127 Tasting Notes
Made on the stovetop with milk and sugar.
This is very good and very chocolate-y (unlike some other chocolate chai’s I’ve had where the chocolate just adds smoothness to the chai’s spices, in this one you can actually taste chocolate).
My mouth does feel dry after finishing the cup, probably from the chocolate. :-( That’s the only downside of this one. I’ll definitely buy it again.
The 3rd mug of a 1 oz sample is a bit weak, so I’m trying to decide what to do with it. When I finished the spiced chai I just added apple chai mix, but I don’t know that that would go well with vanilla chai.
I shouldn’t have filled my mug and only made a half a mug or something! If you buy their samples, remember that when making the last mug!
I was confused when I went to add this one; I thought perhaps the website had it’s information mixed up. The description also lists vanilla in this (non-vanilla) chai! But, the ingredients list on the package does say vanilla, so I guess the website is right.
It definitely does not have the smooth vanilla aftertaste of the vanilla chai I drank Tuesday, so if I was going to pick one I’d say that the vanilla instant is the better drink. This one is spicier, but also tastes more of artificial creamer.
Of SBS Tea’s instant chai, I like the apple best… unfortunately that one is on clearance. I guess she’s not going to reblend it. :-( Of the stuff in stock the vanilla is my favorite.
Since I got an email about 20% off from SBS, I decided to splurge and buy some cocoas and instant chais for the office. This one is really delightful.
At first it’s like a normal (instant) chai, but the aftertaste is a very strong vanilla. It still doesn’t compete with a traditionally brewed (stovetop) chai, but for a quick pick-me-up in the office it’s great! I’m definitely getting more of this one!
My favorite oolong; I haven’t had it in awhile because I don’t trust the automatic tea makers to do it and I’ve been lazy.
This tea doesn’t have much oolong flavor, the dominant flavor is definitely jasmine. It’s a very strong and fragrant jasmine. The oolong is there in the back a little. I used to take this sweetened, but I’m getting out of the phase where I sweetened everything out of habit; today I have no sweeteners.
So one problem in our house is that on the weekends we spend a lot of time in the office playing computer games and all of the tea prep tools are downstairs. I decided to buy a largish tea pot and a cozy so we could just keep a pot warm while we play.
I went with the Le Crueset 32 oz pot and the Thistledown HOB. I also found a ring with terrycloth stuffed in it to keep the drips off of the desk. So far it’s doing an EXCELLENT job of keeping the tea warm – I had to wait a few minutes before I could take the first sip! The pouring ability of this pot isn’t terribly good, though. It’s very pretty.
Preparation
I think I used more leaf this time and steeped it for longer. I’m definitely getting more grass and OOLONG this time. I’m not really sure that I’ve ever gotten a “buttery” taste from oolong, so I’m not sure what it meant by that. It’s smooth, though. While it’s OOLONG, it doesn’t kick you in the teeth with it. It just sort of wraps you up in a blanket of OOLONG.
It’s good for an oolong, but I’m not much of a fan (I prefer fruit). It’s not you, it’s me! I’m sorry!
I received this as a bagged sample in an order from Tavalon. Seems like a pretty standard breakfast blend. I would drink it again, but I’m not in love with it.
The bag is interesting. I can’t find anything on their website to say what it is, but it doesn’t appear to be paper or cloth. It’s like interfacing material, if you sew. It’s not sealed, it’s just folded over. Didn’t seem to interfere with the brewing, though.
In other news, the water cooler at work was FINALLY fixed so I can start having tea at work again – that’s one reason I haven’t been on the site much recently (also travel).
