Kashmiri Black (Spiced Chai)

From the EU TTB

I like a good chai, and as today is fairly cold and autumnal it seemed like a good fit. Even though I live in Norwich, I’ve not tried many Wilkinsons teas, which is an obvious oversight on my part. I used 1 tsp of leaf for my cup, and gave it 4.5 minutes in boiling water. It brews up strong and dark, which I think is a good thing in a chai, and I added a good splash of milk.

To taste, this is a solid, traditional chai. The black tea base is malty and sweet, and the spices swirl nicely through it – cardamom and clove, a touch of cinnamon. It’s not a hugely strong blend on the spice front, but it’s a pleasant balance. A conforting, classic chai blend, and one I’d definitely look at purchasing in the future.

My parents went to Norwich for a few days as a much belated birthday present for my mum, they went from Friday (Valentines Day) to the following Tuesday and I was to dog and house sit for them. Well it turns out they found a tea shop in one of the areas they visited and so they got me some gifts. One was a beautiful bird of paradise hand painted bone china mug, saucer and spoon, another was a set of tea tins and the final gift was a pack of three teas. My mother (bless her) got two teas that she heard me mention before (those being Pu Erh and Ti Kuan Yin) and for the third she asked for a unique blend, something the company do themselves, which turned out to be this Kashmiri black chai.

I’ve had three cups of this chai so far (thought it would go well with leftover curry for lunch). The raw blend had a strong cinnamon and cardamom scent and if I’m honest it didn’t look like the nicest tea in the world. Chai never does, it’s always powdery and dry.

I steeped for what I thought would be correct for the blend. My first sip (whilst black) was a pleasant one. It was strong with only a little astringency but full on spice flavours. It was however too thick for me whilst straight so I added some milk and a spoon of sweetener (which is how I prefer my chai anyway). It made all the difference, the astringency had gone and all that remained was a sweet, creamy, smooth, chai with high cardamom and cinnamon after taste. Not much ginger is present throughout.

Living in Leicester I know my good Chai from a bad Chai and am used to very traditional blends. With the milk and sweetener this tastes very traditional and would be something I could be proud to serve my Indian friends. So it may not have looked like much to start with but it certainly exceeded my expectations and I finally found a nice Chai to keep in regular stock. :)

PS. Here is a picture of my mug.
http://tinypic.com/r/efnp6t/8