Yum, I somehow managed to make the perfect cup of lemon meringue chai this morning. My previous attempts with it have been alright, at best. I usually wind up with a quite bitter, overly spiced, lemon candy scented brew that somehow lacks body. I was always disappointed with how the super sweet lemon played with the bitter black tea, even with a short steep. It smelled fantastic and complex in the packet, but I couldn’t seem to get a similar flavour out of the actual brew.
This morning, though, it’s tasting exactly how I had hoped it would all along. When I bought it I was thrilled at the prospect of a blend with three of my favourite flavours; lemon meringue, chai spices, and black tea. Pleased to report that those are the exact flavours I’m tasting now, in perfect balance! The lemon is present & creamy-sweet without being overwhelming, the spices are subtle & on point, and the black tea base shines through without a hint of bitterness. This cup also seems less ‘thin’ or watery than my previous ones as well.
I’m suspecting that the culprit in my previous underwhelming experiences with this blend might be due to over leafing, which would explain the bitterness & the overpowering, almost artificial lemon candy vibe I was getting. This time I just put a scant teaspoon at the bottom of my infuser, and steeped for 3 min. I’ll have to try and replicate this to determine whether it was a fluke. Either way, I was pleasantly surprised by the perfection in my mug this morning :)
