Cha Yen Thai

Huh.

It smells sort of like a chai. I don’t have much experience with these spiced black blends. It smells like cinnamon and cookies. Spooning it into my teapot, I catch a glimpse of a perfect star of anise sitting on my spoon.

I knew this was going to need sugar, so I put some rock sugar in the basket as it steeped. I poured it over ice and added a bit of milk.

It’s a lot better than I expected. I taste the anise, I taste cinnamon, I taste almonds… it’s not really my favorite kind of tea, but it’s a good cup.

This is one of those blends that I open the tin every once in a while to smell the dry leaf, it smells that good to me. This is a tasty blend. I like it a lot, despite the fact that the predominant flavour to me is the star anise, followed by a nutty flavour(presumably coconut as that is on the ingredient list) and finally a hint of cinnamon. I see the cardamom pods in the blend, but not sure if I actually taste it. Same with the fruit pieces – I see them, but they don’t stand out.
Brewed to near boiling with added sweetener and milk – delicious.
I tried cold brewing this one, but that didn’t work out, and I had to get rid of it. Maybe a hot brew and then iced with added coconut rum will work out better.
This one I will be keeping in my cupboard.

I am in love with this tea! Why, oh why didn’t I buy more of this when it was $6.80/lb?!?! I can drink crappy tea for $6.80/lb… and this is an incredibly delicious tea. Of all the Teavana teas I’ve tried, this is the only one that I would consider a staple in my cabinet.

This tea is such a pretty blend. I can see plenty of pink peppercorns, cardamom pods, whole star anise, coconut shavings, almond slivers… and tea too of course. ;)

When opening the tin, I get an immediate whiff of almond. The most prominent flavors in the tea are the almond and coconut with a hint of pineapple. The cinnamon and cloves are definitely in the background and complement the flavor nicely.

Like many other reviewers have said, I don’t think that it’s possible to mess up this tea. I’ve made it in less than ideal situations (for example, with water heated up by hotel coffee pots) and have steeped it for way too long, and not long enough and it’s always delicious.

I generally get two really good steeps out of this tea.

I love this tea… I enjoy chai and this is a nice sweet and just a bit of spice. It is very smooth and wonderful for a marning wakeup. It is delicous try it you won’t be sorry!

This time I mixed it with some of Joy’s Spicy Chai.
The result: Mocha (Don’t ask how the chocolate got there…)
I’m serious, this is probably the most full bodied cup of tea I’ve ever drank.

Upping rating for it. I’m growing fond of this tea.

This is my fourth time drinking this tea, but my first time having it as a latte. Previously, i felt this tea was too sweet. As a latte, it’s sweet almondy goodness is much better. Also tasting cinnamon and vanilla. Maybe some cardamon too?

It is with a very, very heavy heart that I have to lower my rating of this tea. Teavana, in its “wisdom,” messed with a good thing and changed this tea’s recipe. I restocked it several weeks ago, but as soon as I opened the new bag (having not paid that much attention in the store), I knew something was different. Sure, the fruit and coconut pieces are a bit bigger and healthier looking, but… and I shook the bag a lot just to be sure… there are no pink peppercorns. Anywhere. Sure enough, after I steeped some of the new stuff, the flavor is MOSTLY the same, but it’s missing that delicious spicy bite that I loved so much.

You’ve ruined my day, Teavana. Ruined it.

I was surprised at how light the flavor of this tea is, considering how many spices are in the tea itself. The smell of the dry tea is heavenly. The taste of the actual tea is more subtle and bland. I added a spoonful of sugar, and that helped a bit. Some half and half helped a bit more.

Overall, I would have liked this better if the flavor was stronger. It has so much promise. Everything mixed well together.

This is a really yummy chai. I enjoyed it with some milk and honey.

A big thanks to Rachel for this one. :)

This has almost replaced my Matevana as my weekday morning go-to tea. I love how smooth and creamy it tastes with a little brown sugar. I’ve been able to get 3 steeps from it, haven’t tried a fourth yet. Seriously yummy.