This is the second rooibos chai blends that I’ve reviewed in the last few days. Both are very different from one another, and I enjoyed both immensely!
What struck me immediately about this chai was the ingredient list, because most chai teas have cinnamon, but there is no cinnamon listed here. What is listed is cardamom, cloves (two other common chai ingredients) and lemongrass (a not so common chai ingredient, although I have had other chai teas with lemongrass in them), in addition to the red rooibos base.
The fragrance of this tea is undeniably wintery. It smells so amazing: laden with the aroma of warm spice, summoning cozy memories of watching the snow fall while curling up to the fireplace.
The spices here are not devastatingly pungent; rather, they are very gentle, soothing and warming, providing a very pleasant contrast to the slightly tart, slightly sweet lemongrass and rooibos combination.
The omission of the cinnamon allows the cardamom and cloves to take center stage in this tea. The lemongrass accentuates these spices very well, creating a surprising, yet very pleasing flavor combination. The lemongrass is not particularly overwhelming, but it does bring a very subtle yet sharp presence of tart to the palate.
The familiar rooibos “sparkle” also pairs well with the lemongrass. The delicately tart nature of the lemongrass offsets the inherent sweetness of rooibos just enough so that the resulting flavor is neither too tart nor too sweet.
Tea Forté describes this tea as
Classic spices familiar to chai drinkers evoke the aromas of the holidays in this crimson rooibos herbal. A special edition holiday tea.
Although it is delicious served hot or cold, I recommend it served hot – since it is a winter blend – with a small amount of sweetener to add depth and definition to the spice. This is one spiced chai tea that I do not serve latte style, however, because I personally prefer my rooibos blends without milk or cream. But you feel free to serve it how you like!
This tea is part of Tea Forte’s “Winter Collection” which includes other flavors such as Sweet Orange Spice (which I will be reviewing soon), and English Breakfast, as well as other varieties, and is packaged for gift giving, and would make a delightful gift for the tea lover on your list.
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Recent Comments
"When I was a kid, in the middle of winter, my friend Penny and I eachbought a quart of ice cream, skated to the island in the middle of our lake and ate them. Soooo good and soooo naughty. It keeps us young to be naughty sometimes. I would just go for it an enjoy!"
marlena said, in reply to Better Belly Blend from Two Leaves and a Bud on August 30, 2010 at 12:35 pm
marlena on:
Better Belly Blend from Two Leaves and a Bud
"Well, as someone who has tasted a lot of chai tea, I can attest that this really is not very similar in taste to Chai. Chai tends to focus on the spices, whereas this tea’s focus is on the orange, with the spices being very gentle and more of an accent to the orange."
liber-teas said, in reply to Harvest Orange Spice from Octavia Tea on August 25, 2010 at 11:00 pm
liber-teas on:
Harvest Orange Spice from Octavia Tea
"How fun! I love drinking tea so I love that you have a whole blog related to reviewing them. One brand that I really love that I don’t see on your list is the Portsmouth Tea Company. When I lived in Boston I used to buy lots of their teas and they were oh so unique. They had some really great fruity and floral blends. It’s interesting that..."
Kelly said, in reply to Harvest Orange Spice from Octavia Tea on August 25, 2010 at 11:25 am
Kelly on:
Harvest Orange Spice from Octavia Tea
"Haha!! My co-worker told me that she purchased this tea after having purchased the Matcha Latte at Seattle’s Best, and her and another co-worker purchased this because they believed it was what was served there. She stated to me today that “it didn’t seem the same exactly…it felt like their was something..."
The Tea Guru said, in reply to Matcha Latté with Honeydew from Tazo Tea on August 20, 2010 at 8:55 pm
The Tea Guru on:
Matcha Latté with Honeydew from Tazo Tea
"I’m not absolutely certain, but I believe that this is the concentrate that Seattle’s Best coffee shops use to make their matcha latte. The lattes I’ve enjoyed there were sweet with a definite melon flavor… and I have noticed that they sell other Tazo teas there. If it IS the concentrate that they use… I am..."
liber-teas said, in reply to Matcha Latté with Honeydew from Tazo Tea on August 20, 2010 at 8:47 pm
liber-teas on:
Matcha Latté with Honeydew from Tazo Tea
"I Love this tea!! This flavor is my favorite. I am so addicted to it! Thanks
"
Betsy said, in reply to Raspberry Earl from Zhena’s Gypsy Tea on August 20, 2010 at 4:55 pm
Betsy on:
Raspberry Earl from Zhena’s Gypsy Tea
"Steph: Thank you for your information about the naranquilla. I didn’t find the flavor to be very tart at all – which is what I would have expected from the combination of lime and rhubarb. Perhaps the maraschino sweetened it up a bit and made it much more peach-like. It reminded me a bit of candied apricots or peaches."
liber-teas said, in reply to Easter Tea from Dammann Frères on August 19, 2010 at 7:42 pm
liber-teas on:
Easter Tea from Dammann Frères