Black Tea Chai

Drinking the tea latte variety from the Bruin Café at UCLA. Not bad, not bad. Personally I like my chai a little bit spicier than normal, so this cup’s a little bland in comparison…

A sample from Miss B. It’s cold and wet out again today. Did someone say summer? Anyway, cold and wet to me signals chai, and I had this blend sitting in my drawer so, serendipity? The dry leaf looked to be mostly spices – whole cardamon pods, whole red peppercorns, whole cloves, pieces of cinnamon bark and ginger root, plus a few fennel seeds. There’s very little actual black tea, so I went for a pretty generous 2 tsp of leaf, mainly because I like my chai bold and the amount of additions makes me worry for the actual “tea” aspect.

Anyway, after 4 minutes in boiling water, I’ve got a pretty robust result – enough to take a generous splash of milk without appearing thin. To taste, it’s pretty much a standard chai, although with a hearty kick of spice. The cardamon and clove are predominant, but there’s a pleasingly warming swirl of cinnamon in the mid-sip. The ginger is a bit lost, as is the pepper, although there’s a warming tingle at the back of my throat that serves as a reminder that they’re there.

All in all, not bad. It’s decently spicy, which is something I look for in a chai, and the base is more robust than I thought it might be initially. It probably wouldn’t be a restock, simply because there are other chai blends that are equally good, and more readily available in the UK. I’m glad to have had the opportunity to try this one, though. Thanks again, Miss B!

Grabbed a loose leaf tin of this at the San Jose store, and am glad I did. It’s a mild chai, smooth and mellow, with a hint of vanilla. I might be slightly biased here, as I bought it from a lovely young gent that told me I’d have to come back to try more… just to have my tell him I live in Vancouver, Canada, and that the trip I just returned from might be my last to that specific area.

Had a cup today! Pleasant aroma and a pleasant taste. Not too strong and not too weak. I had it plain and then tried another cup with honey. Tomorrow I will try a little milk, honey, and vanilla!