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I just got an email from DT yesterday about their Halloween release, and since I was on my way downtown, I popped in and picked up the “back from the dead” collection, which included this tea. I’ve been on a total coffee bender in the past few days, so it seemed like a sign that this appeared yesterday.

I brewed up a cup this morning, and it’s lovely! The dry leaf smells magnificent and nutty and sweet, and the brew smells just like you’d expect a café mocha to smell. I tasted it black, and got a bit of an orange flavour, which is odd since there’s no citrus in this. Added some milk, and hey, there’s the almond! There is definitely a nice taste of coffee and that almond, and deeper in the cup I’m finding chicory comes out to play (I can’t add this as a flavour, but it’s there!). I really like it! I’m tempted to go get some for my stash (the sampler pack is only 25g), since I think this would make a great winter tea when I’m not in the mood for spice or fruit, but want a little extra in my tea. Or when I can’t choose between tea and coffee.

I didn’t get any bitterness in my cup, which a lot of people seem to dislike about this tea, but I also drink black coffee, so your mileage may vary.

Heavy on tannin but lacking in flavour. It’s just kind of sour and bland. I think this sample is too old. :(

Not gonna rate it because I think it’s age-damaged. It seems like a popular variety, so I’ll have to see if I can get a fresher sample from somewhere.

Hello again, my magnificent friend! Tuesday morning dawned wet and dreary after a long night of thunderstorms, and I had to be at work early, and there was no time for tea/coffee/energy drink/whatever before leaving the house. Chocolate Chilli Chai has the oomph to make up for it! I steeped a little longer this morning to get more bang out of the peppercorns and chillis. Definitely did the trick! I love this tea _

I brewed this at home on the weekend, since I had splurged on the Pumpkin Collection at the store, and arrived home Friday night with my fall tea goodies in hand. Saturday morning, I eagerly opened up the Pumpkin Patch bag and breathed in the lovely aroma. However (oh, I know, isn’t that such an awful word?!), I think I ruined the brew by adding soy milk. It certainly wasn’t “bad”, mind you, and I thoroughly enjoyed the great big oversized mug I steeped up, but it’s like the soy milk killed a lot of the more subtle spicing in the tea. It tasted like a much milder version of my beloved Pumpkin Chai. Kind of disappointing after I was so blown away when I tried the in-store sample.

In any case, I’m not adjusting the rating for now, since I know I tried it black in the store and that was how I fell in love, so I’ll try it like that again, and I may steep it a bit longer to let the spice really shine through. You’ve been warned, Pumpkin Patch!

Cold and drizzly and a tough Monday morning, all around. Definitely calls for a good, warming, comfort tea, and this fits the bill again. Very glad I picked up the Pumpkin Collection last week so that I don’t have to be too miserly with my initial Pumpkin Chai purchase. This one is so yummy!! It’s like having pumpkin pie for breakfast. Bumping it up 5 points for keeping me happy!

Continuing on the journey through my ancient stash of SpecialTeas packets, this one is a bit of a conundrum. The flavour is nice and has a bit of sweetness, but it feels thin, somehow – lacking that fullness I like in black tea. It’s not bad, and I’ll enjoy my pot of it, but it wouldn’t have been one I would buy again. I may overleaf with the remainder of the sample and see if that helps to enrich the flavour.

shrug

Tried this as a sample in store today, and I wasn’t thrilled. It was okay, but nothing to write home about. I would totally drink a cup of it if it was around, it certainly is nice, but I didn’t find it too memorable, and now I can’t quite recall the flavour. Probably because I tried the Cranberry Pear afterwards and that punched me in the face with YES! I might try this again, because I’d like to have something on hand without caffeine for afternoons, but I’m not in a rush…

Mmm, impulse buy! I went in to the shop today to get The Pumpkin Collection (which seems to have disappeared off the website, along with Pumpkin Cheesecake rooibos…hmm?), and today’s teas were Snickerdoodle and Craberry Pear. I sampled both, but fell in love with the Cranberry Pear! Sweet and fruity, but rich and creamy. It’s lovely and luscious and full of ripe autumn berry and pear flavours. I would definitely consider stocking some of this in the future, but since I was already going a bit over my budget, I settled for a to-go cup of it. Thoroughly enjoyable!

I had a sample of this at my desk from my last DT order, so I thought today would be a nice time to try it, since I was feeling spicy chai-ish today. Upon opening the package, the dry leaf smells like cinnamon. Like…all cinnamon. After steeping, the liquor smells like, surprise, cinnamon. BOOM! CINNAMON!!

The prospect was not thrilling me. I love a touch of cinnamon in baked goods and spiced drinks, but I’m not an enormous fan, so I prefer it to be a supporting actor rather than a co-star or main attraction. This did not bode well for the future of Chai Guarana! In addition, I don’t generally enjoy chai steeped the same way as all other teas and tisanes. I grew up in some degree of Indian culture (thanks, hippie parents!) and definitely got accustomed to chai cooked in a pan with milk and a touch of honey. Today, I only have on hand boiled water and little milkers in the office fridge. But I was in the mood for chai. What can you do? Just deal.

I got distracted talking to a co-worker (about tea) and ended up WAY oversteeping this. Whoops. I don’t tend to expect that to be a problem with chai, since I do like it cooked in a pot, but still…hmm… I’m not in fine form this morning.

Contrary to my assumption, there is not nearly as much cinnamon in the mouth as you might think. My first impression was that it was kind of medicinal tasting. This, I then ascribe to the presence of the liquorice flavour that I associate with herbal throat remedies. I like the taste, but it makes me feel a bit like I’m treating a cold, heh. There is ample cinnamon flavour, to be sure, but it takes a bit of a second seat to the ginger. Anise rolls around through the liquid and ends up being the dominant aftertaste. I’m missing clove and cardamom, here, because I really love those tastes in chai.

Overall, this is a nice, flavourful tea, but I wouldn’t stock it. I might send some to my mum, though, because I think this is right up her alley.