Oh wow, this is not your usual chai and I am really impressed.
I usually like my chai brewed up really strong, with milk and sugar, and so I had some hesitations around this one, as many tasting notes have said it tastes weak. While this is not at all bold and brisk, like some Assam based chais or ones with a CTC base, nothing about this tastes weak to me.
The dry leaf smells strongly of cardamom and ginger, with a whiff of vanilla. Steeped the chocolate notes come out on the nose, as well as a butteriness and sweetness.
On the palate, the base teas are forefront and not overpowered by the spices. Malt, floral and fruity. The chocolate, ginger and cardamom combine beautifully, for a rich, spicy but almost cooling flavour profile. The vanilla is there and adds a nice creaminess. The finish is ginger and cardamom.
I am so impressed with how complex and well balanced this is. I’m glad I got a whole, unopened bag from the stash sale, because I think that this will be a regular cup for me.
Flavors: Butter, Cardamom, Chocolate, Floral, Fruity, Ginger, Malt, Vanilla
i wonder if the formulation was changed. I hated this one previously
I dunno. I picked this up from a stash sale so it might be quite old. I think a lot of teas from that sale were. I know that they don’t offer it anymore at Verdant.
I quite enjoyed this one, but yeah, I believe it hasn’t been offered in quite a while. The fact that I think I actually don’t have any left should give you an indication of that! (Considering I have bits of like, everything left.)
Also, Sil – could have been different harvests? I feel like it was around long enough for that to have been a factor.
could be.