Spicy Chai

I’ve had this one a while… just making tasting notes now. It was a sample included with my ESP order. First, I think the flavor has changed since the last time I had it, unless I brewed it differently (of course, it’s different every time). But I don’t trust these ESP packages that are not sealed air tight. The bags just fold over. I put all my ESP teas in one ziplock. The flavor seems very mild for a chai, and I steeped it for a while! It seems like any chai with black tea mixed with it is more mild.. less room for the spices. (Except for Zentealife.com’s Energizing Chai which had both pu-erh and mate added to it and the flavor was AMAZING.) I do like that this one had black pepper in it. I saw a bunch of those fall into my infuser first. But really, why is this so mild tasting?

This chai is…interesting. I’m not quite sure what to make of it. I don’t know if it’s really a chai, that’s my hang-up. It’s spicy, yes, with cinnamon, ginger, anise, and cloves against a backdrop of bold, strong black tea. But I don’t immediately think “chai,” when sipping.

I still like it, don’t get me wrong. It’s bold and spicy. The aroma is spicy too – so you know what you’re getting into when you brew it up.

A decent tea, but I’m not sure I’ll reorder…

NOTE: halfway into the cup I realized why I don’t consider this a chai. There is too much of a rootbeer flavor! Not sure where that comes from, if the medley of flavors just makes it happen or what.