Good job taking this long just to try this, Swedish Chef. This is the last of the Tea Girl tea I picked up back in November that still needs some love. How does this measure up to my favourite Kashmir chai in the world brewed in a hometown cafe? We’ll see.
To try to emulate the sublime aforementioned chai, I added organic granulated sugar and some half and half instead of drinking it straight. Too bad I just used up the rest of my ground almonds in my cereal the other day because I could have sprinkled some on top.
I cracked open the green cardamom pods before brewing in order to get the most out of them. In flavour, I’m detecting mostly cardamom, cinnamon, and fennel. No clove or anise, unfortunately. Maybe a hint of ginger far in the background. I’d dial it back on the sugar a bit next time, otherwise this is a decent green chai. I’d say it’s the best home-brewed one I’ve tried thus far. And for the record, I’m sure this is the exact same one that Steeps sells, which I tried years ago but never made it with milk/cream and/or sugar which seems to bring out the best in this.
The almonds and rose cannot be detected either, as they’re lack of presence in the dry leaf leads to ultimate spice dominance. Ground almonds and pistachios need to be brought into the picture. Maybe a few more rose petals.
Since the cloves are rather sparse in the dry leaf, the taste of the tea will definitely hinge on the amount and variety of whole spices that randomly get scooped up with each spoon. Yes, thank you, Captain Obvious. So next time I play Kashmir Chai Roulette, I’ll see which spices wind up in my strainer, subtly altering the experience/flavour.
