“Re-visiting this, more than a year later. To avoid smell contamination I had put my bag into an empty tin and promptly lost it at the back of the cupboard. I remember it being bitter and...” Read full tasting note
“Had a delicious cup of this tea this morning. It is really a great way to wake yourself up in the morning. Although I think it is a better fall/winter tea because the spices are a little intense...” Read full tasting note
“When I received my package today from 52Teas, I had hoped that it was my Justin Bieber tea, but, I am quite happy that this arrived (and my daughter will be happy that the coconut cheesecake...” Read full tasting note
“This is a weird one for me. I don’t care for how it smells; it reminds me of something that gives me a headache, so it’s kinda like the power-of-suggestion. But the taste. My GOD. It’s phenomenal!...” Read full tasting note
I have a confession to make. Early on in my tea career, I did not make my own chai. I just didn’t feel confident enough that I wouldn’t mess it up. Well, I have been making our own chai for a few months now and experimenting with a few things. And I received this message from one of our customers via Facebook:
“I’m dying for a powerful traditional chai blend black tea with all the works – no frills with chocolate or vanilla. Cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, anise seed. I need it potent in its flavor. This is not Grandma’s tea. I want an Indian man from India to drink it and when he closes his eyes to be as though transported to his childhood kitchen.”
Well, I have accepted the challenge, and here is the result. We started with a hearty blend of CTC Assam teas (used in our RadioactiviTEA [I was going to call this RadioactiviTEA Chai, but given the recent happenings in Japan, I was afraid this might not sound so appealing]) and freshly minced spices including cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, star anise, clove and black peppercorns. I ran all of the spices through a coffee/spice grinder so they would mingle better with the ctc tea (and to release all of their goodnesss), and I think my office is going to smell like chai for months now (not that I am complaining).
This is the boldest chai you will find anywhere. Spicy, malty, DELICIOUS. You do NOT want to miss out on this.
Our new Tea of the Week for the week of March 28th, 2011
At 52teas.com, you will find unique, hand-blended artisan loose leaf teas: a new limited edition creation every week of the year. We pride ourselves on offering truly unique, one-of-a-kind tea blends that you won’t find anywhere else.