Usually, when I smell a chai tea, I know it.  The scent of spices — most notably the strong aroma of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and cloves — gives it away nearly every time.

That’s why I was a bit taken aback when I first smelled this tea.  I even had to double check the label, because it does not smell like the chai I just described — like the chai fragrance with which I am familiar.

Nor does it look like a familiar chai — which is normally abundant with spices.  This looks more like a fine quality breakfast blend.

But do not let this deter you from trying this tea!  This is certainly not a typical chai, but that is not a bad thing.  This is a delicious, savory tea that I found to be truly enchanting.

Whereas the aforementioned spices usually take center stage on the palate with most chai teas, this chai’s most prominent flavors are the cumin and to a lesser extend the curry and coriander.  These spices give this tea a very savory appeal.

The tea is a high-grown Ceylon, which is not particularly robust, but manages to hold its own in this blend, creating a coppery cup with mild fruity undertones.

Culinary Teas describes their Indian Spiced Chai as:

This special loose leaf spiced chai features Indian spices from a secret traditional recipe. For best results, brew tea in milk.

I do not brew my tea in milk for the same reasons I do not measure my teas using a scale.  Tea brewing for me should be simple, and brewing in milk is not simple — nor is it a tidy enterprise.  I hate washing pans, and heating milk in my electric tea kettle will ruin the kettle (care to guess how I know that?)  So, I guess I do not need to tell you that I did not brew my sample of this tea in milk.

However, steeping in water still manages to brew a fine cup of tea:  coppery in color, with hints of savory spice in its aroma, and a flavor that is delightfully different than any other chai tea I’ve ever tried.  I used agave nectar to sweeten my first cup of this chai and it tasted quite good.  However, for my second cup, I sweetened with brown sugar, and I think I prefer using brown sugar for this tea.  The molasses seems to bring some of the more subtle spices (cloves and cardamom) into focus, creating a more well-rounded cup.

For a touch of creaminess, milk or cream is a nice addition.  However, please note that this addition does wash out some of the spicier notes in this tea, so use a light hand with it.

Overall, I rather enjoyed this cup of chai.  It is a surprisingly different chai, and as this tea proves:  sometimes, different is good!