I had a Single Steep pouch of this. I think there was about 1 tsp of tea in it.
The dry leaf smells nice, primarily of clove with a cardamom undertone. The leaf is extremely fine. The brew is an opaque orange-brown. The taste is blegh. Bitter? This is definitely not a chai that can be drunk without some version of milk & sweetener.
I was able to improve it substantially with almond milk and honey. The optimal ratio seems to be 2 parts almond milk to 1 part chai. I also added about a tablespoon of honey. It’s still not great, but it’s decent now. Heavy on the clove. Some ginger comes through, along with a hint of something minty – maybe that’s the star anise?
This leaves a dry, clove-tingly aftertaste. The sweetness of my additions comes through but doesn’t linger. Even with loads of almond milk and honey, though, this is meh at best.
