Coconut Chai

I received this in a surprise package from VariaTEA – thank you so much.

I really like this – really really like this. It’s creamy coconut with mild chai spices. I really like the balances of spices and then the coconut is just a bonus addition. I don’t think this is my perfect chai, but it’s getting close.
Thanks VariaTEA for introducing me to this one.

Today something miraculous happened that changed this day from meh to awesome! I got back not one, but two papers, each worth 33% of my final grade and both were…As!!! Okay one was an A- but that is still an A of sorts, right?. Anyways, what makes this so miraculous was I was actually pretty sure I did not do so great on both papers. In fact, I was trying to figure out just how amazing my final paper for the class would have to be in order to pass (I was calculating this out with the grades I thought I would have gotten). Both papers were on subject matter that I did not find particularly interesting nor was I very comfortable writing about them (I mean one of the papers I was so lost as to what to write about that I ended up pulling an all-nighter and not finishing the paper until noon, just 4 hours before it was due) but apparently I was comfortable enough to do well so YAY!

I thought I would share my exciting news because it definitely brightened my day but now on to the tea. Dry this smelled so coconut-y and delicious. So when I took my first sip of the steeped tea, I was definitely surprised as to how much coconut I did NOT taste. I mean, if I had not known it was a coconut chai, I would have never been able to guess because there was NO coconut. What did I taste? Ginger, with a bit of cinnamon. The ginger flavor was just so dominant that I decided to turn this into a chai latte and see if that did anything.

As a latte, the ginger calmed a bit. Some of the other spices were able to pop a bit more. Still, I missed the coconut I was promised. I finally decided to try one more thing in hopes of bringing out the sweet coconut-y goodness my nose promised was hiding – sweetner.

Given I drink tea to get flavor into my diet, I hate having to resort to additives to make the tea taste how it should. You will never find sugar or honey (unless I am sick) in one of my tea cups just because that would defeat the purpose of the tea. However, the other day I picked up some Truvia that I have been wanting to try so I decided now was as good a time as any. Wary of making the tea too sweet, I added less than 1/4 of the packet. Luckily that was enough to bring the coconut out.

So 1/2 cup of frothed milk (more than I usually use but I got distracted pouring) and some Truvia later, I am finally enjoying this cup of coconut chai. The ginger is still prominent but no longer over-powering and dominant. Its flavor is blended with a sweetness from the coconut and a little more spice from the cinnamon. Is this my favorite cup of tea? No, not by a long shot. But, it is pleasant for this cold evening to sip on something different from my usual dessert teas.

This one is thanks to VariaTEA!

I’m quite enjoying it. I think it’d be better with some milk (but I’m too lazy to go get some), as the base is a little strong. I added a small amount of honey which helped bring out the coconut.

For a coconut chai, I prefer Zhena’s Gypsy Chai because it’s sweeter, with more coconut and less base, but this one is pretty decent.