Tea Time: White Ayurvedic Chai tea

White Ayurvedic Chai Reviewed by: Juturna F.
Type of tea White, loose-leaf	Flavor aspects Spicy
Where I got it Teavana.com	Cost $2.50/2 oz on 75% off sale; normally $10/2oz
How I brewed it Heated water on stove until it was just beginning to make noise. Poured over 3 tsp dry tea in mesh basket in cast-iron teapot until teapot full (apprx. 16 oz). Steeped for 2 minutes.	Rebrewing notes Rebrews very well. 2nd rebrew same flavor as first.
Review I do really like this chai. It's got that spicy chai taste, but is lighter and sweeter than a usual black-tea chai. Hot, the spice really comes to the front, cloves and ginger right on the tongue. As it cools, the spice becomes less noticeable and the tea tastes sweeter and sweeter. Since I don't usually add sugar to my tea, it's really noticeable to me just how sweet the tea tastes at room temperature. At the same time, spicy teas without milk or sugar usually have a very faint bitter aftertaste to my tongue, and this one is true in that regard. I don't think most people get that, but it would be a great tea for a touch of sugar or honey. Not sure how well it would do with milk, as it's a white tea and I find those generally get overpowered by milk. The smell is fantastic. If you like a rich aroma, this is a great tea for you. I would especially recommend it to those who love chai teas but want to cut back on caffeine: white teas have much less caffeine than black teas or matés, but this has all the taste of a regular chai! If you're not a fan of spice teas, steer clear, because that's pretty much the defining point of this tea. As for lovers of pure white tea,be warned that the white tea flavor is very much buried under the spices. On an interesting point of note, I definitely overbrewed the tea one of the times I brewed it, and was surprised to find it did not become particularly bitter. White teas, if steeped too long, have a tendency to do that, but the strong spice taste covered up most of the scorched-leaf syndrome. And for the record, if you notice your tea smells strongly of potato, go wash your hands. You've probably just been chopping them, and I assure you the tea does not actually smell like potato--as I figured out after a morning of stew-making.
Reviewed by: No second review yet.
Type of tea	Aroma
Where I got it	Cost
How I brewed it	Rebrewing notes
Review

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