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“This was part of a set that I got as a holiday gift. I made this as a stovetop chai with oat milk and honey using the double boil method. It was tasty enough, but the spices were very mild. Perhaps...” Read full tasting note
“Turns out the Fennel tea is probably going to be the only the tea in the whole set that contains the ctc bop tea that I like. Overall I just don’t like the flavor but I am trying to finish them...” Read full tasting note
“Stovetop Latte Sipdown (296) For the first time I made one of these Vahdam chais on the stovetop. It’s a lot better. So creamy and combines well with the spices. It’s smooth and flavourful and just...” Read full tasting note
“Adventaggedon Day 2 – Tea 5/6 Probably as “classic” of a Chai as you can get, right!? I wasn’t thrilled to see this one in the advent this morning but I wasn’t disappointed either – this is...” Read full tasting note
An iconic, traditional Indian blend of signature Assam CTC with a myriad of aromatic Indian spices – Cardamom pods, Cinnamon, Cloves & Black Pepper.
Tasting Notes
A traditional Indian-household tea that gained immense popularity around the globe. Discover the robust flavor of signature Assam CTC & orthodox leaves blended elegantly with fresh, aromatic Indian spices like cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, and cloves. Truly a flavorful cup of tea that weaves the malty flavors of Assam tea with the exotic essence of an Indian spice bazaar ; piquant and with a subtle hint of spice that results in an overall savory morning cup of tea.
Ingredients: black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, clove
Company description not available.
This was part of a set that I got as a holiday gift. I made this as a stovetop chai with oat milk and honey using the double boil method. It was tasty enough, but the spices were very mild. Perhaps they’d be stronger if drunk straight without additives, or prepared as a latte (i.e. with less milk)?
As a side note – this isn’t a reflection on the tea but is something that I want to note for myself for future awareness: black tea doesn’t always agree with me, which is why I tend to avoid it. That’s been a little better lately, and I find that terroir tends to make a difference. But this particular tea seems to be one that my stomach doesn’t love. So probably not one to restock.
Turns out the Fennel tea is probably going to be the only the tea in the whole set that contains the ctc bop tea that I like. Overall I just don’t like the flavor but I am trying to finish them while I am on break since they keep me up for hours. The soice flavors in this one just wasnt as good as in some of the others as well
Stovetop Latte Sipdown (296)
For the first time I made one of these Vahdam chais on the stovetop. It’s a lot better. So creamy and combines well with the spices. It’s smooth and flavourful and just a nice mix of spices. My usual latte prep method waters these chais down and doesn’t bring out the flavors well so I guess going forward these will be strictly stovetop.
Adventaggedon Day 2 – Tea 5/6
Probably as “classic” of a Chai as you can get, right!? I wasn’t thrilled to see this one in the advent this morning but I wasn’t disappointed either – this is absolutely going to be the advent that challenges my taste preferences the most.
The tea itself used in the blend is a CTC grade of black tea, but it looks quite nice for that grade. The spices, as well, as all pretty chopped or “sachet grade” – including a fair amount of cardamom husk. The aroma smells beautifully of thick cardamom. I was talking with Cameron earlier this evening in our advent IG chat group, and it seems like Vahdam leans pretty heavy on the cardamom but I’m super okay with that – the three spices I have the “best” relationship with are cardamom, clove, and star anise and while I don’t much like them all together (too much spice for me) they’re typically delish on their own. I got a lot of cardamom from the steeped up tea, and a very full bodied and robust malty and grain-y heavy black tea with whisps of red fruit and honey. For a masala, I enjoyed it a lot.
We were talking stovetop chai as well today – I don’t usually bother with it because it’s a lot of fuss for a type of tea I don’t really enjoy, but I’m verbalizing the commitment to make at least one chai stovetop this advent season!
Today’s advent photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIUQkZLAFJz/
I’m glad to hear you tasted the base tea a lot, and cardamom. I felt like I was tasting the base in my cup but it was hard to tell with the milk. Cardamom was definitely there.
Honestly I was surprised you went with this one given Vahdam’s focus on spiced teas. With that said, it is pretty and has cute tins so part of me wanted it just for that.
The goal was definitely to do something I wouldn’t normally reach for, so it checked that box off for me for sure.
Giving this one another chance after I had such a weird experience trying to make it on the stovetop a few days ago! This time I’m just steeping it straight.
Yeah, this is a very mild chai, I’m not surprised I had such a hard time with the stovetop prep. There’s a pleasant cardamom flavor in the forefront, along with a bit of clove. The CTC base is fairly mild as well, and very smooth with a cereal grainy and slightly bready maltiness.
It’s yummy! It’s not really what I think of when I think of masala chai, as it’s mostly a cardamom-spiced black tea. But clearly it counts! :)
P.S. – Am I the only one that is reminded of Grape Nuts when I see CTC black tea…?
Flavors: Bread, Cardamom, Clove, Grain, Malt, Smooth
Hey Cameron. Thanks for the follow. I tend not to be a fan of ‘premixed’ of flavoured tea of any kind (not intending to shoot people down at all, just my preference). But I do love real masala tea.
I was raised in India. Nobody dreams of buying preblended chai there as it’s simple to make. I’d recommend watching this pro he has a few other serving suggestions which are also great: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIbibkE4d1E) – it has subs – and try making it some if you have the spices.
They tend to use Assam tea (powdered). No point in using quality stuff when putting milk in. I tend to enjoy mine with lots of pepper and sweetened with Jaggery.
The masala chai he makes is identical to what I used to drink roadside at my local market in the Nilgiris with the tea callers singing ‘chai chai chai!’ pouring tea from great heights.
Hi J-P. Thank you for the video, I will definitely have to try both of those recipes!
351/365
As the name suggests, this is a pretty straightforward, traditional chai blend. It’s a CTC black base again, which is fine as far as it goes, with cardamom, cinnamon, clove & black pepper. It’s very similar to Vahdam’s Double Spice, except that cinnamon is substituted for ginger. On the whole, that’s a substitution I’m perfectly happy with! It’s pretty spicy; there’s a lot of clove, which isn’t my favourite thing in a chai, and an almost tongue-numbing quantity of cardamom. I can’t taste much of the pepper, but the cinnamon adds an edge of sweetness that helps to lift the overall flavour.
I don’t feel this one is quite as well balanced as Double Spice – that one ticked a lot of boxes for me. This one’s a little heavy on some things (clove, cardamom) and a little light on others (pepper, cinnamon), but the overall effect is nice enough. I just made a western style cup with milk, but it might work better as a latte – I imagine it would be a little more muted that way, and maybe not quite so…intense? That might help. Fortunately, I have a little more leaf to play with!
If you like a traditional chai, this is one you probably ought to try (this one or Double Spice, anyway!) I’ve said before that I’m not sold on the CTC base, but I have to admit that it works well in context, and it provides a pleasantly solid, malty backbone for the real stars – the spices – to play against. It’s not the perfect blend for me, but definitely worth a look.
As with all Chai teas, the smell of the leaves and the tea itself is very strong. It has an especially pronounced scent of clove, which isn’t a bad thing. The tea is black tea in the blend is CTC, towards which i have a bias of being too “industrial”, but…
This Chai tea is truly epic. It has a very nice and full taste. You can very clearly taste the cloves as well as the cardamom. The cinnamon kicks in at the end of the sip and the pepper gives it the well needed kick and delivers a little tingling sensation in the mouth.
The black tea itself has no bitterness, resulting in the fact that the flavours that matter are even more pronounced, but never overpower eachother.
I drank the july 2017 tea.
Flavors: Cardamom, Cinnamon, Clove, Pepper, Sweet
I’m no chai expert, but this is a nice balance of spicy and sweet. The clove and cinnamon are balanced and sweet. The cardamom add just enough herbal sweetness. All of the spices used are rich in flavor and work in balance with one another.
It’s nice to have the opportunity to taste authentic chai. I’m still experimenting with a few brewing methods (I even tried gong fu, which really accentuated the spices, let me tell you!). Right now I let an infuser basket sit in a big mug for several minutes, then add a generous amount of milk. I’ve seen that the tea is often boiled in a pot for several minutes. I will try that with some other chais I have. I don’t mind a strong brew.
Tea from India, especially black tea, is a frequent offender for tummy trouble for me. Tea from China much less so.
Nice to know I’m not the only one! I’ve often wondered why – maybe it’s the sulfites in black tea? But that wouldn’t explain the regional differences, unless Indian black teas tend to have higher concentrations of sulfites. Somewhere there’s a tea scientist who knows the answer, surely.
I think the terroir and the species of plant makes a different. Indian tea seems to be higher in polyphenols perhaps? Harney and Sons says that Assam tea leaves actual particulate matter more than any other and that could be part of it. India is usual Camellia Sinensis assamica and China is usually Camellia Sinensis Sinensis except for in the south where there is assamica varietal. The way the different countries typically process their tea could be affecting it, too.