Back in August, as I looked up what special days are celebrated during the month of September, I noticed one that stood out for me as an avid tea drinker–September 21st is celebrated as National Chai Tea Day. “Perfect!” I shouted. “I just found what teas I’m going to feature throughout the month of September!”
Luckily, I already had two in my arsenal–one I’ve already tried and loved, and one I haven’t tried yet–but I needed two more. With so many brands out there with their version of a chai tea, it was rather difficult for me to choose which one. Thankfully, my local Stop & Shop made one easy for me because they were having a sale on Twinings Chai Tea collection, so I grabbed one of those, but what should be my fourth?
I hate to admit it, but after a couple of weeks of thinking, it finally hit me, “I’m going to be traveling for book festivals toward the end of the month. Why don’t I find a local coffee shop and try their chai tea?”
I mean, DUH! Hahaha! And that’s exactly what I did!
Read on to learn which ones were my favorite and which ones weren’t exactly my favorite.
Jolie Tea Company: Spiced Masala Chai
Jolie Tea Company is a tearoom up in Salem, Massachusetts (my home away from home) and one time, my best friend went up there, went to Jolie’s, and grabbed this tea for me to try. I remember trying it as soon as she gave it to me and enjoying it, but I don’t remember the flavors. Now, trying it again, I’m happily reminded of the mixture of spices with the Indian black tea; it is truly the perfect tea to cozy up with on a cool fall day and read a book or watch TV or just enjoy life.
Since this is a loose-leaf tea, you’re able to add as much, or as little, tea to a tea bag, or tea pot, as you like. The morning I made this particular tea, the tea gods must’ve thought I needed to wake up because it was a little on the strong side, but not so bad where I couldn’t enjoy it. The burnt/bitter/earthiness of the black tea definitely hit first, but the “after taste” consisted of the different spices in it, which included ginger pieces, cardamom, and cinnamon cloves. Like I said, fall in a cup!
Interested in learning more or grabbing some for yourself? Click here.
Jolie Tea Company: Blooming Chai
So, I have a little secret to tell you. I am a very indecisive person (which drives my husband up a wall), and when I need to make a decision but can’t, like what should we have for dinner, I turn to my new best friend on the internet, the Wheel of Names website. Going back to the example of what to eat for dinner, I just type in foods we talked about, spin the wheel, and let it make the decision for us. Haha!
The reason I told you that is because that’s how I chose which teas I would be trying first, since I couldn’t make a decision. Thanks to the Wheel of Names, Jolie’s Spiced Masala Chai was number one and then, it decided that the next chai tea I would try would also be from Jolie. I guess it figured do these two before moving on to another brand. Haha!
I must say, this chai tea was very different compared to others I’ve had, but it was still rather good. I’m used to a chai tea being on the spicy side, meaning I can taste the cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom. Sometimes I have chai teas with black tea in it, like the Spiced Masala Chai, but nothing too strange, nothing too out of the ordinary. Well, this one, in my opinion, is strange and out of the ordinary because it’s more floral.
Now, I’m not a big floral tea drinker. To me, they taste too much like drinking perfume out of the bottle. However, since you have the spices mixed in with the floral, I feel like the clove, ginger, and cardamom seeds overpowered the flavors of the South African honeybush, rosehip, and rose petals. This definitely doesn’t remind me of fall, like the Spiced Masala Chai did, but I honestly wouldn’t mind enjoying this is the spring as the flowers start to bloom, bringing new life to the world.
If you are interested in trying this tea, click here.
Twinings Chai Pumpkin Spice
It truly breaks my heart to say that this one was not one of my favorites. When I saw that Stop & Shop was having the sale on Twinings Chai Tea collection and I was going to review different chai teas in the month of September, I immediately knew I was going to review one of their teas. I’ve had their Spiced Apple Chai and French Vanilla Chai in the past and they were delicious, so I figured the Pumpkin Spice Chai was going to be just as good. Unfortunately, I was wrong. And I am such a pumpkin spice girl! I love my pumpkin spice chai tea latte from Starbucks, so I thought it was going to taste something like that, but again, I was so wrong.
What bothered me about this tea was the mixture of the flavors. Not only does it have the usual pumpkin spice flavors–cinnamon, clove, cardamom, etc.–but it also has black tea in it, so as you take a sip, you’re getting the burnt/bitter/earthiness of the black tea plus the spiciness of the different spices. Yes, I didn’t mind it in Jolie’s Spiced Masala Chai, but I think the black tea they used mixed a lot better with the spices than the one Twinings used. I mean, it’s not terrible, but it’s definitely not as good as the Spiced Masala Chai.
What I did like about it was how smoothly it went down. It kind of reminded me of eating a slice of creamy pumpkin pie, but again, it just wasn’t as good as one. This is my opinion, though, so don’t let it sway you from giving it a try if you’ve seen the box and thought, “Oh, I must try this!” Your taste buds could be very different from mine.
Give it a try and let me know what you think.
The Big Bean Coffeehouse Iced Chai Tea with Oatmilk and Lavender
This was probably my favorite chai tea drink I had in the month of September.
So, toward the end of September (the 28th and 29th to be exact), I attended a horror book festival in Maryland called FrightReads. Before heading down, I looked to see if there were any coffeeshops around the sports center where the event was being held. It looked like there was one right across the street, which was perfect; however, as we got to the sports center, I looked and only found an office building. I figured Google was showing me the coffeeshops office space and not their actual shop.
Then, during the first day of the event, I was talking to a fellow vendor, and they said, “There’s a great coffee place across the street if you need coffee or anything.”
Turns out, the coffee shop is a part of this massive office building, so that’s why I was confused.
The next day, my husband and I made a quick pit stop to The Big Bean Coffeehouse in Millersville, Maryland, where I got an iced chai tea latte with oatmilk and lavender plus a breakfast sandwich. Let me tell you, it was one of the best iced chai tea lattes I’ve had in a long time. My favorite actually comes from a coffee shop in Upper Montclair, New Jersey, called Java Love–I will feature them at some point–but Big Bean’s is definitely up there.
If you’re ever traveling through Maryland, make sure to stop at The Big Bean Coffeehouse to get a cup of coffee, tea, or something to eat. It’ll be the perfect pick-me-up.
In the end, the one chai tea I thought I was going to love turned out to be my least favorite, but everything else was delicious. Are you a fan of chai tea? If so, what are some of your favorites? Do you have a coffee shop and a tea shop that you like to get your teas from, especially chai tea? Please let me know by emailing me at lhauthor87@gmail.com and let’s chat.
Until next time, take care and drink on.
Please note I am not getting paid to review these teas or promote these brands or coffeeshops. I am just a tea drinker enjoying some teas.
Comentarios