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.

Ingredients: rooibos, cardamom, cloves, lemongrass.

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.