I was given a lovely new journal today for logging tea notes because, yes, I filled up another one! It is a beautiful shade of cobalt (one of my favorite colors) with an embossed peacock on the cover. The cover is made with rubbery pseudo suede which has the best texture, I keep rubbing the cover because it is so soft! I will certainly enjoy writing about tea in this lovely journal.
Today I am going to be your Chai Wallah, ok not really, I am not that cool. Chad’s Original Black Chai by the titular Chad’s Chai is a blend of Full Leaf Indian Tea, Organic Cinnamon, Black Pepper, Clove, Organic Chili Peper, Ginger, Star Anise, and Organic Cardamon. The first this I notice about the aroma is how intense it is, I really dumbly put my nose right into the package instead of wafting and ended up with a hilarious sneezing fit. The chili pepper and black pepper really pack a punch, so don’t do like me and stick your nose in it! After my schnoz calms down and I can analyse the aroma from a distance I notice that the tea smells rich and a bit earthy with potent spices. Primarily ginger and peppers with a secondary kick of cinnamon. The cardamon and star anise is very faint and there is a mild finish of malt.
Once I give the leaves a good soaking the leaves have an earthy, malty, and spicy aroma. The spices are a bit diminished, but there is a still an intense kick of pepper. This tea smells hot and warms me down to my toes. The liquid has a rich and sweet aroma, less earthy and more of a melange of spices since no one spice stands out.
Since this is a chai is is brewed with the traditional sugar and cream (ok, Half & Half is my cow product of choice, so not exactly cream) The first thing I notice is the initial warm kick of spices, it is not unpleasantly hot, just enough spiciness to warm my mouth up. This quickly fades to a blend of gentler ginger and cinnamon with a mix of earthy and malty. The tea finished with a kick of peppers again so it leaves a pleasant burn in the mouth. This is a good chai, but it is not really the type that rocks my world. I prefer my cardamon and anise to be the prominent spice and the more ‘hot’ spices to be secondary. I also really thought the base tea was quite good.
For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/02/chads-chai-chads-original-black-chai.html
Flavors: Cinnamon, Earth, Malt, Peppercorn
Preparation
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i’m the exact same way! i too prefer cardamom & especially star anise to be center stage in a chai! star anise is amazing, not to mention gorgeous.
i find it conspicuously absent in most chai blends (bagged or loose leaf), otherwise it can be found in trace amounts at best. is it expensive to procure? am i missing something?
usually all i get is a jarring burst of clove kicked up by black pepper. even then, milk & sugar can’t subdue such a mess.
but yeah, couldn’t agree with you more. i prefer the hot spices to be secondary in a chai.
love the notebook! peacocks are awesome.
I don’t think it is too much more expensive, but it is harder to get at decent prices. I know when I lived in a more backwater area is PA none of the grocery stores carried cardamon, I had to go to an Indian market to get the spices I wanted (which was fine since they were really cheap and had great food).
I also notice that when I get chai at Indian restaurants they are heavier on the cardamon and Star anise (and yes it is sooo pretty! I love the stuff) which is how I discovered my love of it being made that way instead of all the cloves and ginger.
Ditto about the cardamom love. Big time! Yum.
I looked at your blog, the tea journal is splendid! (Not so much the spider friend, lol)
i’m the exact same way! i too prefer cardamom & especially star anise to be center stage in a chai! star anise is amazing, not to mention gorgeous.
i find it conspicuously absent in most chai blends (bagged or loose leaf), otherwise it can be found in trace amounts at best. is it expensive to procure? am i missing something?
usually all i get is a jarring burst of clove kicked up by black pepper. even then, milk & sugar can’t subdue such a mess.
but yeah, couldn’t agree with you more. i prefer the hot spices to be secondary in a chai.
love the notebook! peacocks are awesome.
I don’t think it is too much more expensive, but it is harder to get at decent prices. I know when I lived in a more backwater area is PA none of the grocery stores carried cardamon, I had to go to an Indian market to get the spices I wanted (which was fine since they were really cheap and had great food).
I also notice that when I get chai at Indian restaurants they are heavier on the cardamon and Star anise (and yes it is sooo pretty! I love the stuff) which is how I discovered my love of it being made that way instead of all the cloves and ginger.
Ditto about the cardamom love. Big time! Yum.
I looked at your blog, the tea journal is splendid! (Not so much the spider friend, lol)