Extra BOLD Masala Chai

When I received my package today from 52Teas, I had hoped that it was my Justin Bieber tea, but, I am quite happy that this arrived (and my daughter will be happy that the coconut cheesecake arrived too).

This is indeed EXTRA bold! A very finely ground tea which I found a little surprising since I’m used to big leaves and chunks of things from 52Teas. But the fine grinding helped to extract the most flavor from both the tea and the spices.

I can taste each ingredient and they are in nice harmony in this blend. It is strong, it is BOLD, and it is delicious! Glad I decided to get this one!

This is a weird one for me. I don’t care for how it smells; it reminds me of something that gives me a headache, so it’s kinda like the power-of-suggestion. But the taste. My GOD. It’s phenomenal! It redefines Chai. It brings other chais (minus my beloved Teavana blend) to a whole new level. I added just one Splenda packet…maybe this would be good with milk? I honestly don’t know. I bet it would be good with eggnog silk, though. Anyhoo, I was getting ready to snub this tea for its smell, but one sip and I’m hooked.

Okay. Months later, I have opted to try this. The first thing I wonder is how others are steeping this? It is far too fine and dusty for my metal infuser, so I’m steeping it in a T-Sac but I even managed to shake some tea dust out of that. I gave it three minutes to steep, no additions, water that wasn’t quite boiling, as it came from the spigot at work.

First sips are confusing. Not the hit over the head ginger and cinnamon taste I expected from similar “bold teas”. At the front of the sip, there is a rich flavour, slightly bitter black tea, but almost more on the edge of the coffee. The end of the sip is well balanced, with a hint of ginger burn on the tongue (if that makes sense). I don’t hate it, but I don’t love it. I do think it would hold up spectacularily to a proper stovetop method with milk, which is saying a lot for me. I think this might be better with a hint of honey to sweeten out the rough edges (ground tea obviously comes off a bit bitter. Silly tannins).

I think I will take it home to make there, as I can’t try stovetop OR honey at work. I greatly prefer 52Teas Gingerbread Chai to this one, but I think that this might be just the thing on a biting winter day, with snow blowing in my eyes and ice trying to trip me on every step.

Update: I found a bit (and I mean a bit!) of white sugar that I had hidden in the cupboard for emergencies. I stirred it in (maybe 1/4 of a teaspoon) and I find that it has managed to mellow out some of the slight bitterness without really adding any sweetness. That’s a yay! Definitely confirming my thoughts about this being a winter tea. Would make a good latte if I had that skill.

This was probably the best cup of tea I’ve had in a long time. While steeping it filled my entire apartment with the warm smell of spiced chai. It was fantastic.

I caution you, though, that this tea is not for the faint hearted. It is powerful, it is aromatic, and it is delicious. I, unfortunately, ended up being extremely allergic to something in the tea…But I drank it anyways. It was that good.

Dear Extra BOLD Masala Chai,

You are spicy and sweet and bold. You taste like some delicious baked good that my Grandma might make. In fact I bet you would be an excellent ingredient in baked goods. I wish I could drink you every morning as my morning boost. You are spicy with out being too intense for the morning. Thank you for being so awesome!

~Caitlin

P.S. Longer review here: http://apurpledress.wordpress.com/2011/04/09/52-teas-a-six-part-series-4/

Wow, this really is an extremely bold Masala chai, which I adore. However, while the flavor is very good, there is a little too much cinnamon and not enough cardamom for my tastes. It still makes an excellent cup of chai though and does and wonderful job of waking me right up :)

So, as you may or may not know, I grew up drinking chai. Specifically, I grew up drinking my mother’s masala chai, and because of this, very few chais ever taste right to me. Why I bother trying them rather than hauling out the stovetop pot+ tea+masala, I’m not sure (convenience, maybe?), but they tend to fall short. This one gets an A for effort. It’s strong, you can taste the spices, and it gently warms your throat as you drink it. But the combination of spices is not my favorite (it’s really heavy on the cloves) and actually reminds me more of mulled cider than masala chai. There is a hint of sugar (which might also be contributing to the thoughts of cider). The thing I like best about this tea is the black tea base – it’s a very good, strong Assam that I would love to use in my chai. All in all, pretty decent but not something I’m planning on hunting down. Which is good, because I have a feeling it would be hard to find, like the majority of 52teas limited tea blends.

Thanks to LiberTea for passing on a sample!

Let me first state that it had been a while since I’d last had masala chai. Eventually, I’d like to start making my own chai blend, and when I do, I want it to taste just like this.

The problem with other masala chai blends that I have had is that they lose some of their power and flavor when combined with milk. I love that with this blend I could add a little milk and honey and still have my spice too.

I ordered more pouches! I’m in love with this tea. Cheers, Frank!

All I had was a single sample pouch. It was just enough to make a single pitcher. I boiled my water and steeped the tea for just about 3 minutes. Then I placed the pitcher in the refrigerator overnight to chill. I’m drinking it plain without milk or sweetener.

This is a really good chai. The flavors are so well blended and smooth. There is no bitterness or astringency. It’s not terribly bold, but maybe that’s a matter of leaf to water ratio or age. I can see from the other reviews that it was blended some time ago (2 years?). Perhaps it has had time to mellow.

This is a very yummy chai, certainly one of the best ones I’ve had. It’s difficult to pick out individual flavors because it is so well blended. I think I can detect the cinnamon from the sensation of consuming something freshly baked. I think I can detect the ginger (and maybe cinnamon) from the slight tingling warmth at the back of my throat. I can detect the cloves from its savoriness. All in all, it is very well rounded and I think it would take well to milk and honey. This is one that I’d like to try warm with milk.

Wow is all I can say.

I’ve spent a long time looking a for a Masala Chai that is strong enough to hold up the vigor of sweetened milk, foam or the odd touch of caramel. Everyone knows about the fabled Chai concentrate made by Tazo, but if you’re a Englishman like me, importing it is eyewatering expensive.

So I choose to look for a loose tea instead. Having tried all the major brands, I came away thoroughly disappointed. Cinnamon or cardamon dominated all of them, and it tasted rather like I had stirred a spoon of curry powder into my morning cup.

By chance, I stumbled upon this site and this fantastic blend. I was a little skeptical at first but as I looked at the outstanding reviews I decided to be bold and order 2 packs. Since then I’ve been in love with this tea. No other blend I’ve tried can hold the flavour of the spices in such a delicate balance and still maintain such a robust flavour. It can withstand milk, sugar and foam, all of which tend to mute the intensity of blends like this.

The only complaint I have is that it does require a pretty long steeping time to really achieve the heights of its flavour.