Michelle Butler Hallett

Strange — but delicious. Wow. I dared myself to order this one, because my first reaction to the ad copy was ‘Blech! That sounds terrible!’ But it’s not. Deep, a bit sweet, almost heavy. No astringency. No maltiness (oh my, imagine coffee beans with Assam: hurl!). Just one delicious fusion, straight out of The Tempest: ‘Has suffered a sea-change into something rich and strange.’ Want to try this one with a bit of stevia later. Would probably stand up nicely to milk.

Straight ahead cinnamon. Not much tea taste. I almost always add ginger tea to any chai I’m making, because the heat of the ginger fuses with the sugar/stevia to coax out more complexity from the tea, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Not sure how I feel about this one. Tame and calm and utterly inoffensive, as chai blends go. No real spice heat.

Punches you awake but gets bitter fast. Steep carefully. Not a fancy tea, but way better than Tetley. I don’t drink this one often as I prefer my tea without milk or sugar, and this one can get ropey without such company.

The bagged version of this really disappointed me — like drinking ashtray leavings. Flat, stale and nearly tasteless. And I adore smoky tea. Loose in the black tin with the green lid: quite good. Doesn’t take multiple infusions well, I find, but I can forgive that when one cup is as good as this.

An excellent Assam. Bold but not bitter. Steeps well and forgives being left too long. Gorgeous colour in the cup. Brightness balances the malt. One of my favourites.

Very potent when drunk from a gourd and bombilla. Good for at least four infusions. I like it mich better this way then brewed as a tisane.

Delicious, though I didn’t like it first go — didn’t know what to make of it. There is chocolate, of the dark cocoa-nib kind, which blends surprisinglly well with the little biut of greenb tea and the lods of green rooibos in here. Cinnamon sharpens everyone up and keeps the flavours playing nice. Very little, if any, caffeine, to this one, and it’s ridiculously healthy. I’ve drunk nearly 200 grams of it in less than a month. One TB in thre basket of my 500mL travel mug plus a packet of stevia, steeped a good while (it’s mostly rooibos, so steep away) — bliss. Happiness.

My go-to Darjeeling when I’m sick and need cup after mad-hot cup. More muscatel and body that the Stash Darjeeling Spring. Miles ahead of Twinings Darjeeling/

Love Darjeeling and know how to make it. Familiar with estate blends, single estates, spring and summer flushed. Okay, I’m mad for Darleeing. But I really disliked the Twinings loose. Weak and stale tasting. Old? Adulterated? Maybe I had a bad batch?

Sharp, and a bit thin in body. Pleasantly spicy, and the guarana does add some kick. The anise does not overwhelm but it definitely announces itself.

If I was being snobby, I’d call this a Darjeeling wannabe. But it deserves a little more respect than that. It’s got similar tasting notes to Darjeeling, being grown at a hgh elevation in Nepal, but seems a big fruiter to me. I didn’t find it any more energizing than any other black tea, incidentally. Milk might overwhelm this one.

Complex. Steep carefully. Save this one for a proper sit-down; Turkish Delight is not to be drunk thoughtlessly while checking e-mail. A little sweetener (I use stevia) brings out the peppercorns, pistachios and especially the apples. The tea itself is a China black, I think, and quite smooth. Don’t oversteep, because this one might get bitter. I use water just off the boil because I’m afraid of scalding the fruit.

I feared this one would be bitter, but it’s smooth and sweet — yet light, not a sticky dessert infusion. The coffee mellows against the white chocolate and almonds, and the mate doesn’t get all sharp. It feels gentle in the mouth, but after you’ve drunk it, feel da power! Good for multiple infusions. Even better sipped from gourd and bombilla.