Tazo: Chai Tea Latte
Monday, September 28th, 2009
Tazo | Chai Latte
For those of you new to tea (chai), Chai is an excellent introduction to the tea world. Although the word “chai” translates to the word “tea”, most of us refer to Chai as a specific blend of herbs and spices with tea (originating from India’s famous Masala Chai). It’s often spicy, sweet, and creamy. Most Chai suppliers have a flavor that will appeal to you. Concentrates make it easy and convenient to prepare the beverage and enjoy the experience of chai. I’ve been drinking chai for years, but I still enjoy a good concentrate for its convenience factor. My family and friends really like chai prepared this way. Tazo’s Chai Tea Latte surprisingly has an authentic chai flavor. I only say “surprisingly” because most ready-to-drink chais tend to lean toward the overly sweet side. Tazo wasn’t afraid to add some spice to the mix. It had a nice balance of spice and sweetness. With each drink, there was a slight tingle on my tongue that was mellowed by the sweetness and cream that quickly followed. The chai concentrate is very simple to prepare. I go with about 55% concentrate and about 45% milk (you can use your favorite milk substitute). I pour the concentrate into a microwave safe cup for about one minute. Then I add milk. At that point, I put it back in the microwave for another 30 seconds (shake carton before pouring and stir the chai as you add milk). There’s no exact science to it, just heat the chai to your liking. The more concentrate you add, the spicier the chai.
Ingredients: Black Tea, Black Pepper, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Ginger, Cloves, Natural Flavors and Star Anise, Cane Sugar, Honey, Ginger, Natural Flavors, Vanilla and Citric Acid.
The box label states about 70 calories per 4 fl oz (to make an 8 fl oz drink). I highly recommend this product if you are in the market for a convenient way to make an extremely flavorful cup of chai. Again, you have to enjoy the spices listed above. They are well-balanced in this mix and shouldn’t be too much for you. Keep in mind you can always mellow the beverage by adding less concentrate and more milk (or milk substitute).
marTEA
If you’ve ever been to a Starbucks, you’ve probably seen Tazo tea products. Tazo is obviously a very popular tea brand. Their affiliation with Starbucks certainly helps to further their cause. Their marketing is very stylish and their website uses a lot of Flash that helps to expand their appeal to young tea drinkers. I’ve been drinking a product of Tazo’s called Awake. This is a black tea that comes in a ‘filterbag’, and it can be purchased at most local grocery stores.