I’ve been on some kind of crazy beverage kick because I’ve got another tea for trying and reviewing!
Though this time, I had to actually make the tea myself. I received Organic Masala Chai loose leaf tea from Chai Diaries. Usually when I have Chai it’s from a bag, or a Chai latte. I recently discovered Ice Chai Lattes (which seems like a MAJOR DUH on my part) so I decided to use this tea to make my own!
Chai Diaries has got this very sleek packaging. Can I say that I love the font on this packaging? Maybe this is some kind of nerdy designer thing, but fonts are a huge deal to me.
I actually had to buy a tea infuser so I could “properly” make this tea. I picked out this extra-fine tea infuser on Amazon which comes with it’s own little porcelain dish and fits perfectly over any cup. Score.
I loved, loved, LOVED the smell of this tea. It’s so earthy and rich, I almost wanted to use it as potpourri. If you took a whiff, I promise you wouldn’t blame me for that thought since it’s got cinnamon, ginger and cardamon floating all through it. This close up kind of makes it look like the tea has got a bunch of rocks and twigs in with it.
The first time I tried to use it, I used too much water and not enough tea. The second time, I seeped the tea for too long resulting in a bitter flavor (I do this with other teas though, I need a tea timer). The third time I managed to not screw it up and was able to finally make a nice cup of tea. I stuck it in the fridge overnight and added a little milk and agave in the morning for a nice iced latte. I still need to fiddle with the exact measurements for the “perfect cup” though. So that’s the annoying part to loose leaf – is getting it “just right”. But the flavor is quite good – I just need to figure out how to make it a little stronger for my tastes without making it crazy bitter (again… I’m sensing the need for timing, hah!)
The chai though is really quite excellent and high quality. There are subtle hints of the spices along with the black tea.
I want to try using this tea in other ways – perhaps ground up and with some cookie dough? Chai tea cupcakes? Mixed in with a rub for BBQ? Gosh, I don’t know yet. I’ll have to think about it and experiment a bit!
Disclaimer: I received one complimentary package of tea from Chai Diaries. I was not paid for this review and all opinions are my own.
I believe the font on the packaging is Futura. (The Ws are pretty distinctive in Futura.) The font been used in Wes Anderson films and was my favorite font for a long time until I found another favorite but I can’t tell you what that is… 😉
I love chai tea. It must the the cinnamon or something in that that I find so alluring. Check out Puja’s site (Indiaphile.info) for chai-infused cinnamon rolls!
Futura is an excellent font! I’m still always in love with Helvetica or anything really, really clean and sans-serif. But I also love handwriting fonts. You’re making me curious about your favorite!
Didn’t Puja bring those to the bake sale this year? I think I bought some! That is an excellent idea though. The cinnamon in the chai makes them perfect for rolls!