Finishing off the chai sampler pack. First off, there’s a reason this one is the last little chai packet from Adagio to disappear off the shelf. And that reason is: soap.
When I first tried this, months ago, I couldn’t get over how soapy this tea was. I knew it was the lemongrass. Even though I like lemongrass, and drink it in other herbal teas, something about it here just screams SOAP! in my mouth and in my nose. Naturally I wasn’t eager to go for that second cup.
Fast forward some time. I’ve gone through the rest of my open chai teas and this one is still sitting there. Waiting. I read reviews online and bite the bullet. It still smells and tastes of soap, but not to the crazy levels it had before. I added a healthy amount of milk to my cup, and that calms the lemongrass/soap flavor down into manageable levels. I’m not typically one for milk or sweetener, but I’d say milk and honey are a must for this tea. It was much better after their addition.
The underlying taste of the tea is different from other Adagio chais I’ve tried. There are no cloves here, making it a nice change of pace. Not a tea I would reach for first. The rating reflects a “well, it was way better with milk” attitude.
