Chocolate Chili Chai

Perfect on its own or with milk & honey… or a dark rum. Would probably be very tasty as a cold tea. Don’t add too much milk – you’re going to want to enjoy this tea in all its glory.

I really really love this tea. It is not spicy at all and it complements the chocolate very well. One of my favorite dessert teas.

*Update: Pretty tasty as a latte too.

Came across a sample of this.

Smells good. A bit hot chocolatey.

The taste is a bit thin on the chocolate. Not much on the chili or chai spice either.
Slightest bit of heat at the end of the sip, but I wouldn’t know if I weren’t looking for it.

The base doesn’t thrill me. It doesn’t stand up to a second steep. Also, a bit of astringency although I didn’t steep over three minutes on the first steep.

Mild tea. I wonder how it would be with a pinch of Lapsang Souchong for a bit of smoke and burn? In which case, I’d need to add a bit more Aleppo Pepper too.

It’s winter, and it’s cold, and I’m completely worn out. That’s why I picked this one out of my sample box today. It came to me courtesy of Miss B back in early summer, and I’ve been saving it for just such a day. I used 1 tsp for my cup, and gave it 4 minutes in boiling water. I was all ready to add milk, but I didn’t in the end because the resulting brew doesn’t get darker than a soft golden brown. I didn’t want to drown it, so I decided black was the way forward.

To taste, I’m pretty impressed. The main flavour is chocolate, and it reminds me mostly of smoked mexican-style hot chocolate rather than the over-sweet, creamy stuff we’re used to in the UK. It’s a deep, rich dark chocolate flavour, accented initially with hints of sweet red pepper and just a touch of smoke. My complaint initially was that I couldn’t taste any chili, but it starts to emerge as my cup cools. It’s not hot hot, but it’s definitely got a spicy kick by the end. I felt it mostly on my lips to begin with, and then as a warmth at the back of my throat, before it became all-our roaring chili. Delicious stuff!

Despite all the chilis this tastes only mildly spicy to me, probably a good thing. The chocolate flavor is there but not as strong as I’d like. The black tea base comes across smooth with little in the way of bitterness, malt, or astringency. IF only the chocolate were stronger this tea would rate in the 90s by me.

I brewed this tea once in a 16oz Teavana Glass Perfect Tea Maker/Gravity Steeper with 3 tsp leaf and 200 degree water for 4 min.

I enjoy this tea ALMOST as much as Stormy Night. I love the spiciness of it that pairs so well with the chocolate and earthy black tea flavours. A few years ago, before it was made a year-round selection by David’s, I would stock up on it during winter to try and make it to the next holiday season. Even then, I would finish it up early and have to wait for what seemed like forever for it to come out again. So there’s always been this lovely wintery excitement to this one for me. David’s page recommends spicing it up further with a shot of cinnamon whiskey. This intrigues me but since I usually just drink the black teas in the morning I guess I’ll have to continue to wonder about that. Cinnamon whiskey for breakfast might be a bit much.

Tea smells luscious and dreamy but did not meet expectations nor the tasting description. I’ve made this a few times to give it the benefit of the doubt but the tea lacks flavor and spice. Where’s the spice? Really disappointed.

I purchased this tea quite some time ago and I don’t remember enjoying it that much. This was early on in my tea immersion. So, it sat at the back of my tea cupboard for a long time. A few nights ago, I came across it and decided to try it again. I had it as a hot latte. I am not sure if my tastes have changed, but I suspect that I am just better at preparing loose leaf tea now…..because it was really good! I was surprised by how much I liked it. Usually, I don’t like the cinnamon in David’s Tea chais, but I am a HUGE chai lover otherwise. But this was really, really good. Like “I need to add this to my regular rotation” good. Definitely as a latte, as a chai should be!

My favorite of all David’s Teas. Not too chocolately, not too spicy, nice flavours. The smell is to die for. This is my go to in the mornings. I drink it plain – no milk, no sugar and I love it.

If you’re intrigued by this tea yet find yourself nervous…don’t be. This tea is pretty mild. Unfortunately so, in my case.

I mistook the chocolate for cocoa nibs — the flavor felt a bit chalky and not really like there was melted chocolate in my tea. The chai isn’t very extreme either, which is why for my second cup I felt compelled to add some of my Caramel Chai Rooibos from Teavana. It kind of helped.

But see, I was expecting a tea version of perhaps my favorite chocolate by Lindt, Chili Dark Chocolate. The chili in this tea is…very weak in comparison. There’s a hint of warmth on the back of your tongue, once you’ve swallowed, but not much else. It kind of helps the flavors going along in the tea, but since the dry taste of the chili is playing with an even drier chocolate, it’s hard to say what it’s doing for it. On top of that, I’m surprised at the 1.25 tsp per 8oz preparation instructions. By default I almost always use nearly a full tablespoon of tea per 10-12 oz and my cup still felt weak.

I really expected more, at least like a chai with some subtle flavors; as of yet, to me, it tastes equally weak on all flavor fronts. I’ll have to tinker with adding some dried red pepper flakes or melting in some of my beloved Lindt to get me through the rest of this ounce of tea leaves. May edit later for recommendations.