blessed to have tried this tea – as well as the others I have on tap! I will never take tea(s) for granted.

Oh, I was a little nervous about this one initially because when I opened the tin the aroma reminded me of potpourri…. :)

Visually this is stunning with bits of cardamon, cinnamon stick, clove and ginger mingling around with the black tea. This is nicely blended because none of the flavors seem like they are overshadowing the others. I like the vanilla mixed with the chai, it reminds me of a chai creme brulee! This is delicious with soymilk.

I am definitely getting a ginger and clove “bite” in the finish. I agree with Hesper June, there is something about this that just reminds me of Christmas and it smells so lovely. It will be a nice cozy tea for winter, I think I’ll be keeping mine in the office where it tends to get very drafty in the winter time.

Backlog:

A really tasty chai! I love the addition of vanilla to chai blends … it gives it a sort of “latte” taste without having to add dairy, although, I did turn this chai into a latte because I wanted lots of that creamy, rich taste … I was in the mood for indulgence! This is a good chai for that!

The spices are well balanced, I love the zesty licorice note. YUM! A really good chai. REALLY good!

Here is my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/02/16/chai-french-vanilla-black-tea-from-simpson-vail/

Home – 9:00 PM

I added a 2-ounce packet of this to my order when I purchased the advent box from Simpson & Vail. To be completely honest, I have no idea what I was thinking… I’m not generally big on masala chai blends. I guess it must have been the promise of French vanilla that drew me in.

Is it just me, or do these Simpson & Vail teas always need to be overleafed? I feel like all of the teas I ordered from them are a bit weak with my usual amount of tea (a tablespoon for 16 ounces of water).

This one is just “meh” in my opinion. It’s somewhat weak, with a brisk and slightly astringent base tea. The spices are really mild and generic-tasting. And I don’t get any vanilla flavor at all, not even a hint.

I feel like a crazy person, the other notes on this tea are absolutely glowing…

Oh well.