Tazo Organic Chai, 24 Tea Bags

I live up in the Great Northwest,and it gets cold, damp and dark here. There is nothing finer than coming home, and putting up a spot of Tazo Chai to take away the chills, give comfort and relax at the end of the day.
It is also good for curling up near the fire and reading a good book, or while watching the whales, on a cold windy March day. Actually any old time is a good time to stop, relax and enjoy a good cup of chai, with Tazo!

this is the closest you will get to real indian chai as sold on the trains in indian, "chai, chai, garam chai"!

Tazo Chai Organic Spiced Black Tea is a blend of black tea, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, cloves and star anise. These items are all organically grown and this creates a sense of purity and clarity of thought.

The tea has a delicious rich flavor and is perfectly blended for an ultimate Chai experience. Delicious when you add a packet of Stevia and a swirling of orange blossom honey. Milk powder makes this richer and a dash of cream makes it luxurious.

While drinking this tea you are transported to India where Chai wallahs sooth your soul with a cup of spicy tea. Each cup of Tazo tea is an adventure and this tea is especially delicious.

~The Rebecca Review

In many languages around the world, "chai" simply means "tea." In India, however, the word denotes a specialty that to tea lovers even in the West is fast becoming what cappuccino already is to coffee lovers: spiced milk tea.

Chai comes in a variety of recipes that differ from region to region, although traditionally it consists of a blend of black tea, rich milk, various spices and a sweetner. The spices most commonly used are cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and pepper; Tazo's very peppery Chai adds rooibos, vanilla, star anise and chicory to the traditional recipe.

You should always have this tea with real sugar, even if you have all your regular tea without any kind of sweetener, because only sugar will bring out the full flavor of the spices. And if you like your store-bought Chai, maybe you'll one day try brewing chai from fresh black tea and spices, too! Namaste ...

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Tazo's Chai Black Tea is an enjoyable chai experience for the most part. On the paper tea packet, Tazo writes, "a rich blend of teas and spices in the style of the hill dwellers of the Himalayas." On their web site, Tazo describes the flavor profile of Chai as "cinnamon, creamy, sweet spice" and "medium-bodied yet full-flavored, with the spicy kick of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and black pepper. Tazo describes the aroma as "sweet, spice". Those are pretty accurate. The black tea "blend" is a little bitter, though, even with minimal brewing. It's a real trick to get it to brew long enough to get to experience the flavor from the spices without having the tea turn bitter.


The ingredients in Chai are: black teas, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, cloves, and star anise. It is caffeinated.

Tazo is an interesting company that makes only super premium teas. They are socially responsible, based in Portland, and have the motto, "The Reincarnation of Tea". Tazo is owned by Starbucks. Their web site is fun and quirky, with a Zen-type focus, definitely worth checking out. It is unclear, though, from their web site, how many of their ingredients are organic or kosher, and they do use some "natural flavors" in their teas--this wording seems a little vague for a super premium tea.

I would rate this tea, and Tazo in general, as good---better than premium teas like Stash or Celestial Seasonings---but not as good as Numi. I'm soooooo spoiled by Numi teas, which is why Tazo Chai gets only four stars.
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