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Morgana

231 Followers / 183 Following

__Morgana__ drank Tazo Chai Tea Latte by Tazo

Today I had to go to Toys R S to get a present for a birthday party this afternoon that the almost 6 year old is now well enough to attend thanks to the miracle of antibiotics. I got there before it opened, so I wandered into the adjacent Starbucks armed with my increasingly detailed order. This time I got nonfat, no water, make it from leaves not concentrate.

There is definitely a difference between the leaves and the concentrate. Made with the leaves, the flavor was much spicier. The pepper was really, really pronounced, too. It did taste much more like it does when I make it at home, only creamier.

Surprisingly I’m not sure which way I like it better. It seems obvious I should say with the leaves rather than the concentrate, but the concentrate had a much more blended taste while the leaves were much starker.

I think this decision will have to be case by case and will depend largely on my mood at the time.

2010-05-02 14:13:40 -0400

I Like This

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Comments

SoccerMom 2010-05-02 14:58:20 -0400

Yay glad the 6 year old is feeling better!

Midnight Train 2010-05-02 15:50:36 -0400

Have you ever tried Panera Bread’s Chai Tea Latte? Waaaaay better than Tazo’s. That one’s from concentrate, too.

__Morgana__ 2010-05-02 15:55:09 -0400

No, haven’t tried that. I don’t think there’s a Panera Bread that’s very close to me but I’ll be on the lookout for one when I’m out and about. Looks like the nearest one is in Millbrae, which isn’t really that close.

Cofftea 2010-05-02 16:30:03 -0400

You think the concentrate is more blended? Interesting. I find the concentrate way too harsh on the spices- but maybe that’s cuz I only have the concentrate iced?

Midnight Train, I too, enjoy Panera’s- for what it is. Although I’ll take Tazo’s hot over Panera’s hot any day.

__Morgana__ 2010-05-02 16:33:55 -0400

The concentrate hot was very even-handed flavor-wise compared to what I had today, which was, as I mentioned VERY peppery. I liked it, it was just different and gave a different overall impression of being less blended since the pepper stuck out so much, comparatively.

Cofftea 2010-05-02 16:39:04 -0400

Moving the bag around may help a bit. Sometimes I think when then bag infuses in one spot, especially in milk, the spices also stay in one spot.

Meghann M 2010-05-02 20:44:11 -0400

I work at Panera bread and if you want to try their chai they use Republic of tea’s chai tea concentrate and just follow the recipe on the box. It’s good but I think I like the sbux bagged leaves better as the anise is turning out to be something I NEED in chai!

Cofftea 2010-05-02 20:54:16 -0400

Meghann M- lol that’s odd… until I prepared their bagged chai at home I never noticed the anise.

Meghann M 2010-05-02 23:11:27 -0400

Nor I, hence why I like the bagged version. I thought the anise was what I hated. But now it is something I crave, and one of the things that differenciates these full leaf bags from several chai’s out there. I have yet to get cravings for other teas but this one has to be in the cupboard :-)

Cofftea 2010-05-02 23:25:19 -0400

No I mean when I order a full leaf chai latte in store I don’t get the anise, but do at home.

Midnight Train 2010-05-03 17:46:31 -0400

Meghann – Thank you so much! I’ve been trying so hard to find what kind of concentrate Panera uses. It’s about $4 at Panera just for like, an 8oz cup. Can’t wait to try it myself.

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Bio

I thought I should probably update this bio as it’s been a couple of years since I “started getting into” tea. It’s now more accurate to say that I was obsessed with tea for a while, then other things intruded, then I cycled back to it, and I seem to be continuing that in for a while, out for a while cycle. I have a short attention span, but no shortage of tea.

I’m a mom, writer, gamer, lawyer, reader, runner, traveler, and enjoyer of life, literature, art, music, thought and kindness, in no particular order.

Personal biases: I much prefer to drink tea without additives such as milk and sugar. If a tea needs additives to improve its flavor, its unlikely I’m going to rate it high. The exception is chai, which I make on the stove top using a recipe I found here on Steepster. Rooibos and honeybush were my gateway drugs into the harder stuff, but once I learned how to make a decent cup of tea they became far less appealing to me. That said, I’m not entirely a purist, and I enjoy a good flavored tea, particularly flavored blacks.

Since I find others’ rating legends helpful, I added my own.

95-100 A once in a lifetime experience; the best there is; will keep this stocked until the cows come home

90-94 First rate; top notch; really terrific; will definitely buy more

80-89 Excellent; likely to become a favorite, will likely buy more

70-79 Very good; would enjoy again, might buy again if in the mood for this particular one or a better, similar version not available

60-69 Good; wouldn’t pass up if offered, but probably wouldn’t buy again unless craving this particular flavor

50-59 Okay or run of the mill

40-49 So-so

30-39 Iffy

20-29 Would definitely pass

10-19 Ick

0-9 Never again