A quick note about the ingredients list — I entered the list, but it doesn’t include some of the options I needed to add. So, the ingredient is cardamom pods, not seeds, and the final ingredient is organic black pepper. Also, I’m not sure whether or not this is the same tea others have reviewed called Kashmiri Chai — in this sampler, the label says Masala Chai.
This is the second disappointing tea I’ve tried in my Golden Moon Tea sampler. I brewed it in a teapot and then added warmed milk, but I suspect it would have been better brewed on the stove and steeped in the milk. A couple of days ago, I brewed this using 1 tsp. per 8 oz. water, but that tasted very bland. This time, I increased it to 1.5 tsp. per 8 oz., and I guess there’s slight improvement. Still, I mainly taste cinnamon and cloves, and certainly not black tea. Also, I like for my chai to have a peppery kick, and this doesn’t have that at all — I’m shocked that black pepper is actually one of the ingredients.
I haven’t had many bad chais, and this qualifies as one of the worst. I would rather brew my own chai using my own black tea and spices than drink this regularly. Honestly, even Stash makes more flavorful bagged chai tea than this. I don’t think the spices are very fresh, as they are far less potent than some of the spices in my own pantry — and some of my spices are quite old. I’d considered adding some of my own cardamon pods, black tea and maybe fennel seeds to see if I could improve this — if I had more of this tea on hand, I’d definitely do that next time.
It’s not bitter or anything. It’s just…boring.
Flavors: Cinnamon, Cloves
