To be fair, I must start this post off stating that I am completely biased when it comes to Chai – I simply love it. Even though, I do not profess to be enamored with black tea, there is something special about a cup of Chai. A traditional drink from India, I was first introduced many years ago to Chai Tea Lattes at Starbucks. At that time I thought, who drinks tea with milk in it? Surprisingly, the taste was amazing. As my interest in tea blossomed into loose tea, I stopped purchasing the Starbucks version and began making my own with blends purchased from Harney and Sons initially and later Yogic Chai. Yogic Chai, really opened my eyes to the possibilities of Chai. Especially when I discovered White Masala Chai - the subject of today’s tea review.
Composition: Organic Bai Mu Dan (white tea), Organic Cinnamon, Organic Green Cardamom, Organic Cloves, Organic Ginger
Dry Visual: An amazing blend of dark and green broken and whole leaves and buds. A mixture of small yellow, orange, green, and brown chunks of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and ginger. Some stems are present. Many thanks to Yogic Chai for the photo.
Dry Aroma: Sweet yet spicy – absolutely delicious to inhale.
Flavor: Never having the opportunity to drink a cup of White Masala Chai, I was truly intrigued by what this experience might bring. I must admit that I really enjoyed this tea. Unlike a traditional Chai made with black tea (most often Assam) White Masala Chai is not pungent or powerful tasting tea. This is not to be construed with a lack of flavor. Characteristic of white teas, the tea in this brew was mild yet flavorful. The addition of the spices – cardamom, cloves, ginger, and cinnamon were definitely evident, but blended in proportion to the strength of the Bai Mu Dan. White Masala Chai is natually sweet and spicy.
A couple of things to note: There was no astringency and no sweetener is required (Yogic Chai even recommends not adding sweetener) – I did drink both with and without sugar. I preferred with sugar, because the flavor of the spices were enhanced. Additionally, milk is not recommended nor was it added – a common way of preparing Chai. The mildness of the Bai Mu Dan could not stand up against the power of milk. White Masala Chai is full-bodied or as some like to say heavy in the mouth, but smooth.
Liquor: A rich gold hue.
Brewing Time: According to the directions, the recommended steeping time is 2 – 3 if the ingredients are allowed to come to boil in a small pot. Unfortunately, I was at work and without kitchen amenities. Thus I steeped for 10 minutes tasting at intervals in water less than 190 degrees F.
Manufacturer: Yogic Chai
Caffeine: Yes.
If you have had the opportunity to enjoy a cup of White Masala Chai, please stop by and share your experience. Until then… Happy Tea Drinking!
Who drinks tea with milk in it? I do. So does just about everybody in Ireland and most of England. Tea snobbery is so tiresome.
Kit,
So sorry you misunderstood my comment. What you took for tea snobbery was simply a lack of understanding. It was prefaced by an explaination that I began drinking chai tea lattes prior to my adventures in loose tea. Hope you visit again soon!
Nikki, thank you for such nice review
I would like to add that this particular blend makes a great Iced tea, without milk I would suggest, but I leave it up for you guys experiment with.
Thanks again!
Ricardo & Angela Dacosta
Yogic Chai Founders
Ricardo and Angela,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting – I really appreciate the iced tea recommendation.
Hi…
Thanks for sharing the information. This blend makes a great iced tea. White tea is natural and has great herbal value. Hence it has lot of health benefits.
I find it interesting that the Bai Mu Dan is not overpowered by the spices, particularly the clove.
I might like to try making this myself…I usually make my masala chai from scratch because I prefer to omit the cinnamon. I can imagine cardamon blending very well though and possibly ginger. If I had to guess what spices I would enjoy with a Bai Mu Dan, I would omit the cinnamon and clove and use mostly cardamon, with a pinch of ginger, mace, and coriander, or maybe allspice or anise. But I don’t have any Bai Mu Dan right now so I’ll have to wait till later for that one…
Hey Alex!
You sound like a true tea blender. I would love to try a blend based upon your ingredients to see the difference. Thanks for sharing! Please visit again.
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