The last remaining tin of my 2014 advent calendar. I didn’t try this initially because my boyfriend complained about the licorice root, and it was exam season so I decided to pass on it really. But, now that the 2016 calendar has started I figured I may as well bite the bullet and finish this one off.
I don’t mind the concept of a vanilla chai, I think that vanilla is a flavor that can work really well in a chai. The dry leaf of this tea smells a lot like ginger with notes of vanilla and cinnamon, not a bad start at least. But, it seems like things have quickly gone a bit downhill because as I’m typing this I can smell the licorice root already. Not a good sign.
When steeped, the tea does turn a nice amber-brown color, typical of my favorite chais. However, the smell of licorice root is still very prominent. At least I won’t need to add any sweetener, clearly. My first sip of this without any sweetener or milk, is… as you might expect, licorice root. My boyfriend tried to warn me but here I am two years later falling to my hubris. Not even adding milk and sugar helps bring out the chai or vanilla flavor enough for me to even get through this cup.
Overall, I’m not surprised that this tea didn’t come back, but I do hope to try other vanilla chais because I really like the idea behind it.
Flavors: Licorice
