I got this in a swap from Nina (a swap in which I was a terrible swap partner and kept forgetting to bring money to mail her tea – Sorry Nina! It’s on it’s way!). I’m a big fan of Teavana’s Cha Yen Thai Tea and I love chai so I thought this might be a good combo.
In the bag it smells like most chais do. I didn’t get a ton of coconut aroma.
First brew was just ok. Something seemed too strong and it came off a bit bitter. I was gonna toss it before rebrewing the following day but decided, based on its smell, to give it another try. I’m glad I did give it another try. The second day the flavors meshed much better than the first and I did get chai with a twist. Not sure it was still terribly coconutty, but it was certainly good.
Unfortunately I made the mistake of going for a day three brew and the flavor was all off again. Too much of the spice came through and was, again, bitter. This tea seems to shine on its second steep so much that I may brew it once, toss that, and go for it again.
