Chocolate Chili Chai

Since it’s finally snowed in my area for the first time this winter I felt there was to be no better opportunity than to bust out this Chai, which I received as a sampler packet in my latest order from DAVIDs.

Upon opening the packet I was greeted with a highly pleasurable chocolate smell, with a small hint of the red chilis. This carries over to the finished steeped product, where the chocolate remains the most upfront characteristic. As the sip finishes you can detect the chilis and black tea trailing after the chocolate, but the chili flavor is very subtle and does not bring a ton of heat as many fans of the Scoville Scale might have been hoping for.

While not as spicy as other Chais it is most delicious and a warming alternative to hot chocolate on bitterly cold days. May try brewing directly in carefully prepared milk as I’ve done with some other Chais to see what, if anything, it does for the flavor.

I’m not a huge Chai fan but this one is great. It does have a spicy kick, and smells chocolate-y. It can be quite strong but no bad aftertaste if you choose to brew it longer.

Nice tea with a bit of a kick. Wish the chocolate flavour was stronger.

Man, I really wanted this one to be a punch in the face … but all I got was a pinch of the cheeks.

I recently snagged a 100g tin of this for 50% off (one of the Christmas tins). Not a flavour I’d normally go for, but since it was on sale I decided to try it anyway!

It smells fantastic in the tin – super dark chocolate-y with a hint of spice. I have opened it up just to sniff a couple of times since buying it. Yum.

I wasn’t sure what to expect for taste, I figured it would be chocolate-y and quite spicy – not so much. I first tried making it as a latte – I really liked it this way, it tasted a lot like black tea but the milk really seemed to bring out the chocolate as well. Not very spicy at all – a bit of a tingle in the mouth but that was about it.

Tonight I made it again, this time steeped in water with a splash of milk before drinking. This way was fine, but much weaker, like drinking black tea with a hint of dark chocolate and not much spice at all. Don’t get me wrong, it was enjoyable enough, just not nearly as strong as I thought it would be (and I was pretty generous with my loose tea!).

I’m a bit confused about this one – it isn’t really what I thought it would be (and to be fair, I wasn’t totally sure what to expect in the first place), but I like it. I don’t think it is a tea I will be reaching for every day, but I know I will drink it again (in latte form at least!), most likely on a cold night or if I am craving chocolate.

Very weak flavor. I’ve tried it hot and cold and with cinnamon like the company recommend. Either way I just got a weird bland taste with a slight pepper after taste. Finally, I decided to mix it with some Adagio Chocolate Chip. It helped make the chocolate flavor stand out a little bit more, but besides the weird pepper after taste. I get none of the spiced that’s been promised. Definitely not David’s best.

Had a sample in-store today. Seemed kinda weak, so maybe they steeped it wrong. Didn’t strike me as “feisty” or anything special

I needed a little bit more stevia than usual, but nice and tasty

Not really a fan.. maybe it’s the spice?

This one is good but very mild, I wish the flavour was stronger. Not really spicy, just a tiny hint of the chili – I was hoping for a bit more spice.

I’m not so sure how I felt about this tea, I received it as a gift for Christmas and it seems to have failed my expectations. I can’t describe how, but I expected it to be sweeter I guess. It’s somewhat tasty, but not. I’m just trying to finish the last couple cups from my bag, and I don’t plan repurchasing.

I’ve just finished my bag of this tea, and I was a little disappointed in it. I know it’s generally gotten and lot of love, and definitely a lot of hype. That probably has something to do with my disappointment. It just set the expectation a bit too high I suppose.

It’s not that there’s anything specifically wrong with it, so I can’t give it a failing grade. The chocolate comes through just fine, and the chili flavour does (provided you let it steep long enough). Once, in an effort to get a bit more chili kick I added a few dried chili flakes to the mix. Let’s just say I never did that again. In all seriousness though, I think the main thing I found a bit lacking was the chai itself. It just seemed a bit weak to me, and as much as I drank it I always found it to be a bit wanting.

Would I recommend it? Maybe. Would I get it again? Probably not.

Final verdict. Good but not great. If you’re going for the comfort drink a nice thick hot chocolate might be a better bet.

The smell of this one is absolutely amazing! It’s a punch of flavours all coming at me at once. It’s a strong smelling tea, which is awesome.
So I made a cup of this and added my usual milk and sugar and it’s so delicious. It’s so chocolately, and sweet. The chili flavour isn’t too powerful, which is kind of nice too. And as with all chai teas, it also has all the usual chai spices.
My next cup will be without milk ‘cause I want to see what it tastes like on its own. If it’s amazing with milk, it’s probably amazing without too. I’m so glad my husband wanted us to get this one!

YUM!!!
I made this into a latte today. It smells amazing to begin with. As a latte it tastes like warm spicy hot chocolate, which is so good! I was worried because I don’t like many of the chocolate teas but this is amazing and the amount of chocolate is just enough. I will definitely have to go back to get the 100g tin.

Bought on a whim and after a suggestion from a friend and I gotta say I love it. Took it to class today and it was exactly what I needed to get through the day. The first few sips have quite a bit of kick to them, but after that it mellows out and is quite tasty. Definitely one I will have to pick up 100 g of before its gone as I’m fairly certain its a winter tea.

EDIT: Bought more today, picked up February’s tea of the month: Hot Lips…so I’m pretty excited to try it!

I’m not really a fan of chai. But this one is subtle enough that I like it. Plus it has chocolate, so how could you go wrong?

Nom!

Brews a dark, rich spicy tea. Works really well as a dessert tea. Nice blend of peppercorn and chocolate. Good with and without milk.

this tea is by far my favourite of the season ve had it for less than a month :) yum!

Excellent scent. Taste was a slight let down. Not as chocolately as I was hoping for, and I didn’t get much of the chili flavour.

I like this one strong. The tea taste is unpronounced, most of the spices taking the reign. It’s one of the things I love about this tea. It’s not extremely spicy unless fully steeped.