5 Tasting Notes
After being in India for 2 month I have to say that this chai tastes nothing like Indian chais. But it’s not supposed to, since it’s an African chai. So it has a bit of a different feel to it than the usual Indian chais I drink, which makes it a nice alternative.
The base of this tea is the Kenyan Black from Justea. See my review there for details of the base tea. I’ll focus more on the spices here.
First of all the spices are very balanced, nothing really sticks out (which I like a lot). Maybe the fennel seeds and the licorice. But all the spices blend in very well with the base tea. This gives a nice complex taste.
The mix of spices and the sweetness of the tea is fantastic. There although the taste is more in direction of fennel and licorice, there is also pepper and cloves, mixed with the maltiness of the base tea.
I tasted the tea just as is with a bit sugar and its good. However, I think the full potential comes out when drinking it with milk. I haven’t tested it simmered in milk, which would probably THE thing to do and its the way that it’s done in Kenya (and India).
The steeping time is a bit longer for me, since some of the spices need a bit of time to develop their full potential. But maybe that’s just my personal taste, I tend to like longer steeping times.
The overall rating of this chai is pretty high, it beat’s most of the chais I have tasted so far. However, I do like the Masala Chai from the tea guy (who also created this chai) a touch better. Therefore not the full 100 points.
Preparation
I love japanese green teas and especially Gyokuros. The one from Teegschwendner is amazing! Nice earthy and green flavor, maybe a hint of spinach, smooth and soft. The color of this tea in the cup is an amazing dark green and a pleasure in itself. The smell is rich and full. This tea calms body and mind.
It’s one of the best Gyokuros I’ve had so far, a recommendation to have in the cupboard!
Preparation
This is one of my favorite flavored black teas from Teegschwendner. Although I’m not so much into flavored teas, Teegschwendner does an amazing job with this, using great quality ingredients and creating fantastic blends.
This one has a nice strong black tea as a base. As the name suggests, the flavor is very oriental and makes you think about palaces, sand and colorful arabic clothing. The spices are nice and sweet and give the tea a full, round taste.
I enjoy this one with lots of milk and a touch of sugar.
Preparation
I have to admit that I usually don’t like Earl Grey. I just don’t like the bergamotte oil. And I don’t like citrus flavors. And this tea has both. But it is absolutely fantastic! By far the best Earl Grey I’ve had so far.
Let’s start from the beginning. The base of this tea is Justea’s Kenyan Black. See my review notes there for details of the base tea, I won’t get too much into detail here. Just let me remind you that this black tea is absolutely amazing!
Brendan Waye has blended this black tea with organic, cold pressed, mediterranean bergamotte oil, check out his review of this tea here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx83jZ3ebJE
I had the pleasure of trying Brendans own Earl grey and he convinced me that Earl Greys can be really amazing. He is really a master of blending tea! And this one is IMO his masterpiece in the Earl Grey section.
The citrussy, fruity notes blend in fantastically with the base notes of the tea (malty, “green”, green grass and fresh sprouts of trees come to mind for me). This makes the tea absolutely rich and flavorful on the full palatte. The “sweetness” of the black base teas (that others have described as well) works so amazing with the fuitiness of the citrus notes coming from the bergamotte oil. Absolutely fantastic. You have the feeling of fresh lemons and limes combined with a nice robust Assam like tea. Amazing, this one is definitely going to have a permanent spot in my shelf!
Preparation
One of the best black teas I’ve come across. I usually love full bodied, malty Assam teas. But this Kenyan black tea is definitely in my top 3.
It is full bodied with a rich maltiness. Compared to strong Assams the color is a bit lighter. A nice wooden smell with a hint of “greenness” in it.
The taste is so full, rich and fresh! The Assam typical maltiness is complemented by a fresh, grassy taste with a note that reminds me of fresh shoots of wood in the spring. This makes the taste bright, brisk and pungent. In the aftertaste you feel only a slight hint of tannins, if you brew it strong and long. But opposed to Assams, where steeping it 1min too long can lead to a furry, feltlike feeling on the tongue, this tea can’t really be over steeped. So you don’t need exact timing, you can steep it a bit longer and you can even give it a second steep without problems.
As a scientist I drink a lot of tea during work. When I work I usually shut everything out, focus fully on what I am doing. But a sip of this tea makes me stop working, brings me back to earth, makes me sit back, savor the moment and relax. For me that’s the strongest indicator of a really great tea.
Preparation
exactly what i think off this tea, its just fantastic!
Thanks darky! I really enjoyed reading your review. The Kenyan black is great, it’s a pity that it’s so hard to come by good Kenyan teas.
Well it was my first african tea by that and i’m really thinking of importing the stuff to belgium. To bad shipping costs are fairly high. But its worth it tough…
