Chai Spice

This is sooo good! Why have I been holding off brewing this?!?!?! I ordered 2 oz (I think) back about a month ago, and have just not been in a chai mood, and I was worried it wouldn’t live up to how good the Laoshan Village Chai is. But man, this is good! It’s very similar to the village chai, minus the caffeine! swoons this might be my new nighttime chai! And yes, I am going to try blending this with some of my Laoshan black, and some other teas as well! I steeped this for the whole 5 minutes, and it’s a spicy, stimulating brew but yet warm and comforting at the same time. This has a bite though! There’s a spice in here with some nice zing to it :D and it feels very cleansing on the throat. Very happy I finally dove into this bag!

The dingbat undergrads have already been out full force pumping Electric Avenue and partying at 5pm, so might as well talk about my chai spice experiences so far. Because chai rules the world!

I first tried this plain to see what its true story is all about. The fennel in this blend is loud, at least for me, but I like it. It screams, “I’m unique, so pay attention to me!” Next, I can taste the ginger, then cinnamon, then peppercorn. Surprised the clove isn’t more palpable since I tend to pick that one up easily.

So I had this great idea to combine it with the last of my Chocolate Phoenix chai since a) I don’t care for that one on its own and b) why not? The result is that the two complement each other beautifully. Despite the fact that the chai spice blend also contains cardamom, overall, it really puts the brakes on the cardamom in the Chocolate Phoenix chai, which is my main issue with it.

Oh yeah, and I also tried it on the stove top, combined with some soy milk, brown sugar, and a dash of vanilla. That fennel is sure giving the cardamom a run for its money. And I’m getting the heat from the ginger.

In a way, I kind of prefer drinking it as is. It has a very clean aura. Hard to explain.

Yak yak yak, back to work. I ought to invest in a pair of heavy duty earplugs.

I can’t believe I still have some of this!
I’m not currently a member of the TOMC, but I did really enjoy my membership! This is the 3rd tea from last January’s box, & I had just enough Yu Lu to make a potent cup, so that it’s a sipdown on both of them! There was a little almond milk in the fridge, so I added that, & I also borrowed my son’s Keifer grains, gave them a water bath yesterday to get all the milk out, and made a quart of coconut milk keifer, which turns out is ready, so I added some of that, & WOW! This is the most luxurious feeling Chai I think I’ve ever had! The coconut milk keifer is a little tangy, & so thick & creamy. I use canned coconut milk, not that grotesque crap they sell in the dairy case, & I love it! If you let it age long enough, it becomes yogurt which, for someone like me, is a rare treat indeed.

Verdant’s Chai spice is a little unusual in it’s spicing, & I’ve learned that I need to use quite a bit more than they recommend, because I tend to like my Chai a little strong. But this cup of yum, which is gone already, beats Starbuck’s Tazo Chai by a long shot!

I met Annalisa and all 5 boys at Horsetooth Park this afternoon, armed with crackers and hugs.
It was a warm, cloudy day, perfect for playing without the worry of sunburn.
The park has a water play area, a tunnel mountain, various playgrounds for different ages, hiking trails and a dog park with fenced in swimming lake for dogs.

To both 2 year old’s, I’m “Dama” and to everyone else I’m “Grandma”.

After playtime, I took 8 year old Micah for some time alone. It’s important for him to know how special he is to me. His life has been difficult. Being 8 and bipolar, makes you feel different in a way that isn’t always good. He loves coming to my house and being my special boy.
I drove the long way home, stopped by the lower lake and we took a walk talking about fishing and why there were holes in the rocks. Then we went off to Happy Lucky’s for tea.

I brought my new Chai Spice with me. Who brings tea to a tea shop, or Chai Spice? I do!

For some reason, Happy Lucky’s was empty when we arrived and stayed that way. Maybe it was the clouds in the sky…sending streaks of lightening further out on the Prairie that was keeping people away. Whatever the case, Eric…Sam…Micah and I had Happy Lucky’s Tea House to ourselves!

Eric made the Chai in a fancy pot using a malty black tea base, milk and honey for all of us to enjoy.
Micah and I sat at the tea-bar and I poured tea very high above the little teacups from the copper teapot with it’s long curved spout. The 3 ft. stream of tea hit the cups creating froth without spilling a drop! (I’ve done this before) Everyone enjoys seeing me pour Chai!

This Chai was subtle, not too spicy or peppery. I could tell this was a Verdant Chai. Some Chai’s are ‘in your face’. By that I mean, there’s ‘lots’ of clove or cardamom or pepper and sometimes I feel like I’ve had Chai mouthwash!
Verdant Chai’s are gentle. Not weak, but not raw and rough either.
I can’t wait to try the Chai blend with Laoshan Black Tea. I know magic will happen with this Chai blend and Laoshan Black, who knows why…but it will happen. It’s a mystery! Maybe a miracle.

There are recipes so subtle that you might be tempted to rush past without consideration. We have become that kind of society. Rushing on to the huge tastes, the bold flavors. Refinement and restraint is something that I’m learning to appreciate and this blend is more refined.

Micah, my tea-guy friends and I all enjoyed our late afternoon Chai, and I’m looking forward to many more cups and some experimentation.

As Micah began to get over-active, I took him to the bins of tea and we began to go through the samplers, experimenting with the scents of mint and cacao, then lemon and ginger…and on and on until he forgot where he was and became interested in the tea. He calmed down and enjoyed himself again.

My daughter came and picked him up at the shop. Teatime with grandma is a memory I’m creating with my grandchildren. http://flic.kr/p/e8ZT4i

I got this as a blend to mix with other teas, I don’t intend to drink it on its own. Last night I added about 1 tsp. to some plain generic honeybush and it was great, I also want to try it with assam. I think the saffron and the elderberry are both nice touches to this blend which make it a little bit out of the ordinary.

Sometimes I am drinking a cup of tea and think to myself “man, this would be great as a chai!” Which essentially is why I purchased the revamped version of this: it’s all the spices without the tea, so you can add it to whatever you want!

First experiment: mixed with Ovation’s Apple Cinnamon, honey and a splash of cream. Delicious! It’s like Adagio’s Apple Spice Chai only, you know, a million times better. Don’t get me wrong I do love the Adagio blend but the spices here are so deliciously complex. I’m going to have a lot of fun with thiw!

Right now I am drinking a pot of this mixed with
1 teabag Perfect Peach & 1 teabag True Blueberry
(Celestial Seasonings)
1 packet Pyure stevia
1 tsp Chai Spice
Nice and light mixed tea, but very relaxing

Mmmmmm. . . Got my January tea of the month club box today. I made this, stove top, without a black tea base because I worked late.
Holy crap this is good. Spicy and smooth and damn I love Cardamom!

I ordered some of this back in October, but I haven’t busted it out until now. I came home early today to work from home b/c of the cute little winter storm we are having in KC. What goes better with a winter storm than a huge glass of stove top chai. Oh yeah!

This is such a good blend that I intend to keep in stock. I love that it is herbal, but if I want to change it up, can add some black tea and it becomes different and even more yum.

And as an update.. as I had mentioned in the past, this was originally purchased for my husband who expressed a request for chai last year. He has been in hospital most of the past 8 months and even though it was only a short while ago that doctors said would never be home again, a miracle of sorts happened and he is indeed now home!
So, being able to share a pot of this together again is something very special and precious, and I am so thankful for that simple thing.