backlogging (sorry to keep you in suspense Frank!)
First attempt: I was heavy-handed with the leaf (a blend this fine really doesn’t need a heaping teaspoon!), stingy on the steeping time (only 5 min, though I suspected 8-10 was probably preferable), stingy on the vanilla honey even though I prefer my chai sweet & vanilla-y, and heavy on the milk simply because I was clumsy.
This reminds me a bit of Stash’s Green Chai, albeit MUCH better. The cardamom, cinnamon and clove are the dominant chai spices. GInger was less noticable (I also crushed my green cardamom pod at the end of the steep, which was a bad idea b/c I don’t like strong green cardamom flavor.) The guayusa (which I’ve never had plain) seemed just a bit herbaceous at first (similar to yerba mate?) but then I forgot all about it and if I didn’t know may have mistook this for a green tea chai blend.
I’m not ready to give it a number since I kinda fudged up all aspects of the brewing. The fact is that it was still good, and I drank it down and wanted more when it was gone. So it definitely gets points for being forgiving. I may have had a slight energy increase, but it didn’t seem as noticeable as with matcha, strong black tea, or even yerba mate. ttfn
The suspense is killing me.