Tea of the Week for January 25, 2021!
This tea was inspired by Portland – aka Rose City!
As I sit here, sipping on this tea, I found myself wondering where it is that I’ve tasted something similar to what I’m drinking & I realized how similar to Breakfast in Bed this tea is. It’s – of course – not precisely that blend – since there are not only more spices here but also different teas utilized in the blend. The Breakfast in Bed blend uses Rose Congou (a Chinese tea) & this blend uses a CTC Assam which is more malty & quite a bit richer than the Congou.
But the blends DO have very similar profiles – so if you enjoyed the Breakfast in Blend tea, you’re likely to enjoy this one as well.
I didn’t go about to make a tea similar to Breakfast in Bed – I’ve just been wanting to make a Rose Chai for some time – the idea of blending the sweetness of rose with the robust, spicy notes of chai has intrigued me & it wasn’t until I sat down & taste tested it that I realized how similar in profile the two are.
For this chai, I started out with Assam & Vietnamese teas. Then I added traditional chai spices: ginger, cinnamon, clove, cardamom & black pepper. Then I added some vanilla bean to lend some creaminess to the cup – I wanted to give this a latte-like flavor without having to add milk to it. Finally, I added rose buds & petals to the mix.
This tea is warm & comforting. Spicy but not too spicy. The rose adds a really lovely note to it. There is a nice amount of vanilla to this – silky & smooth. I really love how this chai came together. There’s a really nice balance of all the flavors here – you taste a little bit of everything but not too much of any one thing.
This blend is organic, VEGAN, gluten free & allergen free!
organic ingredients: black teas, rose buds, rose petals, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom, black pepper, vanilla beans & natural flavors
This tea is so nice. I’m loving every sip of it! The first flavors I pick up on are the cinnamon, clove & ginger. The vanilla also comes in right away – followed by the bold, malty flavors of the black tea base. Then I notice the sweetness of the rose. Cardamom! The pepper isn’t a very dominant flavor – by design – I didn’t want this to be too peppery – I was looking for a zesty spicy note with a little bit of warmth from the pepper – without too much bite from it.