Holiday Chai

Last year I bought some of this for myself and some for my daughter’s fiancé. Back then he really didn’t do loose leaf much. He loved it! So I sent another box. This year I wanted to send more and couldn’t find it anywhere! Finally, I put out an APB on it and a friend found it at the grocery she goes to. We got him two boxes.

I served this as the final tea of tea party today because it smells like mulled cider – a nice, Christmas-y aroma. For a bagged tea, it is pretty good. The shocking thing is that my daughter who does not like black tea AT ALL liked it and drank two cups! She also loves their White Christmas tea, a peppermint white tea blend that is indeed very soothing.

So today, wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles, eldest daughter drank not one but TWO black teas and preferred them to the white and oolong teas we were serving. She said her beloved may only get one of the boxes of tea because she may keep the other for herself. I guess I had better head back to the grocery and get her some of both of these Stash offerings!

This is mild for a chai, and reminds me of the Russian Friendship Tea as it was called when I was very young – mostly black tea, orange, cinnamon, and clove, but nothing too strong.

This may be unfair to rate since someone from a perfume forum sent this to me a few years ago and I just found it in my mom’s cupboard. It’s old so of course you can’t expect much.

Sure enough it tastes like watery cinnamon water with some weird, almost astringent clove. I’m sure it would have been much better had I enjoyed it when I got it.

A while ago, my mom said, “I don’t want it that way” so now I have the Backstreet Boys in my head.

Tell me why
Bagged tea makes my taste buds weep
Holiday Chai
It’s not worth more than one steep
Tell me why
Stale tea is so passé
Get off my tea tray

I just needed to pretend it was autumn, I guess, so I grabbed this for my lunch dessert. Very cookie-y, especially with French vanilla creamer. Cardamom isn’t my favorite chai spice, and there isn’t much in this one, so that’s a plus.

I think this was a goodie-box tuck in from one of you wonderful people, but I can’t remember whom, so … thank you, whomever!

I purchased the loose version recently, so I’m upping the rating slightly. This version is much heartier and much more spicy. I taste lots of cinnamon and nutmeg with something sweet… maybe it’s the hint of rum. All I know is that this loose version is much more spicy and flavorful than the bagged variety, which I like as well, but not as much.

I normally sweeten chais but thought I’d try this without sweetener… (shocking!) I actually enjoy it without the added sweetness. It’s very warming and spicy. I imagine sitting by the fire, reading a good book or playing a good video game with this one.

I wonder what it would taste like iced?

I think that KeenTeaThyme send me a bag of this tea … THANKS!

this is not a bad chai … although I’ve definitely had better. Very clove-y. I’m enjoying it. The black tea is fairly mellow, the spices are very pleasant and warm.

This… is not what I was hoping for. I remember the Stash Chai actually being half decent. Comforting with milk and sugar.

This? Umm, no. It’s really cinnamony, I can smell and taste the rum flavour (and it’s an alcohol based flavour too!), and there’s lots of clove.

:(

If it were all I had, I’d totally drink it. However, I have loads more amazing versions of chai in my cupboard, so I’m going to dump this and make something else.

(1 bag/8oz)

In other news, I still have 3 baskets to go and I’m already at 121 teas in my Great Reorganization. Wanna bet how much over 200 I am? :)

One week ago I began drinking this tea, as I have done for several years after Thanksgiving. I do have the teabag version, and occasionally I order teabags for their simplicity and convenience.

This is a delicious Holiday blend, even though I can’t taste the black tea. Normally I would mind, but I consider this an exception and a good dessert tea. Predominant aromas and flavors are cinnamon, allspice, clove, and nutmeg. I don’t really smell or taste the ginger root or the rum flavoring, but that doesn’t mean the don’t have an influence in the aroma and flavor. I just can’t detect them and rather than over focussing on details, the enjoyment of tea is important.

Drinking this tea is like drinking pumpkin pie gingerbread cookies. Good, solid tastes on the tongue that linger. I like to add a drop of skim milk once in a while, just to mix it up a little…….sounds dangerous huh?! :)) Anywho, there you have it…oh, I brew it 5 to 8+ minutes. A very satisfying Holiday Chai.

Cupped & reviewed Monday, December 5, 2011.

I was excited to see this back on the shelves at my local grocery store! While I am a sucker for seasonally themed teas, this one is simply delicious. I steeped it a bit long, then added sugar and soymilk. The rum flavor is excellent, and the spices are a little more subtle. I’m happy to have this tea back in my cabinet!

Study study study! This class is keeping me busy and tea is keeping me going. I have a couple of bags of this that I haven’t tried, and I was looking for something to brew up quick so I could get back to studying. I added some milk to it, and I really liked it! A nice spicy chai. Probably one of my more favorite of the bagged chais that I have tried. Even better than some weak loose leaf chais honestly.

I tried this one last night, with a tbs. of honey. Stash sent it free with purchase, and I must say that I wouldn’t have bought it by choice. Why? Because of the list of ingredients. Rum and I aren’t friends…and I don’t like gingerbread flavors.

Ingredients: blended black teas, cinnamon, ginger root, natural gingerbread flavor, clove, natural jamaican rum flavor, natural nutmeg flavor

This is the bagged version. I found it to be weak overall. And as expected, I didn’t like the flavorings. I’m not going to downgrade it based on personal taste, but overall it was a very weak brew.