Sweet Coconut Thai Chai

I had hoped to sipdown quite a few more of my samples before my Black Friday tea splurges started arriving…no such luck, my Tavalon order was sitting on my front porch when I got home! To celebrate, I brewed up a couple bags of this that Rachel sent my way. I couldn’t decide between a 5 or 10 minute steep, so I went 5.

It’s not the strongest chai out there, nor the sweetest. It’s not quite up to the level of Adagio’s Thai Chai (which I really, really love), but would be a good substitute if you had a Thai Chai craving but didn’t want the caffeine. The spices are there, the black tea is there (and I can’t taste that it’s decaf), the coconut is there but could be stronger, and the rooibos is definitely there as well. And I’m certainly slurping it down!!

Thanks, Rachel, for sending this my way!!

I had my first sample of chai Tea at a Thai restaurant years ago. It set a high standard. I have since sampled and rejected plenty of pathetic imitations. Fortunately, there have been a few good ones as well. This is one.

Just taking this tea out of the box is a sensual pleasure. Lots of intense, noisy flavors, but all getting along like a joyous celebration. This is not some wimpy, half arsed wannabe chai. This is a wonderful strong blend with top-notes of coconut, cinnamon and clove. I especially appreciate the conservative use of cinnamon, a presence that far too often dominates whole formulas until it’s all you can taste. This time it is a team player, taking a supportive role among the other spices without trying to run the whole show.

At the time I write this, of all the chai’s I have tasted, only a few have passed muster. This is one of my two favorites in that category. It’s good cold brewed or hot, year round.

I’ve never bothered to try this one with cream or sweetener. I KNOW it would be awesome, I just haven’t because, like most of my favorite teas, it doesn’t need it. This is a major selling point for me. I love a tea that stands on it’s own and doesn’t need anything added to make it palatable.

After all, I could drink cream and sugar all by themselves and they’d be good. If a tea requires such embellishment in order to be drinkable,how good can it be?

Is it just me or does this tea get better when you’re getting closer to the bottom of the box?

This is a bagged tea but it’s still really good. Very spicy, strong hints of coconut. Even awesomer if you use a flavored coffee creamer, like pumpkin spice or chocolate, like most milk teas are improves with flavored creamers. When I can’t use fancy creamers I use milk (whole milk is better) and add honey instead of sugar.

I picked up some Celestial Seasoning flavors when I went on a tour of their facility about a 45 minute drive from my home in Colorado. This tea is actually one of my favorites. I steep it pretty strong and add coconut milk (the kind you use on cereal or coconut coffee creamer which is better) to enhance the Thai curry memories that I love. Sweeten with sugar or agave but not honey because you don’t want to detract from the subtle coconut flavor.

Have you ever had a Thai Iced tea? This tea really threw me for a loop. I don’t know why I wasn’t expecting a hot Thai Iced tea, but I wasn’t. That is exactly what this is. It’s Thai Iced tea… except hot. So, I supposed if you brewed this, chilled it, served it over ice with some cream or soy creamer you’d have a pretty good Thai Iced tea. It’s even the right shade of red-orange and has the right ‘thickness’. It kinda freaked me out a little. And btw, it tastes and smells a lot better than it smells in the box.

I have to give it a decent rating because I assume that is what they were going for and if so, it’s spot on. It’s not really for me though.

I love the smell of this tea. It’s like opening a can of coconut milk. It’s got lots of ingredients, but I mostly taste the coconut and cardamom. Very good with soy milk and sweetener. It’s decaf, so I don’t have to worry about drinking it late at night.

I haven’t been a big fan of Celestial Seasonings because I have often thought that it seems to be more of a lower class, less-than-tea tea. However, after tasting this tea, I was very pleasantly surprised. It is a Rooibos, Black Tea combo with other flavors. Sweet, with a hint of spice. Excellent with a small spoonful of honey.

Chai tea is my favorite and this is such a great chai blend. I like having it with a bit of french vanilla creamer. It’s so yummy!

This is a beautiful and exotic cup. The taste of this cup will take you to Thailand. The red and black base is velvety and medium bodied. The coconut flavor is pronounced, which is nice. The other spices are delicious. This is a tea that the majority of my guests will drink. Not all are tea drinkers.

This is one of my favorites, right up there with Chocolate Caramel Enchantment chai. The coconut flavor was great, and the spices are just right. I brew this a little stronger than usual – 2 bags in about 10 oz of water, then add a bit of milk and sugar. I wish I could find it in a caffeinated version to drink in the morning. I’m thinking this would make a great iced tea too, but I haven’t tried it yet.

Not that it affects the taste, but I really like the reddish/orangy color it has when milk is added.

a bit disappointing. The coconut flavor is not very strong. Good with sugar and milk, but the chai spice is not very powerful. I may need to try steeping longer

This tea has a warm and spicy aroma. I don’t know if I would buy it again (I possibly will) but I have enjoyed it. It’s flavor is stalwart and a bit of milk is a nice touch. It’s a good late-night unwinder and has none of the insipidity that some “bedtime” or chamomile teas can have.

This is one of my favorite chai teas, although keep in mind that I am not an overly discerning tea drinker and do not own gadgets to brew loose leaf tea (I drink a lot of coffee). Perhaps when I delve into the loose leaf teas, my opinion might change. That being said, this tea is awesome. It is sweet and the coconut flavor definitely comes through. I used this frequently to wean myself off my expensive Starbucks drinks. I always drink it as a latte. I brew it as usual, then add some sugar and steamed milk with froth and it is absolutely heavenly. I love coconut so I was very pleased that the flavor came through nicely with a delicate coconuty sweetness, which the milk brings out even more. The chai taste was not overpowering. Overall a very mellow, sweet, delicious dessert tea. I plan to try it over ice next and perhaps, as the box suggests, with sweetened condensed milk, which I hope will taste awful because I don’t need a habit that involves copious amounts of sweetened condensed milk.

This is my moct favorite tea to make Suntea with in the summer time , otherwise it’s to sweet.it make the most balanced sun tea ever

Well, it seems my Celestial Seasonings days might be numbered. I quite liked this one when I first started drinking it a few years ago, but now that I’ve taken up reviewing teas and am becoming a bit more discerning…

When I moved overseas in 2011 I brought the remainder of my open box with me to have as a spicy, comforting drink before bed. I took to brewing it strong (2 teabags to a cup, sometimes left to steep for 20 minutes or more – bad habit, I know) with a good dose of milk and sugar. I ran out by the end of the year and wasn’t able to acquire another box until I visited my parents this Christmas.

So tonight I decided to fix up a cup like I used to: 2 bags, but only for 4 minutes this time. Took a sip before I added anything… okay, but I wouldn’t want to drink a whole cup like this. Ended up adding a teaspoon of sugar, a squeeze of agave, and several tablespoons of soymilk to get it to my liking. Even with all the additions it made my mouth and throat tingle, which I suspect was the black pepper. I’ll play around with it some more and see if I can coax some other flavors out.

I love this tea! Sometimes chai teas have an earthy flavor which I really don’t like but this tea has just the right amount of spice and coconut flavor!

I leave the tea bag the whole time while I’m drinking it and I add sweetener and almond milk. I find the almond milk enhances the coconut flavor which is nice. And I agree with many of the reviewers, it does taste just like iced thai tea!

I just recently bought this and I was so excited to have a coconut flavored tea! I smelled the cloves,anise,cinnamon,and ginger, it smelled so good. This morning I made a mug of this tea, and added about 2 teaspoons of sugar and to my surprise, when I took a sip there was absolutely NO coconut notes in this tea whatsoever! However, there is a wonderful spice to this tea and I really love the intensity of the cloves and anise. This is a great tea if you like the spicier side of tea.

It’s alright. Not among the better chai blends of the world, or even among the better Celestial Seasonings blends. The coconut and tea flavors are there, just kind of weak. Being caffeine-free is a nice touch, too. The one thing this tea really has going for it is mouthfeel. It’s very creamy on the palate. I usually pair it with an evening dessert—right now it’s complimenting a carrot-coconut cupcake rather nicely. I’m sure I’ll finish the box, but I doubt I’ll buy it again.

This tea was OK. Not sure if it was because I used silk (soy milk) when I prepared it, but something was lacking. Not as full and creamy as the one I get at the coffee shop! Did not see the sweet coconut or decaf when purchasing. Next time I will try a different chai. Adding a touch o sugah helps.

I really enjoy this tea with a little soy milk and sweetener. It’s great iced, but I like it hot, too. I don’t really taste the coconut, which is sad as I love coconut, but it’s still an all-around good tea.