Oprah Chai Tea

I tried this two ways tonight one with milk the other without. It’s ok as Chais go but I wouldn’t repurchase it. At $15 for 2 oz I wasn’t that impressed. To me it didn’t seem to have a devolved flavor. I only tasted the cinnamon no other real flavors. I do appreciate that it’s one of the only Teavana teas that doesn’t list artificial flavors as one of the ingredients. I’m not a big black tea fan anyway. I am still saying I would recommend this tea. It’s not bad. I just like a more well rounded chai.

My co-worker got me hooked on these Oprah Chais on ice from Starbucks over the summer. They have become my staple ‘treat’. However, they cost an arm and a leg. A couple days ago I decided I’d just grab the chai from Teavana and make it up myself.

I decided to make it straight and hot, to see if it’s as tasty as the Starbucks one with milk and ice. It’s a bit bland for chai. Perhaps I need to steep longer, though I followed the paramaters. Cinnamon is the primary flavour here, followed up by something spicier. I’ll be sticking to making my chai on ice with milk for this tea.

Backlog – I had this iced last night from Starbucks.

Hmmm… As a die hard TAZO Chai latte fan… when Starbucks launched their Oprah Chai, not only was I pretty irritated with them, but I was irritated that they had to pick HER to be the ambassador. I personally cannot stand Oprah. I find her whole deal to be pretty fake. As much as people say she’s made strides for women, race etc… sorry I just can’t stand her.

I initially felt this way about her Chai. There is an off-putting after taste that comes from both the hot and the cold version. I can also taste the rooibus which I don’t appreciate. I like rooibus, but on it’s own merit.

So why did I order this yesterday? Well because Starbucks is giving 4 stars to registered members if they order this. Marketing ploy to get the numbers up on this drink no doubt, but I’ll take the 4 stars and put it towards my typical TAZO Chai Latte.

I do find it’s to be spicy, but I also find the other flavours just do not go well together. I wish Starbucks wasn’t skirting TAZO under the rug. I feel like they refuse to acknowledge that the original tea company that made them famous to tea lovers is probably being phased out. How about… since Starbucks owns TAZO too… they just amalgamate the brand under Teavana, but keep their blends???

I digress… After having it twice in the last couple days, I still remain faithful to my TAZO Chai… I do not like the Oprah one. It tastes more generic and like every other coffee shop Chai latte out there.

I recommend this tea for people who love sweet and spicy chai. I haven’t tried Starbucks’ Oprah Chai version (I don’t think I ever plan to, to be honest) because I work at Teavana and I prefer it steeped over the idea of drinking its concentrate (Starbucks). When the Oprah Chai launched, we experimented with its flavors to see what really works best and I personally prefer it steeped without any sugar. It has all the sweet elements: cinnamon, ginger, and cherob pieces that do its job perfectly. If you love the Maharaja Chai Oolong from Teavana, the Oprah Chai is crazy similar but less spicier and a bit sweeter (naturally, of course.) My favorite way of having the Oprah Chai is iced with coconut milk. It’s super refreshing!

I’ve had “Oprah Chai” (boy does that feel weird to say) a couple of times now, and I must admit that it is growing on me. I haven’t had it at Teavana, but have had it at Starbucks several times, both as a hot and cold latte. I like it either way. At first the rooibos was really offputting to me, but I feel like after a while the other spices settle in and the whole thing just “works”.

Either that or I’m just happy I don’t have to deal with the Tazo chai syrup that gives me heartburn.

I tried this at the Teavana store. That might have been a bad idea, given how much they like the rock sugar. It did smell nice though. The ginger came across way too much in the flavour (I do like ginger, just not that strong), and none of the others spices really seemed to come forward.

I’ve had this both from Starbucks and brewing it at home. I prefer iced at Starbucks and hot at home.

I tried making it iced at home, but it always seems to taste watered down, even if I brew it with a large number of scoops of the tea leaves. It might be my infuser basket is too small. I’ll try to experiment more.

Hot is another story. It’s a magical tea. Sweetened, unsweetened, with or without milk, it’s magical.

For the rating of 95, I use about 12 oz of water and 2 teaspoons of tea. This way, it has good flavor, but I’m not plowing through tea. I set my tea maker for 212*F and 3 minutes 30 seconds. While that’s going, I warm some milk and froth it. I put ~1/2 tsp of sugar into the bottom of my glass and add in the tea. I pour in about 2 oz of milk, and add some of the foam on top. I then sip away (or chug depending on who you’re asking). I added an image of before the massacre (it’s the one in the double walled glass with the red couch in the background).

To make it a 100, I’d probably use a spiced milk instead of just plain milk (like add cinnamon, or warm it with some mulling spices). Oooh, I’ll have to try this next time with some coconut milk or something…

My first encounter with Oprah’s Chai was iced at the local Starbucks, as it was quite a humid spring weekend. I thought what I was given was alright, considering how most Starbucks Chai teas and lattes can be, it was comparably better. Keep in mind, a specialty tea shop had opened recently, conveniently across from the local Starbucks, so I also had much more quality tea to compare it to as well.

Both dry and steeped leaves give off the very familiar scent of Teavana’s very own Maharaja Chai Oolong, which is one of my very favorite teas, a nice robust spicy blend. It is possible there is more spice than the Maharaja Chai Oolong, as Oprah’s Chai gives a shorter and stronger kick of flavor, which might be the result of the black tea. The spices do not linger, nor do they overwhelm; it is surprisingly soft for the kind of bite it provides. Nonetheless, there is still that similar flavor of spices with a naturally lightly sweetened body.

Alone, with no milk or sugar, this tea is outstandingly great as an alternative to the Maharaja Chai Oolong, with an appropriate kick, followed by a gentle finish.

Backlog from yesterday morning.
Parents wanted to treat me to Starbucks right when my flight got in so I ordered this because it sounded interesting.

Prepared in store, no special additions/substitutes. Honestly, it was just okay. It tasted like a weak chai base, with a bit too much spice. Does anyone know if they still offer their old chai? I liked that one SO much better.

A simply warm, perfect Chai blend. A more robust, bold, and spiced Chai (which I prefer). The carob and cinnamon add a gentle, natural sweetness, so it doesn’t need added sweetners. I have tired it hot & clear, as an iced latte (using the loose-leaf), and the Starbucks (pre-brewed) latte and love them all, but my favourite is hot and clear. The tea is perfect as is!
The leaves and ingredients are full and natural. The liquor is a gorgeous deep-golden/brown colour. It is full-bodied on the palate.
Some of my friends/colleagues have indicated that it is slightly pricey for a Chai/Black tea blend, but a portion of all proceeds go to the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation, so I don’t mind the “increase” knowing that I am contributing to such an amazing cause. Certainly a new favourite and my default Chai tea.