Chai-stravaganza!

Ok, the 6 teas a day ritual continues forward. Although I didn't have all these teas today, I did drink a lot of chai, my favorite flavor of all time, so I figured a run down of some chais I've had was in order.

Zhena's Gypsy Tea- Coconut Chai
Delish! It's very sweet and has a really spicy bite. You almost have to put some milk in this to cut the piquancy, but that's better than fine because the milk compliments the coconut flavor. A novel blend and very rich. Very recommended.

Zhena's Gypsy Tea- Chocolate Chai
LIke the coconut, this one is a big winner. I mean, what marketing son of God finally brought these two flavors together!?! This blend is smoother and not quite as spicy as the coconut. It has more cinnamon in it too. More unusually, it has a rooibos base instead of black tea which actually works great as the more robust, earthy flavor of the red tea goes seamlessly with the chocolate notes. I'm so glad something as cool as "gypsy" tea is as awesome as it sounds. There is no way not to love this tea.

Teavana - Mate Samurai Caai
This is a confusing tea which isn't too surprising since I have n idea what the "samurai" part is about. It's has the familiar strong, earthy, almost tinny taste of mate plus a whole lot of cardamom. It also has a strong, woody, resiny note almost like pine. This tea is more pungent that your usual mellow, winter spices and is better with just sweetener and no milk. Probably an acquired taste for some.

Teavana - White Chai
The delicate white tea flavor is so subtle that the spices really dominate this blend. The strongest flavors are clove and lemongrass. This is a tricky tea since white tea is notoriously heat sensitive and the tart note makes me unsure whether more milk or more sugar is necessary. Surprisingly, it is also good when mixed with the mate and strongly sweetened with no milk.

Tazo Chai
Much better than when you get the syrup at Starbucks. It's a pretty straightforward chai with a strong black tea flavor and an even balance between cinnamon, ginger, clove, nutmeg, and cardamom. It's good with no milk or sugar, but even better with honey and milk.

Stash-Chai Spice
Also a pretty straightforward chai. If I had to choose I'd go with the Tazo, but that might be because I like their packaging better.

Stash-Green Chai
Something about this brand's tea bags always has a musty taste, but I might be the only person that can taste it (Long story, I have a unnaturally strong sense of taste). Nevertheless, it's a pretty good tea. Ginger is primary spice which goes well with the grassy taste of green tea. It already pretty sweet and surprisingly creamy so I'd only add a splash of milk and a little sweetener. I'd like to compare it to the Republic of Tea's green chai which I haven't had yet. I feel like green tea is not the intuitive choice for chai, but maybe RoT can prove me wrong.

Stash- Holiday Chai
The "holiday" flavors are listed as gingerbread and rum. I don't really taste the gingerbread, other than the ginger flavor that already supposed to be there but the rum flavor is very strong in good way. It cuts the sweetness and gives it a smokier taste. It would be awesome loaded up with lots of milk and sugar. Suprisingly good, although winter teas usually are.

Stash- Double Chai
More of a good thing? Maybe. If you like spicy tea or feel like milk dilutes your tea too much this might be for you. The extra spiciness comes from more cardadom and a dash of coriander. It's also pretty interesting plain if you love cinnamon and cardamom. Be careful of brewing it too long, it will get bitter.

Stash- Vanilla Chai
It's kind of a misnomer. It tastes closer to hazelnut coffee than chai, but I like hazelnut coffee. It's got a nice toasty taste and not too sweet. Also awesome with lots of milk and sugar.