Tea: Chocolate Chai
A Chai / Spiced Tea from Wegmans
Brand: | Wegmans |
Style: | Chai / Spiced Tea |
Region: | Blend |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Loose? | Loose |
# Ratings: | 4 View All |
Reviewer: Alex Zorach
✓ 1453 teas reviewed
✓ 31 of Chai / Spiced Tea
✓ 261 of Flavored Tea
✓ 32 of Wegmans
✓ 317 of blends
Review of Chocolate Chai
June 10th, 2014
Aroma | Flavor | Value | Total |
7 of 10 | 3 of 5 | 3 of 5 | 67 of 100 |
Very Good | Fair | Reasonable |
A weak chai blend which was passable, but not particularly chocolatey, slightly overpriced, and which I thought tasted better with milk.
I tried brewing with and without milk, and I thought it was much better with milk, but I recommend a lowish proportion (1tsp / cup) but it still tastes a little weak. Flavor is smooth, but aftertaste is a little stronger than the up-front flavor.
When drinking, aroma is of cinnamon, with hints of vanilla. I'm not really getting much chocolate.
Brewing with milk, I find brings out the chocolate flavor more, and also the vanilla, and diminishes the cinnamon somewhat. I also notice the coconut a little more this way. I do think the coconut blends well into the other aromas, which is significant--sometimes I find coconut is a bit dominating or jarring, not fitting with other ingredients.
I'm really missing the strong bitter-chocolate tones that I was hoping for in this tea. I drink many black teas that naturally have a chocolatey or cocoa-like quality, and I was disappointed to find this blend tasted less like chocolate than some of these pure black teas that I drink on a regular basis. (Ahmad's Ceylon OPA is one, Taiwanese Hong Yue teas are another) I also find I miss cardamom, my favorite spice, and one I like to include in just about any masala chai inspired blend.
I also thought this was edging up into the expensive side for Wegmans teas, especially as a flavored tea. It's $40 a pound, which is about $10 for a quarter pound, and at that price it competes with not only many of the lower-priced Wegmans teas that I like better, but with Rishi Tea's Masala Chai (only $1 more per pound or quarter pound), which is my all-time-favorite pre-blended chai.
Also, in the end, there's not enough chocolate in this to make it really satisfy my chocolate cravings. I actually went and got some dark chocolate out of the fridge after drinking this because I was feeling so unsatisfied.