This is quite nice. I like it!
A growing spice though, had to add milk again so that I could actually taste the chocolate notes. Ala dairy, I am now tasting a background note of cocoa, with a rather accurate mouthfeel of pudding, even moreso as the cup cools. Chipotle heat is the dominating feature of course, but giving way to chocolate pudding, surprisingly. Or maybe I’m getting used to the spice.
Also, my first sip was very smoky, in an airy way I’ve not seen before with tea, but that was before the heat from consecutive sips built up as an aftertaste. It kinda reminded me of the smoke rising from a pipe in cartoons. Or what I imagine the smoke from a vape would taste like. I’ve never tried it so can’t say the description is accurate but it is the image that comes to mind.
The overall complexity of the blend is lovely. This is my second cuppa, the first one straight. It did not take well to my Contigo at all. So glad I gave it a second chance.
Now, I have to say that the milk really brought things to life for me. Also about half a tsp of sugar, probably a little less. Before those additions I found my cuppa generically spicy. Now, seeing as this is a version of chai, atleast in my eyes, that seems reasonable to me.