Here is my dilemma, of course. I prefer loose tea but the nearest tea shop is Teavana at Northpark and that is a good 30 minutes away. Not far but my days are not so leisurely that I can head to the mall very often. I could order online but I forget..so most times it is choosing something while  I am at the grocers.

Thing is, I think that my life isn’t so different from anyone else’s so I try to bring you reviews of teas that are easily procured.

Tazo Chai is very much a black tea first. Some chai is so spicy that you don’t get the black tea flavor; not so with Tazo. The smoky, tannic, black tea bite is there followed by the spices. After a sip you feel like you have drunk a cup of tea and not a cup of spicy liquid. I must admit to having mine black this morning because I can’t take my medicine within a couple of hours of milk products. I think the flavor would have been gentler with milk.

It is organic which makes me very happy. I prefer organics, as you know. I like to support organic…and I like my tea strong and hold the toxins, thank you.

I liked this. It is honestly hard to hand me a chai that I don’t like. This one was more tea than spice and I liked that for morning.  Give it a try – it is a little different from other chai but that isn’t a bad thing. If you don’t care for black tea you probably won’t like this.

image:maryeaudet

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It even looks good!

Pretty sure I could wake up to the smell of that. Best of all the company, Ten Digit Creations, also has perfume, and a soy candle to match. Guess what I am planning on ordering this afternoon if the budget o.k.s it? Check it out; Chai Scented Soap.

image: Ten Digit Creations, Etsy

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I know that after I reviewed the Ugly Mug Chai some of you said that they didn’t have it. Well, I checked and they are showing it again on the site! Really you need to try this if you love chai lattes. It is amazing.

Head over to Ugly Mug and give it a try.

Here is an awesome drink you can make with it!

 Chai Caramel Shake

1/4 c chai latte powder

1 scoop vanilla ice cream

1 /2 c milk

whipped cream for topping

caramel drizzle for garnish

Put the chai mix, the ice cream, and the milk in the blender. Blend until thick and smooth. Pour into a frosted glass.  Top with whipped  cream, drizzle with the caramel and stick a straw in it. Hide so you don’t have to share it.

Image:Marye Audet 

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I am not a big fan of chai mix.  Like the instant coffee mixes they seem unnaturally sweet to me and even a little cloying.

When the fantastic people at Ugly Mug sent me coffee to review, they also sent a package of their chai. The kids were ecstatic, they love the stuff.  I was less so.

So I put it off, trying it I mean, even though everyone around me was fighting for it and swooning over their cups. 

Yesterday I realized that there was only a little left and if I was going to try it then I had better do so.  Pronto.

YUM!  It is sweet, but as far as chai mix goes it is the best I have tried other than my own homemade mix that I give as gifts.

It is not overly spicy, and the flavors are well balanced.  The chai is creamy-rich and does well as either a cold frappe or a hot latte.  Bonus! You can use the mix to sprinkle on cookies and ice cream for a unique flavor.  Thought of that all by myself.

Check them out at Ugly Mug.  Get one of the mugs.  I LOVE my mug.

Image: Marye Audet

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This is so good, as far as I am concerned anyway.  It makes a great drink to sip in the evening while you watch the sun go down from the porch.  Listen to the crickets, watch the stars come out…all of the goodness of living in the country.

Any good chai can be used in this but I really  like the Yogi India Spice tea. It is peppery and spicy which is a nice contrast to the cool, smoothness of the frappe.  Classic fire and ice!

Spicy Chai Frappe Recipe 

1 c. ice
1 c chai, chilled

1 c heavy cream

1-4 tbs sugarWhipped cream for top

Blend in blender until thick and smooth. Add whipped cream on top. Pour into a frosted glass and enjoy.

Image:Morguefile 

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I figured out that we are unusually big tea drinkers here when Chris walked in the door for the first time in over a year and said,”Hey mom. Got any green tea?”

I know I have said it before but everyone here, with the exception of Marc, drinks tea. Chai, herbal, tisane, fruity, cold, hot, black, green, white…loose, bagged…well you get the idea. Nick prefers his, no matter the type, with at least 1/4 cup sugar. Kyrie likes sugar and milk…it goes on and on.

I like a spicy chai. I like something that leaves a slight burn on my tongue that has nothing to do with the temperature of the tea. If that is your taste as well then you owe it to yourself to try this tea!

It is the one that I used in the Chai Snowball cookies a week or so ago on Baking Delights. I love it with just some sweetener, but with some heavy cream added and made into a latte it is fantastic.

Classic India Spice Tea is caffeine free, if you are watching that. Ingredients are: (all organic I believe) ginger root, chicory, carob, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, stevia, black pepper, butterscotch flavor.

See? I told you it was fantastic. In fact, I have never really drank much of this company’s tea in the past but I am increasingly picking it up. It is all very flavorful and fresh..and intense. I like intense!

Give this one a try. I am pretty sure you will love it.

Image:Marye Audet

Image: Amazon

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Every time I am in the store I check for cool teas that I haven’t tried. Quite honestly, I can’t continuously afford to order the really GOOD teas off-line or run to Teavana on a regular basis, and I am pretty sure most of you can’t either. So, my goal here is to find the best of the available teas (and coffees) and let you know. And..throw in some really special stuff as I can. I am not cool enough yet for the companies to seek me out for reviews and send me free tea and coffee.

O.k…so here I am, at my local organic produce store..which sells other cool stuff…and I see this tea. Mexican Sweet Chili Intriguing. I am game..so home it goes.

I was lucky to get a cup of this! It has a stronger licorice flavor than I was expecting. But beneath that there are definite cocoa notes and a final smokey warmth that spreads over your tongue and down your throat…chili!

I sort of expected a chai and it sort of was…not. All ingredients are organic and are:

• licorice root
• orange peel
• ginger
• fennel
• clove
• anise
• cinnamon
• cardamom
• cayenne
• black pepper
• organic cocoa shells

You would think this is a winter time tea, but it didn’t seem that way to me. it seemed like a tea to enjoy after a meal of enchiladas and tamales. Give it a try, unless you don’t like licorice…because that is the primary flavor.

Hey, if you try it…let me know what you think. I especially liked it with cream and sugar.

Image:Marye Audet

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This is just fun to say…Go ahead…say it…Sweet Coconut Thai Chai.

First of all it is decaf, which I don’t usually like….but…

I loved this tea. I know, it is a cheap grocery store brand. That’s o.k..I like Celestial Seasonings as an ethical company because they have been around for 30 years and were working on sustainability and ethical business practices before it was a cool thing to do. But that isn’t why I like their teas.

It’s good. And this tea is really good.

The tea is cloudy, not clear. As you steep it a coconut aroma wafts up from the cup. Sweet, and almost like a coconut cream pie. You can’t really smell the spiciness of the chai because the coconut overwhelms it.

I tasted the tea without adding cream or sugar and it was good but I like chai with half and half and sugar. I added my normal amounts of each and was transported to coconut thai chai heaven.

The coconut adds a creaminess and mellows the chai spices, and pulls them together in a unique flavor blend. Usually, in a chai I can pick out this spice, or that spice, but in this you taste the coocnut first and last with the chai sandwiched in between. Not in a negative way, either.

Ingredients are:

rooibos, decaf black tea, cinnamon, chicory, ginger, coconut, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, paprika, black pepper, and Chinese star anise

Add a white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookie and you have a complete meal, right there.

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