Charleston Low Country Tea

Giving this chai a try over ice. I was right — it’s better this way. Or maybe I’m just biased because it’s 90-something degrees outside. I really can’t imagine having hot tea during the Georgia summer.

The mango flavor still sits on the surface and overpowers the chai spices and black tea. It still definitely reminds me of mango nectar, especially now that it’s cold.

I also want to note that I do have a pretty bad headache and it has helped a little bit. But I think that’s the caffeine talking. A caffeine addiction headache would probably be the only thing this tea actually could cure.

My family and I stopped at the Marion Square farmer’s market on a whim in Charleston last week. Of course, I made a bee-line for the tea table that Charleston Low Country Tea had set up. There were a few unflavored black teas that I wish I hadn’t neglected, but this tea intrigued me the most.

I’m a pretty migraine-prone person. Have been since I was a kid. So that lured me into picking it up and giving it a sniff. It’s a traditional chai (black tea, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon) except for one difference — mango. There are bits of dried mango in it, but also something they just call “mango flavor”, and whatever it is, it’s potent.

I want to mention that the 3 oz. bag I purchased came with a reusable cloth bag to steep it in. I thought that was very nice, and I probably will use it, but only for this tea. You know how chai spices are. Permanent. Anyway, I began preparing it the way I usually do; strong with half milk, half water. But at the end of the five minutes, it wasn’t looking quite dark enough for that, so I just added a splash of milk instead and some sugar.

The result is delicious! I know mango is sort of a weird fruit to go with the spices, but I really like it. It’s not a very spicy chai, much more on the bright, fruity side. Reminds me almost of mango nectar, it’s so powerful. But the milk + chai spice gives the tea depth and makes it into something that’s both bracing and comforting. This is going to be a great first-thing-in-the-morning tea.