Kimberley's Kyusu

Hey there Teacups! I’m back today with another Let’s Talk Tea post and this time around I’m going to be reviewing Tiger Tea Co’s – The Chai. I’ve had nothing but great experiences so far with the blends I have tried from Tiger Tea Co so far so going into this tasting session I definitely had very high expectations. I won’t lie I was slightly worried about some of the more unique ingredients in this blend and how they would effect the overall flavour profile but in the end I had a really good experience with this blend and found the perfect way to prepare this for me.

Here’s what Tiger Tea Co have to say about this blend over on their website: ”The Chai – This distinguished classic – Malty Assam married together with whole aromatic spices. A taste to savour.”

Ingredients: Assam Tea, Star Anise, Fennel Seeds, Liquorice Root, Black Peppercorns, Red Peppercorns, Cloves, Green Cardamom Seeds, Coriander Seeds, Cinnamon, Ginger, Vanilla, Cocoa Nibs, Orange Pieces, Rose Petals.

Tea Tasting Notes

For this tasting session I tried this three ways: on it’s own (hot), with just honey added (hot) and then finally as a latte with honey and milk added (hot). While I definitely enjoyed it each way I tried it, there was one front runner for me which was the latte. The great thing about this blend is the fact that not only does it have all the classic elements you would expect in a chai but there is also ingredients like Cumin, Fennel, Coriander Seeds, Vanilla, Cocoa Nibs, Orange Pieces and Rose Petals in there which take this chai to a whole new level. I thought there was no way all of those different elements were going to balance out well and this was just going to be a muddled mess in the cup I had on it’s own but that wasn’t the case at all in fact it was the complete opposite, it is for the most part a really well balanced blend the only elements I wish was a little stronger was the orange peel. I think if that was able to shine through a little more it would do a great job of cutting through all of the different spice elements.

The reason I decided to try adding a little bit of honey to this is because like I’ve said in the past I like to have that blend of sweet and spicy when I have chai and adding in just a teaspoon of honey not only added that sweet note I was looking for, but it also sweetened the rose notes and amplified them a little bit. It also helped those chocolate notes from the cocoa nobs and the vanilla comes through little more as well. Without the honey this was a touch too savoury for me as it’s not an overly spicy chai, as those Fennel, Coriander and Cumin notes stand out and for me that’s not something I usually look for in a chai so honey or a little brown sugar is definitely needed in this tea for me.

The reason I love this the most as a latte is not only because that’s how I prefer to drink my chai but because it takes the slight bit of astringency away from the Assam, take away the overly savoury note and really does let all the best aspects of this particular chai blend shine. What I will recommend is that if you are going to use this to make a latte that you use a little more tea than you normally would to make sure there is enough strength it it that it stand sup well against the milk and you can still pick out all of it’s best elements. Having it as a latte also make it feel a bit more like an indulgent treat as well. It’s definitely not as spicy as I would expect a chai to be, but it works and I think had those spices elements been any strong they would have over powered some of the subtler notes in this blends flavour profile.

I have to say this is definitely one of the most unique chai blends I’ve had so far this year and I would say it’s one I will without a doubt order again in the future. I went through the whole sample bag I was sent in a day so that just proves how much I really did enjoy this blend doesn’t it. I highly recommend sprinkling a little bit of nutmeg over your latte as well it really works well with this bend mad make it tastes like Christmas. This is a perfect blend for the autumn winter seasons and if I weren’t on a buying ban still I’d be buying so much more of this blend to last me until the new year.

Overall Teacup Rating: 4.8/5

If you want to find out more about Tiger Tea Co and purchase some of this bled to try for yourself. you can do both here. As always if you have any questions at all either stick them in the comments or send them to me on Twitter/Instagram @teaisawishblog and I’ll answer them all as soon as I can.

Speak to you all again soon. Happy Steeping – Kimberley

*The tea featured in this post was gifted to me for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own and have not been paid for*