Vanilla Chai

I’m pretty new to the Tea thing but so far this is my all time favorite. I can drink this without adding anything. Its flavorful yet mild and calming.

This one has been kicking around since before I joined Steepster … wow!

I’ve had this a couple different ways. The best is steeped in hot, lactose-free milk — sweet and spicy, rich and thick. I did not have lactose-free milk, so I had this with some cinnamon bun coffee creamer. It’s spicy, it’s creamy, it’s a generic chai. Maybe a little weak from using cooler water and not steeping as long. Or maybe it’s the age, ‘cause this tea is one of the oldest I have. Not bad at all, but I’m really excited to have sipped this one down.

Vanilla is a flavor that I have to be in the mood for, and really a hit or miss when it comes to teas for me. It either accents a black, green, or white equally or overpowers more subtle flavors. Here, the flavors never balance out for me and I personally like the Spiced Chai better.

It really is a treat, this tea. I adore the smell. The one thing that gets me, though is that this is one of those teas that really needs some sweetener and milk. You loose much of the spicy essence that you smelled before putting it in the cup, without. This is probably not a problem for those of you who do this regularly. I just happen to be more into the tea’s own flavors, rather than forcing my cuppa to be sweet. This is the only tea I will put anything into, just so it tastes as good as it smells. I would defiantly recommend to anyone who does not mind fiddling with sugar and milk.

“Comfort in a cup” is right. There’s nothing subtle or complex about this tea. However it is a great everyday, artificial flavor tea. My wife and I go through 4 boxes a winter with no trouble.

This is my favorite at-home chai! All the flavors are well balanced so you can taste more than just cinnamon! The vanilla is a really nice addition, although that is always my position :). Extremely enjoyable!

Delicious scent and taste, very vanilla and with a nice spicing to it. Great blend for a tea bag.

I decided to dye my hair today, not just my usual black dye but a full out color change. First I had to bleach it, which takes forever! I left the tips black and the rest faded from pale blond to dark brown, then the dye application. I am currently the owner of cobalt to black ombre hair, it looks pretty cool. The annoying part is of course my bathtub is the most porous thing in existence and is also blue, so I need to get some heavy scrubbing on after I go to the store for the proper supplies. Usually I am all for the ‘no chemicals’ approach to house cleaning, but there are sometimes when you just need a bottle of bleach.

If you have ever strolled through a supermarket in the US’s tea and coffee aisle you have probably seen a box of Vanilla Chai by Bigelow Tea. Created from black tea, spices, natural and artificial flavoring. I tend to avoid teas with artificial flavoring because I find that they taste fake so I do not have the highest hopes for this little teabag. The aroma of the teabag is very sweet, strong creamy vanilla notes with underlying spices. It smells quite warm and like vanilla fudge. The aroma is rich and very sweet, good if you have a sweet tooth.

The aroma of the steeped tea is very intensely creamy vanilla, like vanilla ice cream with a dusting of spices and an extremely delicate hint of malt. The aroma reminds me of the vanilla non-dairy creamer for coffee that you find in the same section of the grocery store this tea is in. I don’t hate that aroma, in fact I have been known to just drink creamers on occasion, but it is not an aroma I want to associate with tea.

Adding cream and a touch of sugar since this is a chai makes the tea taste like vanilla cream and a touch of nuttiness and the most delicate hint of spices. Not surprisingly the tea tastes like the non-dairy vanilla creamer that it smelled like, but with a hint of spice and black tea malt. This tea isn’t terrible, if I was at a restaurant and was given a mug of this instead of Lipton (cringe) I would be thrilled, but I do not see myself seeking this out of my own volition.

For photos and blog: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/02/bigelow-tea-vanilla-chai-tea-review.html

Definitely loved this tea. It’s very vanilla-y and comforting, doesn’t need a speck of sugar. Wish it were stronger.

It was 48 degrees this morning and it got me into the spirit of the coming fall. So, I made myself a cup of Vanilla Chai tea by Bigelow. It was yummy. I Love the smell of it. It’s got plenty of spice to wake up the mouth, but not overpowering. I added a bit of sugar and because it is a little weak on cream I added a bit of cream. It was smooth. I like the vanilla hanging in the background adding just enough flavor to mellow out the spices.