Chai is by far one of the most popular black tea blends in the world. It's available in many styles, from concentrates and powders to tea bags and loose leaves and you can also make it from a scratch. And it can be blended in hundreds of ways. Teapigs Chai tea or masala dream is a chai you've likely seen before.
What does it taste like?
What's in Teapigs Chai Tea?
Teapigs Chai Tea is a chai tea that's widely available from supermarkets and online. It comes as loose tea and as loose tea in pyramid tea bags, or temples, as Teapigs call them.
Loose tea in pyramid tea bags is the same type of tea you'd use with a teapot or an infuser. It's different from classic tea bags that contain fannings and dust, and pyramid tea bags allow enough space for leaves to fully expand.
So, what's in this chai?
Most chai teas are blended with strong Assam tea, as it offers a perfect rich base for adding milk. Teapigs Chai tea is made with Assam black tea too, but in a CTC style. It also contains pieces of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, vanilla and natural flavourings. Cinnamon and vanilla are the main scents in this blend, which is not as common in a regular, heavily spiced masala tea.
What are CTC teas?
CTC Assam black tea is a brilliant choice for chai teas. CTC or crush-tear-curl teas have small leaves that look like tiny pellets. This style is common in India, Sri Lanka, Kenya and even Vietnam. This style is used only for black tea. CTC teas usually give a stronger infusion than whole leaf which makes them perfect for making milk teas. And that includes chai too.
What does it taste like?
Tea bags are usually intended for regular brewing; however, you can simmer them too. Simmering is a great way to extract more flavour and improve the texture of chai tea. It's a wonderful method if you plan to add a sweetener. If not, simmered tea may become too bitter, so regular brewing is a better option.
To make a cup of Teapigs chai tea, use 150 water per one tea bag. Steep for 5 minutes at 100 degrees Celsius and add a splash of milk. If you want to simmer it, use 2 tea bags per cup of water and 1/2 cup of milk and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Teapigs Chai is blended with whole spices which will naturally release less flavour when steeped then simmered. This tea is stronger on cinnamon and vanilla than other chai teas and perhaps a slightly lighter on the spices.
However, it's great for tea drinkers that want a gentler and still slightly spiced blend. It has no bitterness and smells beautiful. This tea goes very well with milk, but because of its lightness, a splash will often be enough, depending on how you brew it.
If you love heavily spiced strong chai blends, Teapigs chai tea may be too light for you. But if you love sweet cinnamon teas that are light enough to be enjoyed with no condiments, you'll very likely love this tea too.
Extra idea – if you want to release more flavour from cardamom and other ingredients, gentle crush the tea bag using a pestle and mortar. Be careful not to break it – crush only the spices.
Teapigs Chai Tea Recap
Water or milk? Water or water, a splash of milk.
Day or night? Day.
Hot or iced? Hot.
Sweetened or Pure? Pure or with a teaspoon of sugar or honey.
Caffeine? Yes
What's the price? Starting from 2.00 GBP.
Where to buy? Get it from Teapigs website, Amazon or Ocado.