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Definitely need this after such a long day. 1/2 heaping TB each this and MC pu erh steeped in 1 cup water then added 1 cup Fat Free Smart Balance Milk. Topped w/ whipped cream. SO chocolatey. SO sweet. SO spicey. SO… perfect! The only bad thing is whipped cream + hot beverage = almost instantly collapsing whipped cream.
Preparation
Using leaves from last nite (1 heaping TB steeped for 6 min), added 6oz water and steeped for 7 min.
Dark, coffeish liquor. Slight spice. Not much chocolate… almost like a mocha flavored coffee.
Preparation
1/2 TB MC chai and 1/2TB MC pu erh. I’m gonna blend the rest of my pu erh this way cuz the pu erh needs the chai spices and the chai needs bigger almond slices.
Tea steeped in 1c. water then added 1c. Fat Free Smart Balance milk and 2TB chocolate chip creme brulee creamer.
Mmmm… VERY chocolatey. VERY spicy. Lots of savory sugary flavor. VERY perfect.
Preparation
Another misto. I’m feeling guilty about dumping my MC Pu Erh leaves after only 1 steep even though it was a 10 min one, so I dumped 5 1/3g of this on top of my Pu Erh leaves. This misto is almost as dark as the last, but more full and rounded flavors. Yum!
Preparation
Ugh… my last serving… well, actually 1/2 serving since I normally drink this 12oz at a time. I’m glad I didn’t run out of this any earlier as I just bought a half gallon of smart balance milk and I only drink it in chai and espresso lattes/mistos.
Mayan Chocoalte Chip Creme Brulee Chai Smart Balance Misto:
1tsp Mayan Chocolate Chai (not the heaping teaspoon I’m used to…)
3oz just below boiling water
3oz Fat Free Smart Balance Milk
1TB Creme Brulee coffee creamer
Whoa… um yeah… ok… this is gonna be hot. Not only did the last tsp contain a lot of cayenne, I was having problems w/ the top to my glass tea pot- the tea wasn’t pouring so I had to lift it up letting a lot of the cayenne in my cuppa.
Yep. Definitely hot. But the chocolate and tea base definitely stand up to the oh so rich, creamy, thick decadence of the Smart Balance milk. YUM!
… sigh… well… that’s it… it’s gone… I’m REALLY hoping manteas has a sale on this for Cinco de Mayo! PLEASE, PLEASE, PRETTY PLEASE Frank?!
Preparation
Ok, ok… so I finally did it… I sweetened my chai. But only because it’s traditionally sweetened. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any traditional sweetener so I used stevia. 1 packet in a 16oz cuppa. This is only the 2nd time I’ve had sweetened chai (that wasn’t made from a mix). I had it (sweetened w/ honey) at Panera once. It wasn’t too bad. Yep. It’s a sweetened chai. The sweetener does nothing to change or inhance the flavor in anyway. It’s just… well. Sweeter. I prefer my chai (especially of the Mayan Chocolate variety) rich and decadent. This was more sweet and spicy… but at least the spicyness remained- actually I think it’s more so because the chocolate no longer has the savory notes to balance out the spice. I’m not completely ruling out sweetening chai, but I think I need a flavored sweetener like brown (or even raw) sugar, caramel or butterscotch ice cream topping, or ROT’s chai honey. But that’s not surprising since one of the reasons I drink tea is I have absoflippinlutely no motivation to drink plain water. Why drink something that has no flavor even if it’s calorie free?
Preparation
I really need to try this one sometime. I also tend to prefer my chai’s unsweetened unless it’s one of those extremely high calorie chai latte’s at my school’s coffee stand.
I’m just waiting for the space and the $ to by a full 1lb bag of this stuff- it’d only last me 40 days.
Sweetened your chai!?! Uhoh what’s next? Milk in matcha =P
Gags… never… But then again the only way I like milk is in espresso and chai lattes. I probably would like matcha lattes if I liked milk more. Sweetening chai is like adding milk to matcha- both seem to dumb down the flavors… what a waste.
Stevia does nothing to really enhance the flavor of a tea, all that it will really do to a tea is sweeten it. Since you are not crazy about sweetened tea anyway… well, I can see why you weren’t really crazy about it. If you wish to enhance the flavors of a tea, you need a natural sweetener like honey, agave nectar or sugar. For a flavored tea such as this, I wouldn’t recommend a “flavored” sweetener as I think it would interfere with the other flavors of the cup – unless that is what you want to do. For example, with a chocolate tea, a caramel topping would be an interesting addition… because it may harmonize well with chocolate.
Stevia is a natural sweetener- as it tastes exactly white sugar, I have no desire to use that either. I only wish to add things that add extra flavor. ROT’s chai honey wouldn’t interfere w/ the flavors in the chai as it would echo the spice. Some people may think that caramel or butterscotch would interfere, but I love the combo. I’ve never had agave (except in tequila lol) and have no desire to try it due to its high caloric content. Hmmm… tequila in chai…
That is one of the main reasons I also drink tea! Water is unappealing, unless I am hot and noticeably dehydrated. Also, I find that stevia does have a flavor, but it’s not a good one; more like sucralose (Splenda) than white sugar. But as for sweetening chai, if you want something more flavorful than sweet you might like raw honey (I find it less sweet and more interesting than standard honey). I could definitely see caramel or butterscotch working in chai, too. Or maybe a nice dark maple syrup? I’ve had a chai blend that included maple sugar before, so I know the flavor combo can work…
An ex friend sweetened chai w/ vanilla and caramel ice cream syrups all the time. I don’t really like honey so I think the only one I could really enjoy would be ROT’s chai honey.
1 heaping teaspoon (4g), 4oz just below boiling water, 2oz coffee concentrate, 1 TB chocolate caramel coffee creamer. All flavors are equally strong, the cayenne is definitely present but not painful.
Preparation
Cinoi fed my addiction! No milk in the house so I added 1TB chocolate caramel coffee creamer. WOW! The cayenne is definitely there, but it’s much lighter than in the past. The extra chocolate gives it a richness and the caramel gives it extra sweetness. I LOVE this creamer!
Preparation
Gasp! I don’t think I have enough for another full cup after this! :,( Decided to make a hot chocolate latTEA.
4g tea
2oz almost boiling water
4oz fat free milk warmed during the last 30 sec of the tea’s steeping
1tsp drinking chocolate milk
Steeped the tea for 6 min in the water then decanted it into the milk, added the drinking chocolate mix, and stirred.
The spice is most obvious in this drink, followed by the chocolate and last the tea base. It’s not a strong flavor, but just enough to say “hey, this isn’t an espresso latte”. The texture probably would have been a lil better if I’d used all milk, but I didn’t want to messs w/ it. A perfect cup of indulgence!
Preparation
Double dirty chai mocha- steeped 7 min. Double dirty cuz I not only used the cup from my 1st infusion w/ chocolate residue in it, but I swapped the water for 2oz coffee concentrate. The coffee/spice/chocolate/milk/tea ratio is perfect.
3rd infusion, 8 min. Nothing added except the residue in my cup. I really like the texture of this infusion. Not throat coating, but not watery either.:)
Note to self: DO NOT blow on a container to free it of left over chai spice dust if one of the spices was CAYENNE! That was one of the more stupid things I’ve done in a while… rolls her really sore eyes geeze… sigh…
4oz cup/5.33g tea. This is a 2nd infusion. I made apple cider w/ the 1st last nite. I was really hoping it’d be apple chai-ish, but it just tastes like I steeped it in vastly diluted apple juice. Not good.
Preparation
hmm, you’ve done that before as well. Perhaps you could go the other way – make Turkish Apple tea and add the spices.
Yes, I could. It’s very good the 1st steep. It’s the 2nd that’s lacking. So next time I’ll just add milk/creamer to it to hide the extremely water logged apple flavor.
But of course, experimentation is the source of discovery, and you are the world’s foremost researcher on tea/cider hybrids.
Aww, that’s too bad. I like hearing about your tea drink combos, though.
How do you keep your leaves overnight? Do you refrigerate them?
I find if you drain all of the liquid off the leaves each time, they will keep ok in the pot
Shanti? Refrigerate?! No way. I know some people do, but personally I’d think that extreme cold would ruin the flavor. Even if it didn’t then I’d have to wait til they warm up. Just too putzy for me:) I just keep them in my steeping vessle (either my ingenuiTEA or glass Tea Garden tea pot… I would not suggest it using a basket or paper filter).
Oh okay, neat. Hope I didn’t offend you…I had just never heard of anyone keeping tea leaves overnight before :-) That’s cool that you can keep them so long…I’d be too afraid of decomp/bacteria/mold, especially in my “warm” aka sweltering apartment…stupid landlords! lol. :-)
No, I was afraid I offended you. I realize some people do do that- I just personally can’t fathom it.:)
How much flavor do they lose after being out so long? I would guess that the moistness from the wet leaves would evaporate, taking some of the flavor, as well as some of the compounds breaking down over time after being moistened. Do you notice any difference?
I’d almost have to do a side by side (example 2nd infusion made immediately after the 1st and 2nd infusion steeped 4hrs after the 1st) to tell you, but I have no complains so w/o actually doing the side by side I’d say little to none.
Chocolate apple chai cider!
5.33g tea/4oz apple juice.
I love a good apple cider, although the acidity of hot juices have a tendency to burn my throat. The chocolate in the chai sweetens it and covers the acidity so the only burn is from the cayenne. I just wish there was caramel in it!:)
Preparation
Sounds good! Have you ever tried the Caramel Apple Spice at Sbux? So good!
I actually don’t care for it. I think it’s the ratio of the flavors, not the flavors themselves. I order a tall steamed apple juce w/ 2 pumps each vanilla and caramel (and gingerbread during that season) w/ 2 chai bags.
I see. I’ve had it maybe 3 or 4 times so far…two times it was amazing, and two times it was “good” but not omg-i-want-more good. So I think you’re right about the ratio being critical here.
I think size has a lot to do w/ it. I only get talls because I can’t get the ratio of flavor/milk/espresso/chai or whatever combos may apply right in any other size. 12 is the only ounceage (ounciage LOL!) divisible by 6 (unless you get a venti iced).
Attempted to make a caramel apple chai latTEA… read more here: http://steepster.com/discuss/291-i-cant-believe-that-happened
Preparation
Dirty Chai Misto
3rd infusion, 8g/4oz water/9min, then added 2oz espresso and 6oz milk and reheated.
Surprisingly coffee and milk are the dominant flavors. The cayenne is there, but light and unfortunately the chocolate, other spices, and black tea are all but gone:(
Preparation
Made a chai latte right before I sat down to watch Biggest Loser. Chai lattes are hard for me amount wise… because I consider a serving of a chai latte to be 12oz because it requires a full serving of milk, and that’s a lot for me to drink at once. So anyway…
1 Mayan Chocolate Chai Latte:
2 heaping tsp chai (8g)
1/2 cup purified water, just below boiling
1 cup milk (almond milk would be amazing w/ this)
Preheated the milk for 30 sec (didn’t want to scorch it) during the last 30 sec. of the chai’s steeping, decanted the tea into the milk, then heated to the desired temp.
The heat definitely stands up to the milk, and so does the tea base. The chocolate; however, doesn’t as much. It tastes like it was made w/ a very weak chocolate milk. But it is there. The chocolate issue can easily be remedied by adding unsweetened cocoa powder or 100% dark chocolate shavings melted into the mixture. It’s even less of an issue for me because this is not a problem when I only prepare it w/ water. If it would, it would be really hard to remedy because adding cocoa powder or melted chocolate to regular tea would just screw up the texture.
This would be wonderfull in desserts like fondue, pudding, and ice cream. Just remember to let the milk cool after steeping the tea in it.
Preparation
I’m probably gonna hate my bladder tonite since it’s already 10, but I wanted to get at least one more steep out of this in case it molds by morning. 8g of tea in a teapot is quite dense. 6 min, 12oz water, 1TB each white chocolate and caramel coffee creamers. The only thing I’d change about this tea is that there’d also be caramel in it. Then it could be called Tortuga Chai (Tortuga is spanish for turtle which would refect the both thechocolate and caramel combo as well as the chocolate and cayenne combo). All flavors are still very strong and the chocolate comes thru at least as if not stronger this time. I can tell it’s not from the creamer because white chocolate is very different.
Got this as a gift from the wonderful and smart Carolyn! I love chais. And I love chocolate. And I love things w/ chili/red pepper. I have my chais 2 ways, w/ and w/o milk. I don’t sweeten my chai’s, but I would like to try ROT’s and Lupica’s tea honeys someday.
As w/ all chais, I’m trying it hot and clean 1st. 1 heaping teaspoon tea to 6oz purified water heated to just below boiling because I want to preserve the health benefits.
Compared to my Pu Erh yesterday this is light lol! The liquor is a gorgeous dark reddish brown color.
I have to be honest. The aroma of this tea makes me giggle w/ happiness. The chocolate hits my nose as richness, then the spices tickle my nose w/ their strength, and lastly the black tea manages to fight it’s way thru as if to say “Don’t worry, I’m still here!”.
I’m kinda glad that I’m enjoying my 1st cuppa this alone. I’m definitely not acting like the mature and sophisticated 24 yr old that I am. This tea is WONDERFUL! I’ve had very good chais before, but the chocolate and chili put this on a whole new platform. I’ve seen a lot of disappointing scores on this one, so if you want to get rid of yours in a swap- PLEASE send me a message!
Preparation
I normally don’t expect much for additional infusions of blacks, but since I was absolutely thrilled w/ the 1st one I decided to try again. 6min. Not really darker in liquor, but more dull and less red. I can still smell the chocolate which surprises me. I can taste the chocolate as well, although this cuppa is much sweeter than the 1st. Still very good though.
Decided to make a dirty chai latte. 2oz cold brewed coffee concentrate and 4oz water. Steeped 7min then added 1tsp each spiced rum, caramel, and white chocolate creamers. Very sweet as expected, very shocked at the weakness of both the coffee and the chai.
4th infusion, 8min. Surprised at how dark this is, although it’s very dull- not bright like the 1st infusion. W/ almost caramely tones. The flavor matches the liquor. Smooth, creamy mouth feel, sweet and spicy taste.
…how is the chocolate pulling trough? Sweet-milky, or with bitter-pure roughness? Never had a Choc.-Chai…:-(
Keemun, you are really missing out! The 1st infusion was definitely a pure cocoa flavor, but it wasn’t rough at all. After that it became more sweet, but still cocoa-ish (think drinking chocolate vs hot chocolate made w/ water). Extremely good in all infusions.
Good review, thanks, now this is definitely on my list to get from 52teas… :)
And if by some sad misfortune you don’t like it I will be the 1st to request a swap hehe:)
…you wish, mate.
Yeah I do, and I did. I totally called it a full 37min before your comment lol =D
…you are a wicked man,Sir! A wicked man…indeed!
Ummm… ok… how should I take that considering I’m very much a woman?
…nice.Means I will lock myself into my room and will not appear on ‘steepster’ for at least a month…or I will change my name to another one…damn.
Sorry ’bout that. You did not mention that on your profile,did you?
…tea anyone?…
Haha! No I didn’t.
…I guess it was your Winston Churchill quote that drove me in the wrong direction…and speaking of him…I wonder what great teas he had during his long life time (…besides all that whisky).
Ok… not sure where you got me being male from that quote. Notice I’m into romantic comedies too? lol:)
I think my writing style also implies a female gender. I don’t think most men giggle over even tea lol.
From day one I thought you were a female.
Keemun, I would assume you’re a guy. Am I two for two?
…true…Sister Act for example would be more than suspicious for a dude…(although there is not much romance going on…I guess, never saw it)
Haha thanks Ricky. Actually Sister Act is kinda manly cuz it’s about a lady that goes into witness protection. Sister Act 2 isn’t so much. But I don’t consider it a chick flick. It’s a gender nuteral movie. And of course P.S. I Love You is about as girly as you can get.:)
Read the reviews, had to give this a shot. Once I got it I kept putting off trying it, not sure why. Finally opened it and took a whiff, and was hit with a malty smell that was both unusual and tempting. Brewed up a cuppa, and I really like it! Nutty, toasty, malty….hard to describe. I love a unique taste, and this is one. After a hot cuppa I made one iced, and it was just as good. I can’t wait to serve this to guests.
