When I first came across this online, I thought “Oh look-obligatory chai blend.” Like the breakfast blend, I expected this one to be relatively generic, but when I looked at the loose leaf they advertised online, I wondered if the tea base was in fact an oolong because some of the leaves looked rolled an light brown. I could have been wrong, but that would not be a bad thing considering how good their Zealong black is.
Since I could not find a single bag sample, I risked a whole box. Luckily, I had Kiwi credits, but I found it was worth it. I drank as many as three bags in a day during work, and that’s including re-steeping it.
As for the taste and smell, the spices are doubtlessly warming chai, but with that edgy char in profile. Tasting it and drinking it, it’s extremely well balanced. The pepper is fairly prominent with the cardamom, the ginger is more obvious mid body, and clove and cinnamon finishes it off nicely with the tea’s cocoa-char note. The overall body is very smooth and a little bit malty, but naturally soothing. It’s not as malty in the second brew with the clove and ginger taking over a little bit more, but the tea is a little bit sweeter and nearly caramelized. It’s not THAT sweet, but the tea is incredibly pleasing on the palette.
I feel like I’m missing something in the description because the tea is just that good, and someone who pays more attention to their palette might describe it better. If it weren’t so expensive, I’d be getting a lot more since this ranks as on of my top three masalas. The roasty Zealong base makes a difference, and whoever blended the spices did a fantastic job balancing everything out. Foodie recommended-it may be too mellow for some, but it’s great for those looking for smooth and balanced chais. I’d also rate it a 90, or something close to it.
Flavors: Black Pepper, Cardamon, Char, Cinnamon, Clove, Cocoa, Ginger, Malt, Roasted, Smooth
