Chai Guarana

I’m drinking a ton of tea from the Here’s Hoping TTB today. Unfortunately, my computer was out of commission for most of the day. I wrote really cryptic notes to myself… heaven only knows what I meant. I really have to stop telling myself that I’l remember what I was thinking. For this tea I wrote 75. ???? I remember appreciating the lift of energy from the guarana. The chai mix of spices must have been OK with out anything really outstandingly good or bad.

’Here’s Hoping’ Teabox Round #4 – Tea #12

For a tiny leafed chai, this sure is a light cup! I expected it to be very dark, especially as it does promise caffeine from whatever these guarana seeds are. There is also some yerba mate in here. I can’t tell if it’s green or roasted yerba mate, just looking at the blend. It looks like an even balance of black tea and the other ingredients. At first I notice a licorice flavor. There’s also some cinnamon that tastes more bakey than usual for some reason. The flavor is so unexpectedly light though. It needs that promised kick! I think I should have steeped this one longer the first time.
Steep #1 // just boiled // 3 min

I had been holding off on this one for a while—I’ve never tried anything with guarana, and had no idea how hard I would be vibrating after I did. But I had to be up early today, so I made a cup of this and added milk. In terms of aroma and flavor, the spiciness was milder than I expected—mostly cinnamon and ginger, smelling almost like a Pfeffernüsse cookie. There wasn’t really any bite to it, though the milk had probably toned down the flavors considerably. Overall, it was a nice and temperate-tasting chai. I didn’t get too much of an energy boost from it, but enough to be awake and alert in the morning.

I wanted something to replace a cup of coffee in my day, and I gave this tea a try. It’s got yerba mate (roasted) for high caffeine, and some of my favorite chai spices. The nuance of the spices are more prevalent in the smell of the dry leaf, and tend to get drowned out by cinnamon in the brewed tea. The toasted yerba mate is great, not as astringent as black tea but with a nice warm body flavor, almost like a nuttier hojicha. The spices trick me into thinking this is sweeter than it is, with lots of cinnamon and ginger and just a hint of anise, it feels like a spicy baked cookie. A really great take on mate and worth the change of pace.

I got this on my hunt for a morning pick-me-up alternative to my standard Earl Grey (which is an alternative to my formerly-standard chest-hair-sprouting coffee). It was nice enough, it did its job, but just didn’t leave much of an impression outside of “yup, it’s a Chai” (which is a positive thing, don’t get me wrong). Perhaps next time I’ll tweak my preparation, but I think a large part of what it’s “lacking” for me is cloves. Still have a few cups to get out of it.

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.

I approached this sample warily because (as must be abundantly clear to anyone who’s seen my previous notes) I don’t like spice tea, and the last few spice tea samples have been particularly dreadful. This one smelled quite lovely though (the combination of ginger and anise, I think) and as it turns out, it was pretty well balanced too. Obviously it tasted like spices, but they weren’t overwhelming and the black tea came through. So though I wouldn’t buy it myself, I’d give it a thumbs up for those people who like spice tea.

This is a nice chai to drink straight, no sugar or milk. The dominant flavour is cinnamon, and I’m not getting much in the way of other distinctive chai spices. However, the cinnamon with the earthiness of the mate makes for a much better, more balanced cup than just black tea and lots of cinnamon. It’s surprisingly smooth and light for a 7 minute steep too – no astringency.

This energetic tea is quite cinnamony, which I like. It is not overbearing with spicy ginger, but the flavor is great. Another one that I think would be good with milk.

This is my go-to for random chai cravings (They happen often). It’s perfect chai tea without the spiciness of black peppercorns ruining it for me.