Caramel Chai Red

I got this tea in a trade with QueenOfTarts!

My infusers were all in need of a wash, so I went the bagged route this morning. I betrayed proper chai preparation and went without milk. (Because I didn’t have any, not because I didn’t want to!) Upon inspection, realized to my dismay that this was a rooibos chai. Rooibos and I aren’t friends, but I’ll tolerate it if I like the flavor it’s blended with enough.

I had been hoping for caffeine, but the fact that this was warm and tasty made up for it. The rooibos was almost completely muted by the strong, spicy cinnamon and chai spices. The caramel is good, but not exactly the kind I’m after. It’s a little sharp instead of creamy. But that might be different had I used milk. In summary, this is a tasty chai, and though I wish it wasn’t rooibos, I still like it and will still experiment with it.

I saw that Amazon had a 3 pack deal on this one, and I snapped it up! Even though I hadn’t tasted it yet, I knew I’d like it since I’m so crazy about the Vanilla Red. I am very happy with my purchase! We are already half way through the first tin, we like it so much. It has a great spice, a warm vanilla flavor, AND the burnt sugar taste all rolled into one.

Now I want to try the Hazelnut Chai Red!

I have to admit that I don’t normally like chai tea. Yes, I do have the occasional chai tea latte from Starbucks.. but as far as bagged or loose chai tea at home.. no! I’m not sure what prompted me to buy this tea. I thought that I was done with Zhena’s Gypsy Tea as I hadn’t been impressed with really any of the ones I’d had.
The idea of cloves, black pepper, licorice root, cardamom and ginger root doesn’t appeal to me. BUT this tin says that this tea has a caramel/vanilla flavor… plus, it has a red tea base.. so I thought that it would be worth a try.
This tea has a relatively calm combination of spices which I prefer over BOLD chai. It’s a little bit sweet and a little bit spicy. I find this tea to be more enjoyable when it’s hot. When it cools, I can taste the ginger and licorice a bit more.. and I’d rather have the other flavors instead. There is nothing distinctly like caramel, but I suppose that it smooths out the chai spices. I think that this tea is ideal for the start of fall. It’s warming & comforting.. just perfect for the changing leaves and cooler weather.

I saw this tea at my local Sunflower Market. Since the weather has decided it’s officially winter now I figured it was a perfect day for tea. I really can’t emphasize how much I adore caramel. So I couldn’t resist the temptation of it in my tea.
The reason why this is getting such a low rating from me is because it was just too spicy. I only steeped this for 2 1/2 min and it just came out like a punch in the face. There was no caramel flavor to speak of. I also decided to wait a bit to taste it again and let it cool off. Not much changed. I think I will try this again tomorrow with milk and sugar (or honey) to see if I can tame this bad boy down a bit.

No! Not nearly spicy enough for a chai. It’s quite sweet, and a little better when it cools off, but not enough for my tastes. I prefer the company’s Fireside Chai, which is also a rooibos, and so much more flavorful. I won’t buy this one again.