I was looking for a comfort tea earlier, and my best idea of that is a chai latte. I’ve had this one in my stash for a little while, but it’s always been overlooked because it’s a bit of an oddball. When I think of chai, I tend not to think of either thailand or coconut, but there you go.
This was actually a very pleasant surprise. I’d never have believed it could work, but I found the coconut actually added a gorgeous creamy sweetness, which suited the milkiness of a chai latte perfectly. I was perhaps more surprised to find that the coconut actually stood out among the other ingredients. I’d thought it would get lost among the stronger flavours (perhaps particularly the cinnamon and ginger) but it was actually the primary taste.
Looking at the dry leaves, I could easily pick out most of the constituents — there’s pieces of cinnamon bark and ginger root, lemongrass, and dried coconut. I couldn’t see any cardamon pods, but that might just be luck of the draw with the spoonfuls I took out. Like most chai, this one has a black tea base, which, according to the ingredients, is coconut flavoured. I’m assuming that this is Adagio’s coconut flavoured black, which I actually have separately in my stash. That would make it a ceylon base, which I suppose accords with what I could taste. I have to say, though, that I’m more used to my chai being assam-based, and so to my mind this lacked a little depth. Perhaps that’s what allowed the coconut flavour to shine through so well, however.
Brewed, this smells wonderfully coconutty and creamy, with a hint of spicyness in the background. Same to taste. I was impressed with this tea — more so than I expected to be. When my sample runs out, this might well take its place among the teas I have on hand. It’s a little bit different, and so, so delicious. Definetly worth the risk!
