Phoenix Pearl Tea Company

X is for… Xocolatl Chai.

Made as the bag instructed – 14 grams leaf, steeped 2 minutes in 8 ounces boiling water, then steeped 3 minutes with an additional 8 ounces hot milk. I’m not sure how many chocolate chai blends I’ve had, at least one awful one that I can recall, but this must be the best of the bunch. Strong cardamom aroma and flavor mixed with the cacao nibs. There’s also a pretty potent menthol-type aroma but I’m not too sure where it’s coming from. With the milk, this is a luscious drink – rich and chocolaty like a hot chocolate. Not at all like some chocolate teas that turn out thin and weak with that dreaded oil slick on top. I’ll try again sometime without the milk to be sure, but I still expect it’ll taste pretty darn good.

U is for… Utopia.

My first order from Phoenix Pearl Tea Company. My husband has already had a few cups of this one and loves it. I’m really enjoying it too – it’s sweetened just enough and the coconut flavor is light and natural. I used coconut milk today but I’ve also made it with whole milk and enjoy it both ways. I do cut the amounts in half rather than making a 16 ounce mug of matcha (which I’m not sure I even own) and the 8 ounces is plenty. The bag recommends using vanilla soy milk for a blueberry muffin flavor, but I don’t normally buy soy milk so I may just add a bit of vanilla extract next time. I’m not sure where the blueberry flavor would come in since this is coconut, but if it somehow showed up I’d enjoy it.