No. 33 Masala Chai

Enjoying the last of this tea from LiberTeas (THANKYOU!) while I make an insane amount of bacon and prepare to put it both in my mouth, and on my tuna melt. We’ll see if any makes it to the tuna melt.

I digress! The perfect blend of spices, and it is spicy! Super peppery kick at the back of the throat, a great way to start the last day of this long weekend! Yummy in my tummy.

Another tea sachet sample to try from Steven Smith…

Eh I wasn’t terribly impressed with this chai for some reason. I’m finding the assam tea base isn’t really standing up to the spices and the ginger root seems much stronger than the other spices in the tea. Better with soymilk and sugar but probably won’t go on my list of things to repurchase.

I decided to have a cup of this chai with my breakfast with a little stevia. It’s a nice spicy one, & the only thing that would have made it better would have been some canned coconut milk, or actually the cream off the top of a can of coconut milk, or maybe some french vanilla coconut creamer. Thanks to Tasty Brew for this sample!

Masala Chai hits you with gingery, ginger, ginger from the get-go. (It’s like all the ginger that was missing from Chai Diaries found its way in here. No complaints!) The dry bag has no hint of anything but the arid, zingy spices–you’d be surprised that there’s any black tea at all. Yet in the cup, all of that melts away, as the ginger is overtaken by clove and cinnamon, with peppercorn bouncing in the background. That ingredient is an unusual one for chai, adding just the barest touch of savory to an otherwise notoriously sweet tea. Mad points for originali-tea.

Once you start sipping, the immediate question is, “Where the hell did all the ginger go?”… Full review here: http://snooteablog.com/2013/07/16/snooty-tea-review-steven-smith-tea-round-1/

I am loving this chai… It is pleasantly spiced without being too spicy (now, I love a good, spicy chai too, but, sometimes it’s nice to have something this well-balanced). The Assam is the strongest player in this blend, and I like that. It is rich, malty and really a very hearty tea. YUM!

An amazingly balanced Chai Tea. The Ginger and peppercorn add just the right pop to the deliciously earthy Assam Tea. A

A pretty good chai. I like the sachet. It is roomy enough to get a good flow. This is a bit blander than some other chai I have. I like a spicy blend and add milk and honey, so I want something that doesn’t get washed out.

I tend not to like Chai very much, but this one is very drinkable. I had it sweetened with honey this time, due to a cold, but am very much looking forward to adding milk, I think it will do very well that way.

Ohmygoodness I forgot to review this!! Had it awhile back but I was on a conference call… and then had to dash out the door. Sorry TeaBrat, and after you were nice enough to send me a sample!
Anyhow, I am very particular about my chai and this one did not quite fit into my ideal. I remember trying to figure out why, and I think it was just a mix of spices that don’t appeal to me as much as others. There was a sweet note in there as well, that I found odd. Ginger perhaps?
Milk and a dash of sugar certainly helped of course. Overall, a pleasant cup!