Winter Chai

This is a warm, comforting blend. It would seem that my body has not yet adjusted to the change in climate, and is expecting it to warm up soon, and since that probably isn’t going to happen, tea has been helping.

This is sweet and warmly spiced, the rooibos aren’t too funky and I’m enjoying it. The lemongrass really brightens the whole thing up nicely.

Steep Information:
Amount: 1 teabag
Additives: none
Water: 6 ounces filtered boiling
Steep Time: a little over 5 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: cinnamon, clove, red tea, woody
Steeped Tea Smell: cinnamon, clove, MilitiaJim was getting cardamom
Flavor: cinnamon, woody
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: spicy
Liquor: deep reddish-brown

This was part of the Tea Forte Winter Collection I got as a holiday gift. This is the last flavor!

This is a nice spicy red tea (I can’t do caffeine after 6 pm). The cinnamon really dominates and you need to look for the other flavors for you to recognize their presence.

Perhaps I should have steeped it longer? I also can’t smell or taste the lemongrass. I could see it though.

Post-Steep Additives: lactose free fat free milk

Made it creamier less water and masked the rooibos woodiness (not necessarily a positive).

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/02/tea-forte-teabag-red-tea-winter-chai.html

I actually got this tea (along with two other types in a gift box) for my mother as part of her X-mas gift and she was kind enough to make a pot of it for my boyfriend and I.

I’m definitely tasting rooibos, which I’m not a fan of personally, but there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with it. It’s accompanied by a low-key, sweet, spiced taste. The spices aren’t super strong but they add a nice counterpoint to the woody rooibos. I’m also picking a distinct lemony tang, particularly on the end of each sip.

This is a great new take on chai tea; and while rooibos teas aren’t my perference, I’d definitely recommend this tea to someone else.

Not very Chai-y in my book but that’s ok…it’s ok hot but would be better iced, at least I am thinking…which is weird because with a name of Winter Chai one would think HOT HOT HOT – Warm and fuzzy…hum…not sure…it’s ok tho.

The last of a sampe plack given to me for Christmas by a thoughtful colleague – This tea is a treat to steep. I’ve used pyramid ‘teabags’ before but the flavour of that particular tea was weak and terrible and I ended up prejudiced against the whole lot. The beauty of the pyramid, however, is that you can see the tea inside expand and fill all the available space. Beautiful!

As for the taste, I like chai. I occasionally get one that is overpowering, but this is a nice compromise. The overpowering cinnamon smell/taste can come in if the sip is too big, but that’s become a personal issue. Small sips = delish!

Edit: downgraded the score as the cup is less tasty as time goes on, :(

Finished this cup in record time! Great blend of spices with rooibos, one of my favorites. Got a gift box from my mom as a gift and she also got a cute little red tea cup with an top that has a hole in it so the little tea leaf can stick out as it steeps. It’s all very cute, right down to the tea pyramid! Although I think Tea Forte is expensive, this is a really good tea and I may buy it next year since I think it’s a seasonal flavor.

Not much chai here, mostly a woody rooibos flavor which overwhelms most of the spices. Kind of disappointing.