Alberta Street Chai

Before Tasting: I must admit, this tea scares me. I purchased a tin of it a couple of weeks ago from my local Whole Foods Market, because Townshend’s is a local company and I wanted to support them, and I like chai tea, and this one is named after a street in Portland. But, I didn’t take a moment to read the description of the tea or the ingredients. This tea has Lapsang Souchong. I’m worried. I’m scared.

The aroma of the tea while brewing is very strong and smoky. Still scared. But I decided to make the most of it. I warmed some milk, got out my frother, and prepared myself for chai. I do like chai, after all. Maybe this can be my gateway into smoky tea… but I’m still skeptical.

OK… it’s not bad. The smoky flavor lends itself well to the spices. It has a caramel flavor to it that is quite pleasant. I can taste the nutmeg which is one of my favorite spices. The flavor is a bit earthier and smokier than I am accustomed to, but, I think that the spices help detract from some of the stronger notes that would normally be off-putting for me.

I’m glad I finally tasted it – it’s really quite good.

Brewed this with hot milk and water, steeped a bit longer than the recommended time.

Another gift from my lovely Secret Santa LiberTEAS! Thanks again. You spoiled me. :)

Imagine you’ve gone skiing for the day. The air is crisp and cold, the snow falls all around you, and by the end of your skiing escapade, you feel like you’ve living in a snow globe, but are completely delighted by winter. You retire to your ski lodge, take off all your wet gear, and get ready to curl up on the sofa in your Irish wool sweater. But, before you do, you start a nice warm, roaring fire in the lodge’s old fireplace to warm yourself and get the feeling back in your cheeks.

This is what this tea tastes like. The smokeiness is lovely and rich, it isn’t stale and ‘ash’-like which is my problem with so many smoky teas. The spices and other flavours in the tea round it out to create a very unique flavour that warms your senses as well as your insides.

I admit to a certain…skiddishness when it comes to chais. Until recently (cough…Frank…cough), I really hadn’t tried any that, honestly, hadn’t made me want to wash my mouth out after the first sip. I also only recently fell in love with Lapsang Souchong. So when LiberTEAS logged this, and I read the description, I was immediately intrigued. She kindly sent me a sample (thank you so much).

It’s smoky, and sweet-spicy, and delicious. Along with the Lapsang Souchong, I can taste the mate, a hint of the rooibos, and the nutmeg and cloves. Vanilla is there, too, and smooths everything together without being really obvious about it. There’s no real heat to this chai (yay!).

Thank you so much, LiberTEAS, for sending me some of this to try. It’s wonderful, and I’m pretty sure this is my favorite chai blend (though I’ve still not tried yours, yet).

I went out shopping today looking for something smokey. I keep reading great reviews of smokey teas, and I’ve been enjoying Brioche, which has a slightly burnt flavour. I found a tin of Alberta Street Chai, and a tin of Lapsang Souchong, also by Townshend’s Tea Company.

I used to drink Lapsong Souchong as a child, but that was in England, and maybe we have a more domesticated version there, maybe smokey like an indoor log fire, cozy and safe. I definitely don’t remember it being like these teas!

This Lapsang Souchong is described as “having an aroma and flavor that brings to mind a campfire.” It really does smell of the American outdoors, and this isn’t RV camping, it’s hunters, woodsmen, maybe cowboys. I think this campfire turned into a raging forest fire though. I smell devastation! I haven’t dared taste it yet.

The Alberta Street Chai doesn’t taste like a traditional chai. It tastes like this Lapsang Souchong smells. A fire in the woodshed at the very least. I added some cream and it’s delicious! I’m about to make a second pot.

I may have to have a fireman on standby before I try the other.