A sample from the Philadelphia Coffee and Tea Festival. After being impressid with this company's English Breakfast, I was eager to try this one. It's enjoyable, but nothing like what I expected. I've tried this several times and can't shake the impression that it tastes and smells strongly of apples, particularly, the smell of over-ripe apples scattered on the ground under an apple tree in autumn.

It does have chai-like tones in the aroma, but if I approach the cup with a clean slate in my mind, it really tastes like an apple-spice tea to me. It's very pleasant as such.

The base tea is very smooth, almost to the point of being weak. I used boiling water and steeped for 6 minutes, but it was still on the weak side. I think of masala chai as usually working best when the base tea is very robust. This tea is light-bodied, smooth, and mellow. There's a pleasant light tingle from the ginger. Thankfully, the cinnamon isn't overdone.

There is a pleasant, fresh and light aftertaste, but the dominant flavor is sweetness, with a hint of sourness. I'm surprised at how sweet this tea is. There is very little astringency.

I enjoyed this tea, but it wasn't at all what I was expecting. I almost would recommend the company to rename it, because it seemed so atypical for a masala chai. I would not want to add milk to it either.

Interesting. I am really curious if anyone else notices the apple notes in the aroma because I feel like this blend practically screams apple to me.

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