Tuesday Tea Time: Bigelow Spiced Chai Tea Review

I have a serious Chai addiction. If the money is in my account, I will purchase a Venti Soy Chai Latte from Starbucks every morning. Depending on which Starbucks I go to, I'll ask for extra syrup... just to ensure that flavor is dominant. Mmm. Chai. However, when the money is not in my account, I can't get my Chai Latte and then I'm sad. It's not an addiction... I can get by without it, but there's something about that daily cup of Chai that soothes me. I love the aroma, the flavor, and the relaxing sensation that follows. So, what do I do when I can't get my latte, or when I've already had a latte but am jonesin' for a refill? I whip out my box of Bigelow Spiced Chai Tea!

Bigelow's Spiced Chai Tea contains 20 individually wrapped tea bags with an easy-open tear top. The box is also easy to open, and has plenty of information, such as various ways to prepare the tea and a caffeine meter on the side {comparing black tea to coffee, green tea, decaf, etc.}.

Like the centuries-old traditional Chai of far-away India, Bigelow's tantalizing blend of black tea with exotic spices beckons! Using only the finest tea from high-elevation gardens and premium spices, Bigelow has captured the mystery of Chai in each and every tea bag, carefully wrapped in a flavor experience every time you brew. Take it black or add milk and sweetener and journey to a place far away...

Availability: Health Food Stores, bigelowtea.com
Pricing: $2.49 and up.

The reason I love Chai so much is that distinct flavor. I'm no expert, but it has to be the cardamom. Bigelow's Spiced Chai Tea has a subtle flavoring of cardamom, but nothing like what I know from my lattes, which use Tazo's Concentrate. The aroma is similar.. a little ginger, a hint of vanilla. It's smooth, light in flavor and semi-dark in color - almost caramel. It's smooth, easy to drink, and I can enjoy it any time of the day, but due to its caffeine content I try to steer clear after 6PM. {I don't normally consume caffeine, so the smallest amount can keep me up at night.} The instructions recommend adding a bit of milk to sweeten the tea - I've tried it plain as well as with milk, and I didn't really notice much difference in flavor. Bigelow's Spiced Chai isn't really tart to begin with, so I don't see the point in sweetening it at all. I also haven't noticed any discernible "spice" to its flavor or aroma.

Is it good? Yes, definitely. Would I purchase it again? Probably not. It's definitely better than some other chai teas I've tried, but what I'm really looking for is a replica of the Tazo Chai. It looks like I'll be purchasing  a box of Tazo to see if their bags are similar to the concentrate.

Thanks for reading,

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