57 Tasting Notes
So strong, but so good. I first got a taste of this tea when my boyfriend’s father brought me a box for Christmas. I don’t bother with milk for this one, just some sugar, raw if I’ve got it. If nothing else wakes you up in the morning, this will. It can be a bit bitter, but so can chocolate, and I still love chocolate as well. And just a quick note for migrane sufferers, mother tried a cup of this tea when she had a migrane one day (sometimes the caffeine helps her), and she claims that the headache was gone before she finished the cup!
Preparation
This one is a classic. The first tea I ever had, though it was decaf back then (mother didn’t want mer 8 year old tea drinking bouncing off the walls I suppose). We use this for everything in my house. Hot, iced, black, lemon, milk with sugar or honey, you name it. When we make a batch of iced tea with this blend, we heat it up in a pot on the stove, often with a few sprigs of fresh mint from the herb garden. If that isn’t available, we’ll add a bag of Peppermint tea to the pot, or Raspberry, or Peach. Usually when we make iced, however, we do use the decaf, because everyone in the house likes to drink it, but not all of us like to be caffeinated that often.
Preparation
This is currently my favorite tea. I got my first box as a raffle prize at a friend’s Halloween party. When it’s sweetened properly, it has a really nice bite from the ginger. I also like to warm my milk in a small bowl placed on top of the cup while the tea steeps. I find it stays hotter longer that way, as I tend to add more milk to Chai teas than any other tea.
Added 1/26/2013: WOW! I’ve started splitting this half and half with milk and water for brewing. It takes a little more time, but I heat up the milk separatly and only fill the tea cup half way with boiling water to brew the tea. I let it steep for longer than usual (about 10 minutes or so) to get the spices nice and strong, then add the hot milk and sweetener. I don’t do it this way every time, but when I have the time to make it this way, it’s even BETTER! Still my absolute favorite tea!
P.S. I sent a couple bags of this to a friend in New Zealand. He and his mother LOVED it, but they can’t get it in their grocery stores, so now I’ll have to send them each a box! :)