Name: Thai Chai
Brand: Adagio Teas
Type: Black tea, flavored, chai-style
Form: Loose leaf
Cost: A sample tin (about 10 cups) is $2, while a four ounce tin is $7. Quantity discounts are available, and first-time customers can get a $5 gift certificate, free, by entering their email address in the Adagio widget on the top left-hand corner of this page.
Note: An audio review of this tea is available via the Lainie Sips podcast.
Review: I had a bit of a mind/mouth disconnect with this tea. When I saw that it was called “Thai Chai”, I was expecting something similar to the Thai iced tea that is served in Thai restaurants.
(Thai iced tea is usually flavored with star anise, vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger, heavily sweetened, and topped with “half and half” or evaporated milk. )
This tea was entirely different, however. It was prepared with lemongrass, ginger, coconut, and other Thai cooking spices. It smelled to me just like Tom Kha Kai (chicken coconut soup), which I adore, but didn’t think would taste good as a tea/chai.
Fortunately, however, my fears came to naught. The chai tasted like. . . well. . .chai made with Thai spices. The lemongrass dominates in both the nose and the palate, though the addition of coconut milk and sugar (see my tips below) mute the lemongrass and allow the warmer spice notes to develop.
This is a decidedly “different” chai, but one worth trying, particularly if you like Thai food. If you do try it, let me know what you think!
Tips: My favorite version of this tea was prepared thusly:
1. Add four teaspoons of Thai Chai dry leaf to the IngenuiTEA infuser (alternately, any teapot will do!).
2. Add three teaspoons of brown rock sugar
3. Allow to steep for 5 minutes.
4. Decant into cup, mug, or glass. Add a small amount of coconut milk
5. Drink!
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Glad to hear that you liked the thai chai. Perhaps we should update the description to include a note that this will not taste like thai soup
Ilya Kreymerman’s last blog post..5 new chai teas
I am a native Thai and this is the very first time I ever heard of Thai Chai. I am so glad Thai iced tea become so famous and many people want to copy. But sorry, adding lemongrass, coconut, ginger, and other Thai cooking spices does not this tea close to Thai iced tea.
Thai iced tea is made from tea plants that grown in Thailand, undergone special tea processing to achive the distinctive aroma. Here is the link to Thai iced tea manufacturer from Thailand- http://www.sribhud.com.