Tea: Bombay Chai
A Chai / Spiced Tea from Mighty Leaf Tea - Organic
Brand: | Mighty Leaf Tea |
Style: | Chai / Spiced Tea |
Region: | ????? |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Loose? | Sachet |
# Ratings: | 2 View All |
Product page: | Bombay Chai |
Reviewer: Tchuggin' Okie
✓ 392 teas reviewed
✓ 22 of Chai / Spiced Tea
✓ 138 of Flavored Tea
✓ 3 of Mighty Leaf Tea
✓ 133 from ?????
Review of Bombay Chai
January 30th, 2020
Aroma | Flavor | Value | Total |
7 of 10 | 4 of 5 | 2 of 5 | 61 of 100 |
Very Good | Good | Overpriced |
I love chai overall, so they tend to skew high in my ratings unless they either simply suck, or as in this case, are "just" decent while being overpriced. [Though I was served a couple bags of this tea at a Corner Bakery outlet, I based "value" on the online pricing.] My version came in a rectangular sachet sewn on three sides with cotton thread (fancy pants!), with a sewn cotton string leading to a purple paper tag. The tea itself is something of a paper tiger.
If this was the first chai I ever tried, I'd probably like it more, and rate it higher on "value". The best experience is the dry-bag scent at the start, but because of its complexity, is misleading. To badly paraphrase Engelbert Humperdinck, the scent writes checks the flavor can't cash. I couldn't taste a lot of the base tea, and the spices were remarkably mellow compared to the best chais I've had. Mostly this was a pleasant, very drinkable, smooth beverage, heaviest on cardamom and cinnamon (two spices I do love) in taste and wet-bag aroma. The flavor doesn't have any of the "bite" or sharpness I like in chai, despite pepper and cinnamon as ingredients. I know the pepper is there, for it wafts into my nostrils during dry-bag sniffing. What happens to it thereafter is a mystery.
This isn't a bad drink, and I'd accept it if offered for free. It's just underwhelming as a chai for which one would pay actual money. A store-brand chai, Trader Joe's, is much cheaper, a *lot* richer on the base (Assam) tea, and a good deal sharper and more warming in mouthfeel.