Nepali Breakfast

Drank this tea this morning and was expecting more flavor because of the scent of the dry leaves/spices. Good, but I felt like it was missing something to round out the flavors… tasted hollow if that makes sense. This came in the Advent Calendar from Danielle ( Teaandmeblog ) and I followed the brewing instructions on the package,

A spiced black tea with cinnamon at the front and black pepper at the back. The combination was interesting enough to keep drinking, but isn’t something I’d keep stocked in my cupboard.

sipsby advent, day 4*
(sipsby packages this in no particular order, so your order may be different than mine)

This month for the summer vacation prompt I’m going to focus on Nepali teas! I purchased a sampler of teas back in 2018 from Nepal Teas booth at the San Francisco International Tea Fest (they came in a lovely handmade pouch too, which I still use as my “travel tea” pouch on vacations). Later, I saw a really great presentation by the owner of Nepal Teas at the Portland Tea Fest in 2019… I moved house and got a cat just a month after that, and ended up naming her “Chiya,” the Nepali word for “tea,” because it somehow stuck out in my mind from that presentation and sounded “cat-like” to me, hahaha!

I assumed each sample packet was one sachet teabag, and found myself surprised after I tore open the top of the foil that there was quite a bit of loose leaf packed inside! I use 2.5g for a 350ml cup, and there was still 5.5g left inside the packet. The packets are tear-foil and not resealable, so I’ll have to use up the remainder of tea today… I may make a latte or a larger pot later.

The dry leaf has a strong peppery smell. Brewed up, I do still smell the pepper, but the strongest aroma from the cup is that particular peppery/minty scent I get from cardamom. On sip, this is a very smooth chai; there is a pleasant warming but it isn’t uncomfortably spicy (I’m very sensitive to spice). The cardamom stands out the most to me in the flavor, but I’m able to pick out the other spices, as well; midsip is a slight pepperiness, and the end of the sip and aftertaste leave a lingering sensation of pungent and sweeter cinnamon and the tiniest, subtle ginger kick.

The black tea itself is perhaps coming off a little weaker than I prefer in a chai, but that could just be the age of the leaves having lost some luster so the spices really take over. There is no astringency though, which I often get from really robust or CTC chais, which is very pleasant. There is perhaps a slight honey-oats sort of flavor from the base in the background, but the sip is so cardamom forward that it is very subtle.

A pleasant cup of chai. Sometimes I find blends with lots of spices can feel a bit overwhelmed and I rarely can taste all the different components then, anyway. This is a simple mix of only a few spices, but each is discernable and adds to the medley in the cup.

#tiffanys2021sipdown Tea #195 overall / Tea #19 for May
Wednesday 5/12 - Nepali Breakfast. Two sample packets made as a cold brew pitcher started 5/8. Chai tea. Gifted and can’t remember it since I didn’t make a tasting note when was drinking it but it was enjoyed.
#tiffanydrinkstea #tiffanys2021 #tiffanysfaves #tiffanyinthe614 #tiffanysteasipdown

nice! another sipdown from VariaTEA. I didn’t realise when i took this one out that it was a black tea + spices. A little surprising to see, but honestly, when this was brewed, i was a fan. There’s just the right balance in this one of cardamom and other spices to not feel like it’s overpowering the tea, but also bringing something a little different to the table. i think this one might be interesting as a latte as well.

Last night, I stuck half the pot in the fridge. Sipping it sweet and cold tonight, I decided I wasn’t going to let this one go by. I used my Sips By discount and bought 2 ounces. Looking forward to it!

EDIT: My husband ended up drinking most of it. He is addicted! Since I made this post, we have gone through almost 4 pouches.