Coconut Masala Chai Review

Type: Chai
Origin: India
Price: Sample (regular price - $15 for 3.5 oz.)
Vendor: Yogic Chai
Brewing Method: Per Instructed - 1 tsp of loose leaves, 1 cup of filtered water, boiled at 200-212F, steeped for 2 minutes, added ¼ cup of 2% milk, and steeped for another minute.
Overall Score: 4.7 out of 5

This Coconut Masala Chai is the sweetest of the three chai teas I have tasted. Just like the previous two, the first thing that I smelled and tasted was the cinnamon. The cloves and ginger are still present in every sip, but the coconut gives the brew a wholesome sweet taste.

This is definitely a very refreshing cup. I still get that over all warm feeling, but the coconut leaves a sweet after taste, instead of dryness, in my mouth. I think adding maple syrup or any other kind of sweetener would make the brew too sweet (at least for my taste).

I was worried that the Assam black tea base would make the brew bitter, like I had experienced with the Original Masala. However, the coconut added just enough sweetness to nix any of the bitterness left by the Assam.

Just like with the previous two chai teas, I brewed the Coconut Masala Chai without milk out of my own curiosity. With this brew, I could taste the coconut a little more, at first, than I could with the cup that had the milk added. However, the spiciness of the cinnamon and the smokiness of the Assam soon covered up that sweet taste and left my mouth feeling dry. The milk definitely makes the brew creamy, smooth, silky, and, with this particular blend, refreshing.

The Assam base makes the color of the brew about as dark as the Original Masala (first picture). The white milk lightens the color to a tan or light brown (second picture). It can almost be confused with a cup of hot chocolate. Speaking of which, I think adding some chocolate syrup, chocolate milk, or even some chocolate tea to this brew (or to any of the previous chai teas that I have reviewed) would make it heavenly. Ok, it may not be as healthy, but this amazing mixture of spices would undeniably add the right amount of kick to an awesome treat.

Before brewing the Assam leaves, along with the cinnamon, cloves, and ginger spices, are full of color (third picture). The white strings of coconut can easily be seen within the dark Assam background. After brewing the Assam leaves have opened up nicely (fourth picture). The smell of coconut seems to rise above the cinnamon when observing the wet leaves.

My exploration of chai tea is over… for now. However, this experience has been a huge step for me. I have heard of chai teas, but have never had the guts to taste them, until now. Also, I have always retreated back to my faithful green teas after trying a new type of tea. But this time, I have reached the bottom of my cup of the Coconut Chai Masala and I can’t wait to get this blog posted so I can go make some more! :)

Original Masala Review

Type: Chai
Origin: India
Price: Sample (regular price - $15 for 3.5 oz.)
Vendor: Yogic Chai
Brewing Method: Per Instructed - 1 tsp of loose leaves, 1 cup of filtered water, boiled at 200-212F, steeped for 2 minutes, added ¼ cup of 2% milk, and steeped for another minute.
Overall Score: 4.6 out of 5

The Original Masala tea smelled and tasted very similar to the Kuki Chai Masala tea. I am first hit with the sweet and spicy cinnamon smell. Also, I taste the cinnamon first and then the ginger and cloves start to creep up, leaving their essence on my tongue. The difference with the Original Masala is the Assam black tea base adds a bit of a smoky flavor in the background.

Again, this chai gives me that warm, cozy feeling. I am brought back to the pumpkin pie reference, as I mentioned with the Kuki Chai Masala, with the smell and taste of the spices. However, the smokiness of the Assam creates a bold twist. I did find this brew a little bitterer and having more astringency than the Kuki Chai Masala. This was obvious, though, because black tea tends have a bit more of a bite than green tea. It has been suggested by the instructions from Yogic Chai to add maple syrup as a sweetener. I do not mind a slight bitter taste like the one in this cup so I did not add the syrup (and I did not add any syrup to the Kuki Chai Masala, either).

I brewed this chai without milk to experience the taste of the tea itself. The milk made this tea significantly milder. When I drank the brew without milk, the cinnamon, along with the bitterness of the black tea, made my mouth feel hot, spicy, and dry. As mentioned before with the Kuki Chai Masala, the milk added a creamy, smooth texture. The brew without milk was too watery and too strong for my taste.

The color of this brew, compared to the Kuki Chai Masala, is darker. While it was brewing, the color was a deep red. However, by the time it was done steeping, it had turned brown in color (first picture). When the milk was added, it toned down the color just a bit making the brew a tan or light brown color (second picture).

Before brewing the Assam leaves, along with the other spices, are clearly unique and identifiable (third picture). In both the Kuki Chai Masala and this Original Masala, I loved the different colors of the ingredients. The Original Masala blend has the black Assam leaves with the bright green cardamom, the red cinnamon, and the white cloves and ginger. After brewing the Assam leaves have opened up nicely (fourth picture). The smell of ginger seems to be present more than the cinnamon, while observing the wet leaves.

The reason this tea received a slightly lower score is based on my personal preference of the type of tea. I like green tea more than black tea. I really thought the green Kukicha in the Kuki Chai Masala brought the flavors of the spices together better than the Original Masala. I enjoy more grassy flavors of tea, like the Kuki Chai Masala, and not so much of smoky flavors, like the Original Masala. Don’t get me wrong, though, I am not saying that I don’t like this tea. However, if I had to choose only one, Kuki Chai Masala still holds first place.

Kuki Chai Masala Review

Type: Chai
Origin: India
Price: Sample (regular price - $15 for 3.5 oz.)
Vendor: Yogic Chai
Brewing Method: Per Instructed - 1 tsp of loose leaves, 1 cup of filtered water, boiled at 200-212F, steeped for 2 minutes, added ¼ cup of 2% milk, and steeped for another minute.
Overall Score: 4.8 out of 5

After sipping this tea, I wanted to curl up on the couch with my favorite blanket and watch a fire dance in the fire place. The mix of cinnamon, cloves, and ginger made me feel all warm and cozy inside (which was very pleasant considering it is about 20 degrees outside at the moment). My first thought when taking a drink of this chai tea was that it was like pumpkin pie in a glass. With the milk added, it gave the brew a very smooth, creamy taste. It was kind of like when you add whipped cream to the top of a big slice of pumpkin pie.

One really good thing about this tea is that none of the spices are over powering. With mild Kukicha as the base, it doesn’t mask the other flavors and lets the spices do their thing. At first, I could smell the cinnamon, and then after a few sips the ginger left a pleasant after taste. Finally, the cloves help bring all of the flavors together for that warm “Thanksgiving” type feeling.

I brewed the tea without milk just to see what the milk actually brought to the tea. I found out that not adding the milk to this tea is like brewing hot chocolate with water instead of milk. The tea brewed with only water is just as good, with some of the same warm flavors. However, the milk makes it smooth and creamy. Brewing this without milk makes the brew taste watery.

The color is a nice orange-red (first picture) before the milk is added (second picture). This tea can be enjoyed any time of the year, but the color, along with the taste, reminds me so much of fall.

Before brewing the loose leaves are more twigs than leaves (third picture). You can actually see the pieces of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and green cardamom that make up this chai tea. After brewing, the Kukicha leaves have opened up nicely and the smell of the spices seem to fill the whole kitchen (fourth picture).

Over all I really enjoyed this tea. I really loved that it is 100% organic. This was my first taste of chai, and I’m sure it will not be my last.