It’s a rare moment for me to have milk at home. And then, for me to add that milk to my tea. And then, for me to add a heaping spoon of local honey to my tea as well.
Anyway, I did all that and I can tell you that it is a beautiful thing which was created in my tea cup.
It is almost unfair to drink a chai black and unsweetened. This cup may just be the beginning of a new destiny for my remaining chai blends.
I just hiked my rating of this tea up to 90 from 80 because this spice medley and tea base is exactly what I want from a chai spice mix. Beautiful balance.
Flavors: Cardamom, Cinnamon, Ginger
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Agreed. Chai requires dairy and sweetener.
When I taste-test the chai, I always do so without sweetener at first just to see if I’m pleased with the flavors. Then I add either honey or raw sugar because I agree, chai should be sweetened – the sweetness enhances the spices and makes the chai come alive.
I don’t always add dairy though because I’m really picky with my dairy. We keep 1% in the house all the time but I hate that stuff – I feel like it waters down a chai more than it flavors it. So unless I have a creamier alternative in the house I don’t usually go with dairy. But sweetener, definitely.
Thank you for chiming in on this, Anne. Just after posting this note, I found myself wondering what your habits were when you test-drove your teas.
When I stopped drinking coffee at home about a year ago, I stopped buying milk or cream. Today, I went out for brunch and had coffee with my meal. On the way home, I stopped in at the corner store for a very small container of 2%. There were no other choices in that smallest size. I would have preferred homo, but as I drink my tea black, this already tasted creamy enough. But 1%, oh hell no.
Yeah, my hubby prefers the 1% and since he eats cereal more frequently than I, I don’t really chime in on my preference. I’ll buy 1/2 & 1/2 every once in a while and I really LOVE that in my chai when I want to go latte. Just a tiny splash of it gives me the creaminess I crave when I’m craving a latte. For when I have cereal, I usually use half of the 1% and half of the half&half which gives me something like whole milk which is my preference. I will only buy whole milk though when I’m making something like tres leches cake because it won’t get consumed otherwise because I’m not a milk drinker.
Thank you for the suggestions. I like half and half latte idea. The corner store also carries half and half in the tiny size, so I will try it one day. For now, the 2% is plenty creamy enough for me.
@Evol Ving Ness, how strong is the gingerbread taste?
The three spices are in perfect balance, IMHO.
I don’t quite know how to answer your question. It’s a very gingery chai blend.
hmmm…. interesting
Agreed. Chai requires dairy and sweetener.
When I taste-test the chai, I always do so without sweetener at first just to see if I’m pleased with the flavors. Then I add either honey or raw sugar because I agree, chai should be sweetened – the sweetness enhances the spices and makes the chai come alive.
I don’t always add dairy though because I’m really picky with my dairy. We keep 1% in the house all the time but I hate that stuff – I feel like it waters down a chai more than it flavors it. So unless I have a creamier alternative in the house I don’t usually go with dairy. But sweetener, definitely.
Thank you for chiming in on this, Anne. Just after posting this note, I found myself wondering what your habits were when you test-drove your teas.
When I stopped drinking coffee at home about a year ago, I stopped buying milk or cream. Today, I went out for brunch and had coffee with my meal. On the way home, I stopped in at the corner store for a very small container of 2%. There were no other choices in that smallest size. I would have preferred homo, but as I drink my tea black, this already tasted creamy enough. But 1%, oh hell no.
Yeah, my hubby prefers the 1% and since he eats cereal more frequently than I, I don’t really chime in on my preference. I’ll buy 1/2 & 1/2 every once in a while and I really LOVE that in my chai when I want to go latte. Just a tiny splash of it gives me the creaminess I crave when I’m craving a latte. For when I have cereal, I usually use half of the 1% and half of the half&half which gives me something like whole milk which is my preference. I will only buy whole milk though when I’m making something like tres leches cake because it won’t get consumed otherwise because I’m not a milk drinker.
Thank you for the suggestions. I like half and half latte idea. The corner store also carries half and half in the tiny size, so I will try it one day. For now, the 2% is plenty creamy enough for me.
@Evol Ving Ness, how strong is the gingerbread taste?
The three spices are in perfect balance, IMHO.
I don’t quite know how to answer your question. It’s a very gingery chai blend.
hmmm…. interesting