Adagio’s Masala Chai Review

Type: Chai (black base)
Origin: Ceylon
Price: Sample (regular price – $7 for 4oz.)
Vendor: Adagio
Brewing Method: Per Instructed - 1 teaspoon of leaves, 1 cup of filtered water, heated to 200°F-210°F, steeped for 4-5 minutes
Overall Score: 3.2 out of 5

Masala Chai is a blend of Ceylon black tea, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and spices. The first thing I smell is the cloves… well, that is pretty much the only thing I can smell. Even when I try to look for the other aromas, all I get are cloves burning the back of my throat and nose. The blend is mostly dark with bits of yellow cardamom throughout. The actual black tea leaves are tiny compared to all the other ingredients.

The liquor is a pretty orange color. The aroma of the tea smells like cloves more than anything, but I think the cinnamon and ginger has finally had a chance to show off their stuff. I can also faintly smell the smokiness of the black tea.





The taste, overall, is not that pleasant. I can taste the cloves then the ginger, but then I get distracted by the cloves burning my throat. In the aftertaste, I can taste the slight bitterness of the black tea on the back of my tongue. Unless you are a big time clove lover, I suggest adding milk to smooth out some of the harsh flavors.

Wow, there are WAY too many cloves in the blend compared to all the other ingredients. Cloves are very strong, especially while they are whole, and in this blend they are easily masking the aromas and flavors of the other ingredients. I really don’t like adding milk or sugar to tea, but in this case I might have to in order to drink the tea because the cloves are too much heat for my taste.