Lauren

I’m a sucker for any kind of “holiday,” “Christmas,” or spice teas, so I ordered this along with the Tea Table’s Cinnamon Orange Spice, which has practically the same ingredients. Oops. This one smelled much better, more citrusy, so I tried it first.

This is really smooth & fragrant. The dominant flavors are the cloves and citrus, which really highlight the black tea. Most of the spices kind of linger in the background without really popping. I don’t really taste the vanilla pieces, either, but adding a vanilla black tea to this would be faaabulous.
I was running late this morning, so it didn’t steep as long as I would have liked before I poured it into my travel mug, which explains why I would probably like this so much more if it were a bit stronger.

A pretty standard vanilla black tea. Not bursting with flavor but the vanilla is definitely there, both in taste and aroma. Reminds me of Adagio’s Cream black tea.
I’ll probably use this as a base for blending rather than drinking it on its own. I wouldn’t go out of my way to repurchase, but I will gladly finish up the ounce I bought.

I like this tea best when prepared using David’s recipe for their ‘Ultimate Pumpkin Chai Latte,’ simmered slowly on the stovetop in equal parts water and milk. Brown sugar is a must and it doesn’t hurt to add a bit more than 1 tsp of tea per 8oz liquid because the milk can mask the flavors. Top with whipped cream & a sprinkle of cinnamon for a really indulgent treat.

I may have gone wrong when brewing this one. I used more tea than the package called for, as I usually do because I like a strong, robust flavor. But because this blend contains so many spices, brewing it extra strong makes the flavors too overwhelming and muddled. The brewed tea ended up being extremely fragrant, almost floral. Not what I was looking for, although the deep reddish-brown color was gorgeous.

I was glad to see that the cinnamon did not outshine all the other flavors, however. I’ll definitely give this one another proper try, using only 1tsp per 8oz water. No rating until I can brew a good enough cup.

I brewed this regular strength for 4.5 min as per the instructions, and it was a bit on the weak side for me, but still good. Next time, I’ll brew double strength. And this is pretty inexpensive, so you can afford to. I added milk and turbinado sugar.

This is a pretty mellow chocolate tea without a big punch of spice or strong black tea flavor. I love the mini white chocolate chips. Dry leaves smell divine. There’s a slight astringency to it, but it’s not really noticeable it unless you’re looking for it.

I prefer Adagio’s Chocolate Chai, as it’s a bit more spicy, but this is a good substitute.

Even with added milk, this lends a somewhat dry mouthfeel, probably due to the cinnamon pieces.

No notes yet.

I had no idea what guayusa was before trying this tea, and I wish I would have remained ignorant. The dry leaves smell amazing, sweet and spicy. But the brewed tea honestly smells horrible to me. Vegetal and bitter and, frankly, a bit like B.O. And it tastes exactly like it smells. I taste a bit of sweetness trying to come through, but the guayusa is too overpowering for me. Luckily this was only a sample included in my order and I didn’t pay for a whole pack of it. Not a fan.

Tried this iced. Tastes about the same with and without milk, but no different than it tastes hot. I guess I’m just not a big fan of how this tastes. I can’t pinpoint what it is, but the flavor is strange to me. I’ll probably give the rest of the bag to a friend to try.

A pleasant little chai. The dry leaves smell only of cinnamon. I like that I can actually taste the black tea when this is brewed. It’s easy for chai spices to overtake the taste of the tea itself, but because this only has cinnamon and “natural flavor,” there’s no risk of that. This would be perfect for someone who finds strong chai overwhelming or has an aversion to pepper or cardamom. It’s a bit weak for my taste, though.

I can’t wait to steep this in simmering milk. I find that really concentrates the spicy flavor. I might also try blending it with David’s Pumpkin Chai, which I thought really lacked any sort of spice.

There’s no mistaking what flavor this tea is supposed to be. It smells exactly like root beer: spicy, malty, and creamy. The dry leaves have an overwhelmingly sweet aroma from the vanilla, but the cinnamon still comes through. The steeped tea smells exactly the same, with a hint white chocolate. Unfortunately, it doesn’t taste as flavorful or dynamic as it smells. I found this tea to be quite weak even though I used 2 tsp per 8oz of water.

Sweetener is definitely necessary to achieve that true root beer float flavor and to ease the slightly bitter aftertaste. I also added a bit of milk as I always do with flavored black teas. I found myself enjoying my cup even more as it cooled some, so I’m going to try this iced next.

I had high hopes for this tea. I just can’t resist anything pumpkin flavored, especially around this time of year, and spiced chais are my favorite teas. The smell of the dry leaves is divine. Spicy, pumpkin-y, slightly vegetal, and with cute little orange pumpkin sprinkles. The steeped tea smelled only of pepper, however.

I added turbinado sugar and milk and had a taste. Hm. First impressions: Verrry bland, no hint of spice. However, it DOES taste like real pumpkin and has a slight creaminess, but no real backbone. Overall, I’m not impressed. This is also the first tea I’ve tried that does not really go well with turbinado sugar. Brown sugar would probably be much tastier, and I think adding cream would help give it some body.

I will try this again, probably steeping much longer than the 4 minutes I gave it and adding more tea than the suggested 1.5 tsp per cup. I might also try steeping it in milk on the stove, and hopefully that adds some flavor and richness. I’m not giving up on this tea that easily!

This is a bit like glorified hot chocolate. Really creamy, sweet, and chocolatey, but without any real backbone because it’s an herbal. Blending this with some straight black tea would probably help immensely. Otherwise, it makes a great dessert/evening tea. The dry leaf smell is pretty spicy and strong, but the spice doesn’t really come through for me in the brewed tea. I’ll finish what I have, but don’t care for it enough to reorder.

I don’t care much for chocolate, so I can’t remember why I ended up buying a sample pack of this from Adagio, but I’m glad I did. I ended up buying a full 3oz. bag after that.

The chocolate flavor is definitely subtle, perfect for me, and so are the spices. Mostly I taste cinnamon and ginger. Overall, this brews up to be a very mellow tea but pleasantly flavorful. A nice cup for any time of the day.

I add milk and turbinado sugar to my teas, and the milk really adds some creaminess that compliments the chocolate. Reminds me of a chocolate gingerbread cookie. I always reorder this when I run out. It’s not extraordinary, but it is a comforting, smooth blend.

My favorite chai, and the standard to which I compare every other chai blend. Spicy, flavorful, & aromatic with a natural sweetness. I like that it’s an oolong because it adds more depth than just a black tea. I also love that it has whole cardamom pods. To me, that is THE defining flavor in a masala chai.

You can steep this forever and it won’t go bitter. It can be re-steeped, but all that results, to me, is cinnamon flavored water so I just toss the leaves after steeping once.

I usually have it hot as a latte, using 1 heaping tsp per 8 oz water. If you’re sensitive to a lot of spice, use a scant teaspoon.