DRAM Apothecary

Kickstarter is such an awesome thing. Today I got the Dram Apothecary set in the mail :)

The little vials they came in didn’t break which is good because I thought that one of them might break being sent in just a bock basically. Since my brother is home I asked if he wanted to try the chai this came with and he said yes.

Cleaned out the french press from this morning an started the water. I’ll admit, loose chai is hard to enjoy since I have tried so many variations. In my opinion, out of all the chai there are (in my opinion) two good ones for the twenty that are tried. Upon brewing this I noticed it was a bit light colored, but I realized it was the ratio of tea and other material used in the blend. The black tea, which I am happy to announce, is quality leaf. The brew is warming and provides this interesting sensation of calmness. I’m actually surprised at how balanced this blend is. The background notes of cherry sweetness, not the tart, are alive within the black tea and not just put there for name/appearance. Now that I have tried this… I’m quite interested in their Early Gray tea, which I believe there are more ‘eh’ ones than good ones.
Since I lived in Colorado for a few years, if I ever go back to visit people I will have to drop by their store because I’m liking the vibe the company puts off.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BAiVxhBxYCA/

Thanks for the sale, TheLastDodo! This is a unique blend. It mostly looks like cocoa shells but is actually coffee cherries? I’ve never heard of such a thing. Two teaspoons results in a dark cup, much like coffee. At first, I’m a little confused because there is a tart fruity flavor that seems like it could be the actual cherry fruit. But I don’t think that is here. That seems to be more noticeable than anything coffee. The spices are pleasant enough but not something I’d call chai. An okay cup, but not something I’d prefer over other chai.
Steep #1 // 2 tsps. // 6 min after boiling // 3-4 min

This is a fantastic brew with whole ingredients, no flavorings which is rare these days. Cascara (the dried fruit surrounding a coffee bean) can tend to taste flat and tart. In this “chai” blend the flavor is balanced brilliantly with warming notes of vanilla, cardamom and cinnamon. I especially love the deep black pepper and citrus flavors in the bottom of my mug. Will definitely purchase again. Thanks DRAM! You’re the best!

This is the first time i have ever tried coffee cherries. I like how i can taste a hit of dark roast coffee in this blend. the chai part in this is quite mild, not much stands out except the cardamom. Cascara is the skin of the coffee cherry. Normally in the production of coffee the skin is considered waste and goes into compost. However, if the cherry is dried and separated it can be steeped and used to make an herbal brew with some caffeine. This is an interesting find, but I do not think that I will re-purchase.

Peach spice undertones. Really good.