Pure Chai

I realised I had 40g of this in my stash, so I decided to use some of it to make a latte – you can’t get more classic than something called ‘pure chai’, right?

Alas, maybe you can, because this was just okay. I mean, it was a tasty drink (and I cut down on the amount of milk I added, because the last time I made a latte on my own it was way too milky), but I wanted something a little more above average. The spice is there (very heavy on the cinnamon), but it smells better than it itastes, I have to say. I have a couple other chai blends, so maybe I’ll make lattes with those as well and see what the best one actually is.

The cinnamon. Oh god, the cinnamon. This is almost entirely cinnamon and I couldn’t be happier with that. I love cinnamon! And I love this. I had it straight without sweetener and steeped it for a good six minutes. Turned out lovely, the perfect drink for winding down in the evening. Nothing complicated here, just cozy and warm like a favourite sweater.

My weekly trip downtown to David’s Tea resulted in a cup of Pure Chai. I drink a lot of cinnamon flavored teas, but this one is different; it is savory not sweet. It is also a chai without cardamom which is a nice change since cardamom is not my favorite flavor and in some chai teas it is overpowering. This was a nice change.

Another chai sample — I figure I may as well get them over with all at once, since they keep coming in. I am haunted by chai samples (and rooibos samples too). Also if I drink enough spices, I figure this headache will have to burn off.

So I wouldn’t buy this, but I do like whatever they used as a base tea — it blends nicely with the spices, which are mild but present. Cinnamon is the strongest spice in the mix, but it’s not overwhelming.

This is one of the samples I received in my last order.

It’s not a tea I was super interested in trying, due to the ingredients being basically cinnamon and cloves, but I decided to make a cup up today.

Yeah, I wasn’t missing much. It’s mostly quite sweet cinnamon with some cloves and more cinnamon flavouring. The black tea is really hidden under there, although it does add some body.

My favourite chai is still Mariage Freres Chandernagor. It’s amazing, it’s balanced (although for some people perhaps still too cinnamon/clovey), it reminds me of the chai I used to get at a little restaurant.

Sipdown! Another tea from my recent order. I indulged myself at work and drank this with cream and sugar, and it was tasty enough. I still prefer a chai that’s heavier on cardamom and less on cinnamon, but it was ok drank as a kind-of-latte.

With milk and sugar this tastes like cinnamon hearts melted into black tea. I’m not getting any of the clove, and no complex notes from the tea, just cinnamon heart sweetness. It’s pretty nice, and more appealing than cinnamon dominant teas usually are.

This won’t be my go-to chai – not enough variety in spices, but for a cinnamon tea, it’s a nice easy cup to drink.

I personally am a fan of spicy teas, and this tea is just that. It is jam packed of cinnamon and the flavor hits you in the face. This is really good in a latte, but way to intense on its own. I’ve had better chais, but this one is not bad, meh.

I got this tea for one purpose, and that was to mix it with different types of tea to give them a spicy chai boost. So far, I am very very pleased!

I have mixed this so far with my six summits oolong, and glitter and gold (from davidstea).

This tea with Six Summits Oolong makes a wonderful chai oolong blend. I love getting the health benefits of both teas and getting an amazing taste at the same time! It enhanced Glitter and Gold, giving it the extra boost that I needed to enjoy it!

Overall, this tea is great for blending! I have yet to try it on its own, but I think I’ll like it.

Just a quick note to say, I dumped what I had left of this one as I knew I wouldn’t be drinking it anytime soon. Saigon is so much better and Davidstea better never discontinue it.
That is all.