96 Tasting Notes

5

Just bought the bagged version of this (on accident), but steeped it in my Zarafina. The first few sips taste like a stick of Big Red gum dissolved in hot water…yuck. It is, however, quite sweet without sweetener (woo!). The tea flavor comes out a little more as it cools, but it’s still very, very faint. I put the teabag back into cup, and it became a bit stronger…but it still tastes like very sweet gum. It’s almost too sweet (never thought I’d say that…I’m a “I like my sugar with coffee and cream” kind of gal). I’m not digging this. Next time maybe I’ll throw in some black tea with it.

[Zarafina – Black x Loose x Strong, no sweetener]

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54
drank Sweet Dreams by Bigelow
96 tasting notes

This is pretty tasty, but not quite what I was looking for. The chamomile and mint are relaxing and smooth, and the hibiscus adds a tangy note. I personally am not keen for the sourness right before bed. I will be looking for a better loose blend without the sour notes.

Preparation
6 min, 0 sec

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88
drank English Breakfast by Twinings
96 tasting notes

This tea is goes amazingly well with milk and sweetener. It’s cozy, warm, and comforting, and perfect for coaxing yourself out of bed when on those grey days when you just don’t want to get up. I prefer to steep two bags in my Zarafina tea maker with 8 oz (1 cup) of water, and then pour over heated milk and sugar in a large mug. The addition of milk will save the tea from bitterness in case you over-steep (not likely if you invest in an automated tea maker, though!). Much better than the Bigelow equivalent. The loose form is better than the bagged tea.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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63

This tea is good for what it is – cheap, bagged black tea with added caffeine (mate, I believe). It created to provide energy and not necessarily to be delicious; however, it is drinkable (unlike the India Spice Chai I’ve tried from CS, which is supposed to be tasty—bleargh). I prefer this to coffee when I have to stay awake for an all-nighter. However, this isn’t the kind of tea you make just to relax and enjoy. This tea requires sugar and is good with or without milk. I wouldn’t mistake this for chai, but the flavor profile is similar. Unfortunately, it has been discontinued by Celestial Seasonings.

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10

The worst chai I have ever tasted. Prior to trying this tea, I was under the impression that chai was pretty hard to mess up. Let me preface this by saying that I am not a “chai snob”; I grew up on homemade masala chai tea and enjoy the loose-leaf varieties, but I’ve also been impressed with the not-so-expensive bagged offerings from Tazo and Stash Teas. So, I was under the impression that maybe chai was just this miracle brew that was just impossible to screw up. Yeah, I was wrong. I’ve tried this chai with and without milk, with and without sugar, light steep time to long steep time, different temperatures of water. Every single time it comes out tasting like bitter cardboard marinated in cinnamon. I don’t know how else to describe it. Avoid at all costs and try Tazo or Stash if you’re looking for bagged chai.

Cofftea

This is sad! But I’m liking this because I appreciate the heads up. Loose (IMO) is better, but sometimes I’m just lazy. Have you tried Bigelow’s Vanilla chai? That was my 1st experience w/ chai. In a completely uncontroled steeping environment too- hot water of an unknown temp at an airport and I didn’t time the steeping.

Shanti

I haven’t tried the Bigelow vanilla chai yet…how did you like it? Have you tried it after the airport experience? For me, chai IS lazy tea, and most of my chai is bagged. :) I want chai when I want to be comforted and warm, and bagged chai is perfect for those times!

Cofftea

It was good! I haven’t tried it since then because I try to avoid bagged tea due to a personal preference. My favorite chais are the tea I’m craving + chai spice mix. I’m very picky about all my flavored teas. I like to be able to taste the tea and not just the flavor. That allows me to not only have any flavor chai I want, but to control the spice level.

Shanti

Do you have any recommendations for loose leaf chai? I am also not a fan of bagged teas (chai being the exception, because it works so well in a rush). I’ve heard disappointing things about loose leaf chai, so I haven’t worked up the will to order some yet. (Not to mention, Celestial Seasonings ruined my faith in chai reviews…there are so many good reviews on Amazon for it! Maybe I just received a bad batch…)

Cofftea

I say drink what you like, so pair chai spice mix w/ any tea you like. I like Adagio’s chocolate chip and rum teas. Their green chai and thai chais are pretty amazing too. I also like to make chai w/ green caramel and caramel creme oolong. I’m thinking I’m gonna have to make a premium sencha chai sometime too;)

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82
drank Spiced Plum by Harney & Sons
96 tasting notes

I was very impressed by this tisane. The blend is a very fine powder, and I was afraid that it might be too strong, but it turned out just right. It does indeed brew a strong, flavorful cup for an herbal tea. I was pleasantly surprised by the combination of cinnamon and plum, especially since I’m not a huge fan of cinnamon on its own. The cinnamon flavor tastes more like freshly ground cinnamon and less like spicy red cinnamon candy. It’s perfect for winter as a hot tea (as most spice blends are), but I can imagine it working really well iced in the summer. Good with or without sweetener.

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28 year old lady who loves cats, dogs, and tea. I’ve been here since the beginning and now I’m back again after a long hiatus! Grew up on homemade chai and black tea with milk and sugar.

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