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Black Chai Blend by Peet's Coffee & Tea
A blend of India teas with cinnamon, ginger, cardamon, cloves and pepper. Brew with milk and sugar.
In India, “chai” is the word for tea, and “masala” means a mixture of spices. In many parts of India, “masala chai” is prepared using local tea boiled in a mixture of water and milk, with lots of sugar, and whatever spices that are popular locally. There are probably as many variations on the recipe as there are households in India, but the general result is a spicy, sweet, and milky tea. Our Masala Chai blend incorporates pungent Assam and South India broken leaf teas blended with cinnamon, ginger, cardamon, cloves, and fresh-ground tellicherry peppercorns. This should be brewed fresh and mixed with freshly heated milk and sugar to taste.
I got a sudden craving for chai tonight, so I made myself an iced cup.
This kinda another dud by Peet’s as far as I’m concerned. I was happy to see the cinnamon bark and ginger pieces when I made it, but their flavors are weak. The coarse black tea they used overpowers it. When I go for chai, I go for something heavy on the spices and complex. This will do for now, but it’s making me really miss Adagio’s Thai Chai.
Notes to myself. A bit more mild than what I had expected after reading about chai teas. 5 min and not much flavor other than clove. A pinch of sugar increases the flavors.
Okay, I’ll admit it. I don’t really like chai. I bought an entire tin of this to try it out, and I don’t think I’ll finish this even if I had 2 years. It’s the peppercorn and ginger, I’m not used to having that in drinks at all. The tea itself isn’t that bad, but the flavorings just make it seem like something I’d cook with, not drink. I’m not going to give this too low of a rating though, since it’s certainly not that bad for most people if you add warm milk in a 1:1 ratio to tea and dump at least two teaspoons of sugar (the directions actually say to do this, except 1 tsp sugar). But if you think pepper and ginger is weird in a drink, then you might want to stay away from this.
If I’m in an area where Peet’s is as prevalent as Starbucks, I’ll always choose this first. Steeped to perfection, not made from a concentrate: excellent on-the-go chai is hard to come by!
Not the best chai I’ve ever had, but not the worst either. Little overboard on the cardamom, making it almost bitter. Possibly overbrewed; not sure. Had this at the shop, so I didn’t brew it myself.
Way too much cloves for me: if I’m getting a cup from a barista, I’d rather drink the Starbucks chai.
Wow! This stuff is strong, just like chai should be. I definitely enjoy the spice on this tea and its full body, however, I think next time I’ll add creamer. I also like that it isn’t too drying on the palette.
