I love chais. It’s just something I have had to accept about myself. I adore the mixture of comforting milk, the sweetness of boiling it with sugar or honey, and the complex spiciness of the resulting tea. That being said, I like interesting chais, and am not a fan of the repetitive spice chai formula that seems to be done by various companies all over the place. So, when I brewed up a bit of the Masala Chai sample I had been given by Adagio, I hoped it would be different from some of the others I’ve tried. Very much like Good Earth chai that I used to drink as a young teen; also similar (though, obviously, not as sickly sweet) to Oregon Chai.
Yes, this formulation is traditional and a standby, and it certainly holds up, but it’s boring having the same ratio all. the. time.
So, Masala is nice and spicy. I love cloves, and you can definitely taste them in this blend. Cloves and cinnamon are the two big flavors in here, and ginger adds some good heat. Cardemom makes an appearance, but is mostly clouded out by the other strong spices.
I would drink again, but not necessarily buy this from Adagio. There are bagged chais that are cheaper and compare to this.
3 teaspoons tea, 12 oz. water and milk in a 1:1, 1 teaspoon sugar.
I am also a chai addict! I was going to get a free sample of this from the Superbowl Squares thing, but when I went to place my order it mysteriously vanished…