Gnarly Masala Chai

I’m seeking my perfect chai. Every time I place a tea order I add a chai (if they carry it). I have LOTS of different chai in my house.
I was a little worried about this one. I don’t normally do very well with floral teas, and I couldn’t understand why anyone would include florals in a chai. OK what do I know? This is never going to be my PERFECT chai, but it is better than most of the ones I’ve tried. I’m not sure I can actually pick out the floral flavors, but there is something weird/strange/unusual to this tea. What I do like about it though is that the spices aren’t hitting you over the head. This is chai, no doubt about that, but it’s more subtle and gentle than most of them. It’s also pretty well balanced. Most chais are clove heavy or cinnamon heavy. It’s like you can’t pick out all the individual spices/florals, you just get a nice gentle “chai” flavor.
Not perfect but pretty good.

Backlog:

While perusing the Steep This! website, I knew I had to try this chai. It just looked too different to not try. It has most of the usual suspects (although no ginger) and then they take it through a stroll of a flower garden and add some rose, lavender and jasmine that not only add visual interest as well as make it smell absolutely amazing. The floral notes and the spicy notes are nicely balanced. It doesn’t smell too flowery nor does it smell too spicy … just a really intriguing combination of both.

Those additions also gave the chai a very unusual flavor (unusual for a chai, anyway!) It’s a little spicier than I expected it to taste. I kind of expected the flower to soften the flavors of the spices just as they soften their aroma, but, this tea has got a fiery, pepper kick. The cinnamon is warm, and the cloves and cardamom fill in the background with spice.

The floral tones are not very strong, flavor wise, unless I slurp the cup. This aeration allows the floral notes to express themselves.

Nice … it’s definitely more about the spices than about the flowers, but, the floral notes do manage to make their way through. A really enjoyable cuppa.

I have this sample from Dexter3657 from a while back. I tried it when I first got it, didn’t like it hot that time but kept it just in case. I made some iced chai latte a couple of weeks ago using a different chai, and it worked great, so this morning when I read that TheTeaFairy made herself some iced chai latte I thought to myself "yes, yes, that is what I am going to do right this moment. "

So I used the remainder of this sample. Ok, so what I found is that I liked this one iced with almond milk way better than I did hot. Alas, maybe sugar and coconut or almond milk is the great equalizer. That, and a breath of cardamom was the ticket this time. Same steeping method I always do. Steep the chai in hot water as I would any other black tea and then pour it over ice. 1/2 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup sweetened chai. Bam!