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I love chai. It’s my favorite kind of tea on the planet. I gave this one a try via a special offer on Teaman’s etsy store and was looking forward to trying a new chai blend. When I recieved the package the aroma made my mailbox smell SO yummy! But despite the strong scent, when this one brews up the majority of the flavor is your basic black tea. It is exactly as the name implies. It’s a very mild chai. While I love a robust, spicy chai, this one is perfect for when you want something a little more mellow. The best part about the tea is the price. It’s good tea for a bargain price. I will definitely be placing another order with Teaman, but perhaps for the full-bodied chai next time.

I was really excited about this one when I read the description. I don’t normally care much for green tea, but how could I resist malted milk flavored tea? When I opened the bag, I was greeted by a lovely maple scent, with a slightly toasty overtone. However, as soon as I added water to this, I had to pour it straight down the drain. The smell was something akin to compost with rice cakes in it. My husband, who enjoys green tea, couldn’t even tolerate the smell long enough to take a drink. I may give it one more shot, (monitoring the water temp a bit more as I think it was near boiling the first time) before I throw it into the trash, but I really don’t think it’s going to make much of a difference. What a waste. Bleah.

No idea what it is about this tea, but my husband calls it Nightmare Tea as he always has dreams that freak him out when he drinks this before bed. As for me, it’s a decent herbal tea, but not really my thing. This is more floral than I care for. I tend towards spicy or fruity blends.

Rooibos, not my favorite. This is a pretty standard one though, and not bad if it’s what you like or are in the mood for.

This used to be one of my favorite teas before I discovered chai. The aroma of this blend is really lovely. Definitely very vanilla-y, but I get a distinct honey scent from it as well, though that could be from the vanilla and almond mixing together. This tea is incredibly smooth and hard to brew incorrectly (like most teas you buy at a grocery store), so it’s good if you don’t want to fuss with loose leaf or high-maintenance teas that can turn on you if brewed too long.

I love a good, spicy chai, and this one just sort of falls flat for me. If you like a mild chai without much kick to it, this is your chai. But if you’re going to spend the money and want something with real flavor, but still in the grocery store, grab the Tazo Chai instead.

I’m trying to expand my horizons on tea (and chai especially), but I seem to come back to this one every time. I keep thinking the more expensive loose tea blends should be better than this out-of-a-box-get-it-at-any-grocery-store tea, but I have yet to find one that stands up to the Tazo Chai. The blend is the perfect balance of the black tea and the spices and it’s really really hard to brew it wrong. I’m still exploring the world of chai, but I’m beginning to feel I’ll have to travel to India to find a better one than this.

If you like rooibos, this will probably be perfect for you. I’m not a huge fan of it, but I decided to try this one as a caffeine-free alternative to the chai. I love spicy blends, but I didn’t think this one was as flavorful as it could have been. The overtones were mostly vanilla (the rooibos only enhances this), with a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg in the mix and a sweet finish. My husband has since taken ownership of this tea and loves it, but red rooibos is one of his favorites so there you go. A great rooibos, a not so great gingerbread.

I was excited to try one of the Samovar teas finally, as I’ve heard such good things about them. The shop I visited was out of the Masala Chai I’d wanted, but the Vanilla Dian Hong was second on my list, and it was in stock. When I popped the lid, it wasn’t vanilla I noticed, but rather the scent of a chocolate liquor instead. I was very excited to try this one, but as it was late when I got home I opted to try it in the morning instead. When brewed, this tea doesn’t have the same taste as it smells dry, which was fine. You definitely get more of the vanilla in the tea itself. What I found was that it almost had a flavor similar to a rooibos, with the slight aftertaste of black tea. So I wasn’t blown away, though I felt I should have been for the $18.99 price tag. I’m hoping Samovar’s masala chai fares better for me.