White Chai

Finally getting to the bottom of the sample box Miss B sent me literally ages ago. I think I’ve just got a couple of tea bags left now…

Anyway, this one intrigued me because I don’t think I’ve tried a white chai before…or come across one, even. Usually I’d cool the water quite substantially for a white tea, but the parameters for this one recommend 195 degrees so that’s what I went with. I used 1 tsp of leaf, and left it approximately 2.5 minutes.

The resulting liquor is a medium yellow-orange, the scent mildly spicy. To taste, it’s definitely the most interesting chai blend I’ve tried in a while. It’s fruity, first up, and quite tropically fruity at that – pineapple, coconut, a background hint of citrus. There’s also apple, and it’s a baked apple kind of vibe that I’m getting. Sweet, mushy…paired with the spices, it’s putting me in mind of apple pie!

The spices are the other side to the coin here. On the one hand there’s fruit, and then from the mid-sip onwards it’s all about the spicing. Ginger and cinnamon are the most prominent, but there’s also a good strong hit of pepper (which I adore in a chai), plenty of cardamon, and a touch of clove.

The white tea, which is the truly unique thing here, makes for a better base than I expected, in all honesty. It’s not thin or particularly sweet – it’s more of a thick, almost slightly dusty-tasting white. It allows both the fruit and the spices to shine without being particularly obtrusive, and it works well enough with both that it’s not a jarring contrast. It doesn’t feel like a tea of two halves – it tastes like it was meant to be, and I think the choice of base helps with that in a way that’s hard to express in words. It has to be tasted to be believed.

Highly recommended for all chai fans!

Backlog:

As I said in my full-length review of this tea – http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/12/02/white-chai-from-the-persimmon-tree/ – when it comes to this tea, you should throw out everything you’ve come to know about chai because this is deliciously different from any chai you might have had.

I like that this was blended with the white tea base in mind. I can taste the white tea – the flavors are strong but they don’t overpower the delicate qualities of the white tea. It’s subtle, but the other flavors are subtle too – and when they all come together, they create a really pleasant impact.

There is some kick to the chai: peppery, zesty spice. It’s a warm and cozy kind of chai. And I love the fruit in this: the pineapple, coconut, apple and the lemon-lime notes of the lemongrass. I like the sweet, fruity element that these fruit flavors bring to the cup.

Really good and very different – and very interesting!

Yours truly should never ever be allowed to be the final say on numbers, remember yesterday when I was so excited about the tea group being really close to 600 members? Yeah, I derped, I read 548 as 584, so not the first time I have done that either, I feel just a tiny bit sheepish about that error. But on a more positive and not me being a derp note, it is currently sleeting, we might actually get a nice icy coating and possibly some snow. Also my mom gave me a bunch (by that I mean six) of old Harney & Sons tins for storage purposes, not sure if I am going to use them for tea or paper, regardless they are very pretty.

Today’s tea is a funky twist on a classic spice tea, White Chai by the Persimmon Tree Tea Company, a blend of Ginger Root, Lemon Grass, Cinnamon Bark, White Tea, Pineapple Pieces, Cloves, Dried Coconut, Cardamom Pods, Red Peppercorn, Apple Pieces, Natural Spice Flavor, and Natural Cinnamon Flavor. The aroma starts out with a strong note of dried apples giving it a blend of sweet and just a hint of tart, this moved onto pepper, cloves, a but of cinnamon, and just a touch of cardamon and coconut at the finish. It certainly smells like a chai, but it has a tropical edge from the coconut and a much milder spice profile, as expected with a chai made from white tea, it is rather delicate.

Brewing the tea makes my little tea nook (that is what I have decided to call it while I am staying with my mom) smell very warm and comforting. A blend of classic chai spices and apple cider, there is also a touch of lemon grass and coconut giving it a tropical feel. I cannot decide if the wet leaves make me feel like I am on vacation or getting ready for winter, it smells good but also smells confusing. The liquid is all spice, apples, and a touch of coconut and lemongrass. The finish has a distinct punch of pepper that wakes up the nose, I do love a good peppery tea!

Usually with a chai I add milk or cream, but since this is a white tea I worried it would be too strong and I would not get the full effect of the tea, and it was a good idea since this tea is super mild. The most dominant taste is definitely the apples, blending the sweet apples with the chai spices make it taste like a slightly Indian mulled cider. There is a touch of citrus at the finish giving the tea a brightness. This is a Christmas Chai, oddly enough, the flavor notes remind me so much of cider and the citrus spiced teas I would drink that time of year as a kid. I did not really taste the coconut or the white tea, it was more like a fruity chai. I am not entirely sure how I feel about it, I enjoyed the taste, but wish that the white tea would have made more of a showing.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-persimmon-tree-tea-company-white.html

At first this is peppery with bite – not hot peppery, just spicy. Then the ginger, cardamon, and clove kick in to kick it up a notch. Under it I taste hints of apple coated lightly with cinnamon. There is pineapple and lemongrass here as well though I can’t single them out. The coconut adds just a touch of creamy to the mug. I would like the white base to be a bit more assertive but I really don’t miss a black tea base at all.

In other news, it is the 24th of the month and this will almost certainly be my last note until after the first of the month thanks to Verizon – the bane of my existence. I usually make it to the 30th. My son must be downloading games again. See you in July!

Kinda, sorta surprised I had to add this Steepster. Isn’t this a novel idea, a white chai? I’d think Steepsterites would jump on it!

Anyway. I added it, because I’m drinking it, thanks to a lovely surprise gift from Suziqzer. It’s a light, creamy blend, with a kick of spice from the red peppercorns, I believe. It’s a nice blend, a bit surprising really, as I’d never considered using a white for a chai… didn’t think the tea could hold up such bold flavors. I do like it though!