Well, last night’s campaign went well, we killed lots of undead things, none of my fireblasts backfired and lit me or the party on fire, and I talked to a cow for important plot details. Being a Druid is fun, now if only I could hurry and level up so that I can start turning into random wild animals, then things will really get real. And for anyone anxiously awaiting news on the computer kerfuffle, 4-7 business days until it arrives, the wait might drive me crazy, but that means it is only a short time before I can resume some semblance of normality and get caught up on all my internet stuff. Also, one last little blip of me related info, there are two new buttons on my blog, one linking to my Instagram and a donation button, I figured it would be a less obtrusive way to possibly generate a little income, and it keeps with my promise of not running ads.
So, now tis time for some Chai! Actually it is always time for chai, since chai just means tea in Hindi (and several other language) so yeah, when you are ordering Chai Tea at a restaurant, technically you are just ordering tea tea. Fun linguistics aside, today we are looking at Trader Leaf’s Sri Lanka Spice Chai, a blend of Black Tea, Coriander, Cumin, Curry, Sweet Fennel, Cinnamon, Cardamon, and Lemongrass leaves, quite the unusual blend! I am a fan of Chai blends that go out of the norm, and teas that incorporate spices that are usually just used for food. The aroma of this tea is intense, it is a blend of curry and cumin, coriander and cardamon, and a very rich malty black tea base. It blends the aroma of food and tea really well and manages to make me both hungry and thirsty.
After giving the leaves a steeping, the other spices start to really show their stuff, the cinnamon and cardamon being the strongest and giving an edge of sweetness to a mostly savory spiced tea. Underneath the previous spices is a blend of rich malt, curry, and cumin. The liquid is quite rich, blending sweet and spicy in a really quite perfect little dance. It smells much like a malty Masala Chai sitting right next to a steaming bowl of curry, or my usual dream lunch.
Taken the traditional way with milk and sugar (ok, I use half&half, but I like mine super rich) and let me start out by saying, that is one super rich tea, cream aside! I barely noticed the creamy richness over that strong malt and killer spices. It starts out with intense curry and cumin, then transitions to coriander and fennel, and after that hello cardamon and cinnamon! The finish is sweet with a cumin aftertaste that lingers. This is the perfect chai for a hot day, it warms you up and makes you feel all tingly and relaxed, plus I love the blending of curry spices and more typical Masala spices, this might be one of my favorite spice blends for a chai.
For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/01/trader-leaf-sri-lanka-spice-chai-tea.html