Laoshan Village Chai

Chai was a staple in my house growing up, and my mom used to make it with a lot of bite. It was a kind of rite of passage as a kid; starting out with just a sprinkle of spices and moving up to more and more. “More masala!” I would say with bravado in attempt to prove my grown-up-ness. “I can take it!” And then I would very slowly sip on it and try not to make faces, until eventually I started to actually enjoy it.

So of course compared to my earlier experiences, the spice level in this is pretty mellow. But it is the most authentic chai blend I have tried, with its whole cardamom pods and fennel seeds. I can see why this is so loved. The laoshan black makes for a nice smooth base, and the ingredients are extremely well balanced. Except for the goji berries; I think it could do without those.

Ideally I’d like to make my own chai spice but I probably won’t get to it, and will likely pick up more of this with my next order. And I’ll leave the super spicy chai for visits to my mom’s house. After all, I’ve got nothing to prove now ;)

I have a new favorite chai. I was trying to make my own chai blend, so the taste was just perfect, but I think I am going to have to abadon that, and just drink this tea from now on.

On first smell of the dry leaves, I immediately though ginger beef. It was so delicious, the ginger was strong which is a plus in my book. The brewed tea smells like a sweet, soft, ginger snap cookie. The taste is superb! It is malty, chocolately, cocoa, ginger, chai with a peppery finish. It is almost like ginger ice cream. This is an awesome blend.

I bought a small sized bag of this tea, but I am definitely going to have to stock up on this one.

Loose
Appearance: Curled long leaf, whole spices noticeable
Aroma when Dry: sweet, fragrant spice
After water is first poured:. Buttery, sweet, hint of spice
At end of steep: light green
Tea liquor:
Staple? No
Time of day preferred: afternoon, evening
Taste:
first notes: buttery, sweet, light spice, velvety, slight powder.
Without milk:
After adding milk: notes blend, tea gets milder, sweeter
As it cools? Notes open up, to almost a icing desert sweetness
Additives used (milk, honey, sugar etc)? Yes, a few oz milk, added at the end of steeping and first tasting.
Lingers? Yes, plain the sweetness stays, gets sweeter by the sip. almost floral notes.

I’m backlogging this one from yesterday.

I’d been avoiding trying this sample for a while now because it’s a “chai”. I spent a few weeks in January experimenting with my own chai masala blends and getting headaches, as far as I remember, every time I drank one. I never get headaches, and it’s still puzzling to me what was going on.

First, I’ll say that this did not give me a headache. Even though for the second steep I poured the boiling water into my gaiwan and promptly walked away and forgot about it.

This is a really good chai, and I hope they bring this one back! While their chai spice is good, I think they also should carry a chai for people like me who are often too lazy/intimidated to make a decision about which tea to blend said spice with…

So, I am coming down with a nasty cold, and I wanted something yummy with ginger in it, and I picked this. It’s a nice, mellow chai, not super-sweet but not pungent (really pungent chais make me sad).
Anyway, I was drinking a mug of this, and I was talking to my little brother about our impending family trip to Montreal, and my plans to take advantage of the presence of david’s tea to buy lots of tea. So he asked me what I was drinking, and I told him, and since he likes convenience store chai lattes he tried it. He thought it smelled and tasted like gingerbread men, which is pretty accurate (I prepped with milk and sugar). Anyway, he really liked it and kept talking about how clear it made his sinuses feel. He’s weird, but I do love him, and now I’ve made it my mission to find tea he will like, so we can be tea buddies (his words, not mine).

This morning I have been craving something spicy. So I decided to try this tea. Dry it smells like ginger, peppercorn and other spices. mmm wet it smells like ginger snaps!! Oh my god yum! This tastes so good! Ginger, cinnamon, and is that vanilla in there?? Yes it is! Wow I love this. The aftertaste is smooth and I can taste chocolate that is Laoshan black tea. There is of course a nice warming effect in the back of my throat from the ginger and peppercorn. Its actually making my nose run haha. There is the perfect blend of spices, not too much fennel but just enough, and just enough clove that its not overpowering but gives you the taste of yummy gingersnaps. I am definitely going to have to buy much more of this :)

I am in love with this blend and, I think, with Verdant Tea. I have tried many a chai and none have had so much flavor and balance. It’s either there is barely enough spice or too much and the cardamom tries to kill me. Maybe I am hard to please but none have got it completely right yet but this one came so so very close.

I did three steeps even though it was pretty late and I know that sleep is probably a very unlikely event as a result. I did not drink this tea with milk but I did add a pinch of sugar.

First steep-The perfect mix of spice and beautiful black tea. The initial flavor was all cardamom and spice. The spice wasn’t overwhelming but very pleasant with a natural sweetness. I don’t know why but cardamom is one of those spices that my palate can pick up right away even if there is just a little bit in the blend. This tea is proof that you don’t need to add a bajillion cardamom pods to make a good chai. The finish was all black tea flavor. I was actually pretty thrilled I could taste it because it sometimes gets lost in chai.

Second steep-The cardamom is actually started to die down a little leaving the black tea and other spices to shine. I still got the cardamom but not a lot. I also started to taste more of the burdock root, ginger and clove. The Laoshan Black tea was front and center and if it’s this good here, I will be writing a glowing review in a couple of days. It’s so chocolaty and malty. It’s probably the best black tea base I have ever tried.

Third Steep-All clove and ginger. Very good because those are my favorite spices. They work well with the black tea base. This was my last steep because tea after 1 am is never a good idea.

This is my first try of Verdant Tea’s blends and I am very excited to try the other ones I bought. I wish I had bought more than a sample of this one because it could become a staple.

I think this may be one of those teas I can’t live without. It’s amazing. Beautiful. I’ll even risk staying up half the night because it’s 9:30 and I’m jonesin’ for some laoshan village chai. With a little honey….and milk….
yummmmmmm….

delicioso

I’m not a massive fan of chai, so I’m not really an expert at it. But I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It’s actually one of the best chais I’ve had.
I know a lot of people add milk to chai, but I don’t add it to anything. This tea seriously tastes so thick and creamy, it’s like it has invisible milk in it. It’s crazy.
The main thing I notice in this one is the creaminess. I don’t drink milk much because it makes me sick a lot and gets bad heartburn…but…it really does taste good creamy and “milky?”! Happy to have tried it!