Adagio Loose Leaf Black Tea 'Masala Chai'

Tea Information: 

Adagio Teas Company Loose Leaf Black Tea 'Masala Chai' 

Purchase: Here 

Steepster Link: http://steepster.com/teas/adagio-teas/92-masala-chai

Description: Our Masala Chai tea blend combines premium Ceylon black tea with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and ginger. In Indian culture, 'Masala' means 'a blend of spices', and 'chai' simply means 'tea.' So, Masala Chai is literally 'spiced tea'. Our interpretation tries to stay true to its definition thanks to a warm and inviting fragrance, zesty flavor, and invigorating, aromatic finish. We suggest two heaping teaspoons per 8 oz cup. Sugar or milk if desired.

Steep Information: 

Hot, 500ml water, 3 minutes, 212F, 2 heaping tsp in kati loose tea system 12oz

Tasting Notes: 

Dry Leaf Smell: skipped

Steeped Tea Smell: bakey, hint of cinnamon 

Flavor: bakey, clove, cinnamon, hints of pepper

Body: Medium 

Aftertaste: astringent

Liquor: dark orange brown, mostly translucent

Post-Steep Additives: honey and milk, brought out the ginger

Resteep: weak, trashed it

Photos: 

Rating: 3/4 leaves 

 

Leaf system: 

1=Bleh! not again if it were free 

2=Acceptable, if it were free or there were limited other tea options 

3=I might purchase this tea from time to time, or select it while out 

4=A staple in our cupboard from now on, I will purchase and keep purchasing 

Statement of Sponsorship or Advertisement: 

I traded a person for this sample. 

Disclaimer: All my reviews are as unbiased as possible, whether I buy or receive free product. I accept no other compensation other than free product.

Radiance Tea House and Books Loose Leaf Black Tea 'Masala Chai'

Tea Information:
Tea: Masala Chai
Type: Black Tea
Packaging: Loose Leaf
Company: Radiance Tea House and Books
Purchase: In Store, 158 West 55th Street, NY, NY
Description: Our own blend of cardamon, cloves, ginger, fennel seeds, cinnamon and black tea makes this Chai highly aromatic with a gentle spiciness. Great to drink alone, or with milk and sugar.

Steep Information:
Amount: 4 tsp
Water: 2c at 212°F
Tool: make your own paper teabag
Steep Time: 5 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: Cinnamon and Ginger
Steeped Tea Smell: bakey and a little cinnamon
Flavor: mostly ginger, and a bakey tea
Body: Medium
Body: Full
Aftertaste: astringent, and ginger
Liquor: translucent dark brown

I made some plain, and some I then kept on the stove and triple boiled (brought to a boil, then removed from the heat three times) with almond milk and one spoon of honey

The milk and honey version was closer to what I expect from a chai taste, but with no pepper.

Nothing remarkable.

Rating: 2/4 leaves

Leaf system:
1=Bleh! not again if it were free
2=Acceptable, if it were free or there were limited other tea options
3=I might purchase this tea from time to time, or select it while out
4=A staple in our cupboard from now on, I will purchase and keep purchasing

I purchased this product. All my reviews are as unbiased as possible, whether I buy or receive free product. I accept no other compensation other than free product.

Arbor Teas Loose Leaf Black Tea 'Masala Chai'

Tea Information:
Tea: Organic Masala Chai Black Tea
Type: Black Tea
Packaging: Loose Leaf
Company: Arbor Teas
Purchase: Here
Description: This organic, Fair Trade Certified Masala Chai Black Tea blend has a medium-body with exceptionally spicy flavor and aroma. This formula is based on traditional South Indian blending methods and ingredients, using a CTC leaf grade (i.e. very small), as well as green cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and black pepper. Despite the CTC grade leaf, this tea has surprisingly little astringency. The clove and ginger really come through, with a wonderful cardamom finish. We recommend steeping a triple-strength cup of our Masala Chai Black Tea and serving it with honey and steamed milk.
Ingredients: organic black tea, organic green cardamom, organic cinnamon, organic ginger, organic clove, and organic black pepper.

Steep Information:
Amount: 2 tsp
Water: boiling, 12oz
Tool: kati loose tea system (my Review here.)
Steep Time: a little over 2 minutes (http://steep.it
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: Cardamom, clove, POW!
Steeped Tea Smell: cinnamon, peppercorn
Flavor: bake-y, cinnamon, cardamom
Body: Full
Aftertaste: ginger
Liquor: barely translucent dark brown

You can see all the spices, whole cardamom pods, whole cloves, it looks lovely.

I wish I had soy milk at work to make a latte with this.

When I received this with some other packages for review it came with a handwritten note. I love that i got a hand written note! It makes me smile when people include notes in packages. The note gave a little information on the Arbor Teas commitment to the environment - including information about their 100% backyard compostable packaging. The note was printed with vegetable-based ink on FSC-certified paper containing 100% post-consumer waste and processed chlorine-free.

This tea is organic and Fair Trade Certified. That would be worthless if the tea was not good, but this tea is delicious so it's an added bonus for everyone. It is a lovely tea and only missed out on a 100% rating because it's not something I MUST keep stocked at all times.

Post-Steep Additives: +2 honey sticks

Cha/chai is/means tea to most of the world, so I'll say spiced teas are my favorite, I have one at Starbucks every day

Rating: 3/4 leaves


Leaf system:
1=Bleh! not again if it were free
2=Acceptable, if it were free or there were limited other tea options
3=I might purchase this tea from time to time, or select it while out
4=A staple in our cupboard from now on, I will purchase and keep purchasing


I received this product for free in return for writing a review. The review is as unbiased as possible despite the free product. I received no other compensation.







I received this product for free in return for writing a review. All my reviews are as unbiased as possible, whether I buy or receive free product. I accept no other compensation other than free product.

Arbor Teas Tea-Infused Chocolate Truffles 'Masala Chai'

Information:
Product: Tea-Infused Chocolate Truffles 'Masala Chai'
Company: Arbor Teas
Purchase: Here
Description: White chocolate ganache infused with our spicy Masala Chai Black Tea, coated in white chocolate, and topped with a chocolate marble.
Ingredients: Masala Chai: white chocolate, cream*, butter*, masala chai black tea infusion*†, decorative chocolate marble (chocolate-coated puffed cereal, bourbon, vanilla bean, artificial color).

To see the entire box click here.

White chocolate then a creamy spiced center - cinnamon, cardamom, clove...not sure I can pick the spices out of the melody of spices but I think this is delicious. The crunchy dark chocolate topper is delicious as well and I enjoyed the nice crunch. Not a strong tea flavor, but a strong spice flavor.

After the Jasmine I was hoping this would be my favorite, surprisingly the Lapsang Souchong won out as the best.

If you know anyone who loves chocolates, I recommend these as a unique and delicious gift (the entire set) - however they don't carry a strong tea flavor so you might be disappointed if you want tea with chocolate favor instead of chocolate with tea flavor.




Received this product for free in return for writing a review. The review is as unbiased as possible despite the free product. I receive no other compensation.