Winter Cabin Chai

Another example of having a few cups of this before actually bothering to log this. The dry leaf doesn’t smell nearly as smoky as I expected. I can’t really even detect any smoke, actually. This smells sweet and spicy more than anything, like candied ginger mixed with some cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. I would have even expected there to be some licorice in here based on its sweetness in the pouch, but there isn’t.

In terms of flavour, the black pepper comes through. The ginger and cinnamon are the main spices in this, with a touch of nutmeg, which is faint. I can’t get any cardamom or clove, unfortunately, and those are my two favourite spices (ok, and star anise too). The vanilla is present, for sure. Can’t taste the honeybush in here, and rather taste a slightly tannic black tea base, with the mildest whisper of smoke. I normally detest any smoke in tea, even the slightest bit, but it’s not bad since it seems to blend effortlessly into the spices.

Yesterday was a good tea day. All the spices came out nicely. Past cups of this have been a bit dominated by one spice or another, only I hadn’t realized it til this one.
I forgot to set a timer as well, so it was pure luck. Also, a few dashes of milk and one third of a teaspoon sugar really brought it all together. Just enough sugar to accent the spices, not cover them up.
Oh. And my internet at home is down. Tech is coming today. Really hoping for good news.
I use internet to turn my brain off, streaming tv shows etc. So I’m a bit stressed out now, not having had much chance to relax (reading books is nice, but I end up overthinking without the combined visual and auditory stimuli, and I haven’t got any new fiction books to read at the moment). Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

Apparently I opened this but I can’t recall if it was to share or to drink. I don’t have any reviews for it and yet only a bit of the tea was left. Curioser and curioser. Alright, I noticed I gave a sample, so that would explain it. Also, I don’t know if this is actually a sipdown or not because I think I may have ordered another pouch that is either in (a) my drawer of black teas or (b) my sister’s cupboard where I keep my stash for when I am at her place.

Anyways, I didn’t realize that I only had a couple teaspoons left so when I set out to make this as a latte, I set everything up with the mindset that I had 4 teaspoons of leaf. I didn’t unfortunately so my usual method would have been underleafed. I decided to toss the leaf into my milk frother (which I have done before and for some reason thought this time would be different) but the leaf got stuck in the frother piece and the machine got mad and made weird noises.

My last ditch method was stovetop brewing and since I had no clue what I was doing, I just stirred it and hoped for the best. 8-10 minutes later, I got tired of waiting and strained out the tea. The chai is pretty nice and very creamy, just as most chais are when I make them on the stove. Nothing stands out as particularly unique here though. The ginger contributes a nice kick and the spices are well-balanced and I think I maybe get some marshmallow here and there but I don’t know if its because that is actually a flavor that is present or if I just expect it to be because I read the tea description/ingredients. As far as chais go, this is pretty good.

I steeped a mug of this yesterday even though it was seasonally inappropriate because I had a headache and sometimes spices help a bit when my head hurts? It’s weird, I know. This was a fairly mild but nicely balanced chai. The strongest notes to me were the cardamom and the smoke of the lapsang souchong. Anyway it was comforting and did the trick, no more head pains :)

Sample from VariaTEA.. I could use a little more cardamom in this one, but that might just be the result of the sample ratio that i received. This has a hint of smokiness – it smelled smokier than it tasted. It does evoke memories of a winter cabin – some days i really miss being able to go up north to my husbands family home. thanks for this Variatea!

It seems like everyone on steepster really liked this blend. I wanna start by saying I wanted to like it. I bought the large size thinking that I would! I wanted to like it soooooo baddddd. But I just hate the smoky flavor. Ugh I hate it so much. Yuck!!!!!! Anne, please re-blend this with no lapsang souchong! (if thats what you used) Please please! Every other ingredient I am ALL FOR!! I was SO EXCITED for a chai that included marshmallow root and vanilla!! The smokiness just ruined it for me. My boyfriend liked it though. Im sad :( Please make a marshmallow chai…please please please…with no smoke!

Generally speaking, 52Teas’ black base chai blends—note, I have no idea what Frank’s versions were like—are always, or very usually, a win with me. The spice blends are balanced and kapow with no one spice predominating, just the way I like them. Occasionally, one of the spices does a peekaboo and that’s just great as well. I drink the chais straight up and unsweetened, with perhaps a bit of dark chocolate alongside.

This one too is a beaut with just the right amount of smoke and spice. I know that smoke thing has been tricky to get balanced in past 52Teas blends, but here it is totally working. Yay, 52Teas, well done! I think we’ve got it.

If I were to change one wee thing, it would be to have the vanilla and marshmallow peek out a bit more, but truly, I don’t know if that is a possibility in tea blending. Can’t blame me for wishing and hoping, right?

Edit—As the tea sits and cools more—not that I drink it hot to begin with, mind you— a bit more of the vanilla and marshmallow steps in. So, my happiness is now complete.

I can see now why I saved such a small amount of this for such a long time. I think it was a favorite! I wish I’d remembered for the 52Teas poll – maybe next year. It’s smoky and spicy (and also well-spiced) with a solid, dark base.

My “something old” for A June Wedding.

It’s rainy today. The temp is around 60. Feeling quite like fall. I had to go out and came home cold and wet. What is a tea lover to do? I dug deep in the tea drawer for my “fall” teas and came up with this one. I like the smoke flavor. It’s not overpowering and the spice comes out nicely. Just a lovely tea on a chilly and damp afternoon.

I am in love with this chai. I love everything about it, but a special shout out to the smokiness of it. I was freezing when I made it, so this was just perfect for snuggling up with my cat and starting a new knitting project.