Choc Chip Chai

I’m not normally I chai fan, but this somehow manages to be zesty and smooth at the same time. And it’s good and strong! Put three teaspoons in a pot and you can pour water in it for hours.

Love it. Very smooth and nice like all chai. T2 recommend having half chai and half milk with a touch of honey for traditional Indian chai. It’s really soothing. The longer you leave it, the better and stronger.

A slightly different but gorgeous chai tea. Overall, I tend to like it stronger, and will on occasion just leave the tea at the bottom of the mug whilst I drink.
Excellent with a touch of soy milk and honey, as pretty much all chai teas are.
I tend to love this tea morning to early afternoon, as it gives a slight energy kick.

Samurai Travelling Tea Box – Tea #9

Not normally a chai person (or a chocolate tea person, for that matter) but T2 is one of those companies that’s not convenient to get ahold of in Canada so I figured I best take the opportunity to try this blend our while I have it…

My initial thought was that I was surprised how little chocolate actually seems to carry through to the flavour! It’s definitely there amidst the murky and muddy liquor but it’s certainly not the flavour focal point of the blend, and I surprisingly found myself wanting more! What did stand out was how rich and intense both of the star anise and clove flavours were. They were complimented by other typical chai spices like cinnamon and ginger, but there two were really the stars of the blend. Coincidentally those are my favourite two chai spices so I was very pleased in that regard; it was a bit of a trade off with the chai delivering and the chocolate not.

The only thing I could really think of was that maybe the general sweetness of the star anise was supposed to lean into the “sweetness” of the chocolate chips? If that was the intention then I think it was a failure though; those flavours are not the same.

Overall… fine.

From the Samurai TTB.

Believe it or not, one of my favorite chai blends is a tea bag from Celestial Seasonings. Someone left a box of it at work and I found myself drinking it daily until I finished it off. I haven’t been able to find it since. Opening this bag of chai, the aroma took me back to that favorite tea and so I’m hopeful I’ve found a similar blend here.

This didn’t take milk as well as I would have liked, it’s a little thin, but the spices are solid. Just the right blend. I love a clove-heavy chai, which surprises even me. Curiously, I’m not tasting any chocolate. I don’t mind it really since the other flavors come through for a perfectly acceptable (delicious, really) chai, but with chocolate chips in the name I do think I should be able to taste it. I never would have guessed this had any chocolate at all if not for the name and description.

I’ve seen this one a lot on Steepster, so I’m glad tea-sipper put it in the box for us to try.

Another one from the tea box – thanks everyone for contributing! This chai is pretty tasty. It doesn’t even need milk! The black tea is pretty weak, but I don’t mind too much since the spice blend is strong and tasty – I feel like cloves and cardamom are the most prominent flavors. I did overleaf this one, so maybe that helped with the flavor. I had the second steep with milk, which was also quite tasty. I tasted the anise more in the second steep, but it worked well with the other spices. I don’t know that it’s special enough to choose over other chais, but I had a perfectly nice time drinking it. Also, I didn’t taste a single bit of chocolate in either steep. The spices definitely take over .

March Mad(Hatter) Tea Tournament!
Round #1 – Match #4    T2 – Choc Chip Chai  VS.  Simpson & Vail – Shanti Yoga Herbal

Odd spicy blends today!   Oof, one of these I couldn’t even resteep, which is rare for me.  The Choc Chip Chai has an offputting flavor to me that I will just never get used to, and might even give me a headache.  The closest I could describe it is like a vile black licorice.  I think they add chemicals to this blend, and it is NOT chocolate.  The Shanti Yoga is an easy win, as anything paired up with the Choc Chip Chai would be, really. Shanti is a thoughtful, complicated delicate mix of flavors.   I’m not steeping up the Choc Chip Chai again.  Ever.  Though I noticed some enjoyed it from the teabox!  Winner:  Shanti Yoga Herbal.
2021 sipdowns: 28  (Davids – Monster Mash)

I haven’t met a T2 tea I’ve disliked until now. It’s a lovely mix to look at, I’ll give it that. But I don’t know if it was just my bag (which I did shake up first) or what, but the only flavor in mine was intense anise. It was so strong I got that menthol burn from it. There was a faint underlying earthiness that I think was the chocolate, but it definitely didn’t taste or smell like chocolate. I don’t mind hints of anise, but this was so overpowering that’s the only real flavor I got.

My favourite T2 tea. The right amount of spice, and chocolate-y without being sweet in and of itself. Of course, being chai, I tend to add honey to it. Quite robust, this tea is a fantastic pick-me-up.

This is one of my favourite teas from T2, it has a nice amount of spice. I went in store to get a 250g foil pack today but they said they were being discontinued for this tea.