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I am far from a chai expert, but this seems to have a well-blended flavor if you’re in the mood for something spicy. I can smell the ginger, cinnamon and cloves primarily, but none of these predominates in the taste. There’s a peppery afterburn, but the pepper flavor in this whole leaf bag version isn’t as strong as that in the decaf bagged version I tried (not whole leaf), which borders on harsh. I started my morning with this one today, and I’m moved to try another cup and see what else I can get out of this one on a second tasting.

And here’s an update after the second tasting (different bags, not a resteep)… with the after effect of the original cup still on my tongue, the new cup is very different. Even more balanced, and I can taste the mildness of the tea. The spices are more around the edges this time. Very interesting contrast to the first spicy attack and worth an additional couple of rating points.

This was what got me interested in giving tea another shot after a number of failed attempts. Now that I’m branching out it isn’t quite as stellar as my first impression, but I’m still enjoying it. The vanilla is very present in the aroma, but not so much in the taste. Still, the taste is pleasant — cinnamony, sweet, full. I can’t explain it, but to me it tastes “red.”

Greenish-golden clear liquor; sweet, vaguely grassy aroma; mild, smooth, ever so slightly pungent flavor without being bitter; slightly sweet, vegetal finish. I expected to like this better than the Green Tips from Tazo, but I actually liked the Tazo better. In any case, both are a significant improvement on my first encounter with bagged greens (though that was probably more my fault than the tea’s)….

I tried this one several different ways and by far the most successful was (believe it or not) steeping for 15 minutes. The flavors blended best after this amount of time, so that neither the apricot nor the vanilla dominated, and the tea was present, albeit as a backdrop. It has a gentle aroma and flavor. The apricot/vanilla lingers for quite a while and changes over time, first becoming quite sugary, then frutier, then sugary again.

I’ve been trying to like this one, as I like all the flavors in it individually. So it stands to reason I’d like the combination, no? Though it has grown on me over time (and with better water and better steeping rigor), I generally find the ginger spice overpowering and though I can smell the pear, I can’t taste it. I can’t really taste the green tea either, except very lightly in the finish. But the little bite at the tip of my tongue from the ginger spice is kind of interesting…

This is a green tea, so I prepared it as such, with lower water temp and less steeping time. It isn’t the best I’ve ever had, but my experience was not as negative as that of other reviewers. Liquor color was a gentle, light orange/green. Flavor was sweet, very slightly vegetal, with an orange finish.