This Masala Chai organic black tea blend has a medium-body with a warm spicy flavor and aroma. This formula is based on traditional South Indian blending methods and ingredients, using a very small leaf grade, as well as green cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and black pepper. Despite the small leaf, this organic tea has surprisingly little astringency. The clove and ginger really come through, with a wonderful cardamom finish. We recommend steeping a triple-strength cup of this organic Indian tea and serving it with honey and steamed milk. For illustrated step-by-step instructions, check out our guide on How To Make Chai Lattes.
Ingredients: organic black tea, organic cardamom, organic cinnamon, organic ginger root, organic clove, and organic black pepper
Our delicious blended teas use the same top-quality organic teas and/or botanicals offered in our single origin varieties, but are comprised of teas, herbs, fruit, and/or flowers of multiple origins and/or varieties. When blending our teas, our goal is to create a cup with a specific flavor profile in mind. Unlike single origin teas, which can vary from harvest to harvest (just like wine!), blended teas trade seasonal variation for year-to-year consistency. As a result, the formula and/or appearance of our blends may change over time, but you can rest assured that you’ll always receive an organic cup of tea with consistent flavor.
At Arbor Teas, we believe tea should be brewed to suit your personal taste. We’re happy to make recommendations to get you started, but don’t hesitate to experiment! When brewing your tea, your main considerations are tea quantity, water temperature, and steeping time. We recommend black teas to be steeped for 3 to 5 minutes in water heated to a full, rolling boil. For the best flavor, use fresh water whenever possible, and avoid overboiling. Try not to steep your tea longer than necessary, as you’ll extract undesirable bitterness from the leaves. If you want a stronger brew, don’t steep longer, just use more tea. And don’t forget to re-steep your tea leaves to get the most out of your leaf!
Looking for more info? Check out our How-To Guides and Eco-Brewing Tips!
"A chai latte is my weekend favorite! Add frothed dairy or non-dairy milk and some honey for an aromatic, spicy, sweet, and foamy treat! Yum!"
"Not only does this tea smell as delicious as it brews, but mix in a little milk and honey and it is a dessert in a cup!"
"I'm a big fan of Masala Chai blends, and this one is hands down my favorite!"
"While I usually prefer my Masala Chai with milk and honey, I also enjoy this one on its own."
Oh my GOODNESS do I love this tea! So comforting and such a great afternoon or evening treat to wind out the day. I received my sample of this just days ago and have logged on to order a large bag. I give it a steep of 4 minutes, if drinking on its own, or 5 minutes if adding milk (plant based creamers work perfectly with this, in my opinion), and it is just wonderful. Looking forward to trying it iced as well.
Love this Masala chai, along with the Masala Chai that we get from Ahista Tea. Both are beautifully crafted and morning staples for our family!
This is my go to tea. I drink 2 cups a day and most of the time, I drink it straight without milk or anything to sweeten it. The flavor is incredible and has ruined me for all other teas. I have drank my share of tea over the years, but nothing compares to this flavor profile. It's spicy, but not overpowering. There's something very comforting about this tea. When it's hot outside, you can ice it and add milk/honey and it's just as good as the warm version. It's amazing and I love it.
When I brew this and add sugar/honey and cream, it really matches the superb chai I get in one of my favorite Indian restaurants. I don't always want something with sweetener, so there are times I'll brew a different chai just with water, since this otherwise leaves me feeling like I've had a disappointing near-miss to the real thing.
A lot of times when you buy a chai tea, it can taste artificial. There's nothing artificial about this masala chai - it's made with all real ingredients and it shows. I made this tea a couple of different ways. I did one teaspoon per cup and steeped it for 5 minutes but I also doubled both the amount of tea and the steeping time per a recommendation by another reviewer. The doubled tea was strong and spicy (although I didn't get the 5 steepings the other reviewer got). The lighter tea was milder but low in caffeine. I really enjoyed the fact that you can drink this tea black for a bright, bracing experience or with cream and sugar for the more classic chai. I'm not going to buy a full size bag of this tea because it's not quite what I was looking for. I think I need to buy masala chai separately and blend it with black tea myself. Still, this is a great quality masala chai blend and I really enjoyed drinking the sample size that I got.
I love this tea black and sweetened plus milk; they're like two entirely different teas. Black, this tea is a powerful, but surprisingly harmonious, blend of strong spices. They melt together into a bright, strong, and very spicy tea that features an almost liqueur-like level of flavor. When sweetened and with milk, this tea mellows into a warm, bright, cheerful desert that reminds me of Christmas. This tea doesn't actually contain as much black tea as spices, but that might be a benefit: I find I need to brew it at twice the recommended strength when drinking this with milk, but I can re-steep it up to 5 times *without* the tea itself getting too bitter or astringent. I love this tea, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys chai. If you're not a fan of spicy, you can still enjoy the full, desert flavors of this this with milk *without* burning your tastebuds.
Really pleased with the chai tea sample. I find the spices perfectly balanced (not overly peppery as one reviewer indicated) and the blend very smooth. Will reorder.
My go-to chai. I’ve tried so many different blends and this is, hands down, my favorite. It’s a work-from-home highlight!
I can't ever run of of this tea, I start my morning with it every day for a burst of wonderful and flavorful spices. The tea has good body and robust flavor.
Tasty, but not my favorite. It’s my fault for not taking the “super spicy” description seriously—but the pepper is pretty overpowering.
I agree with the earlier reviewer who felt that the ratio of black tea to spices could be a little higher. That being said, my favorite teas tend to be very strong varieties. However, the blend of spices has a wonderful flavor that I do enjoy.
Arbor Teas prepare an intensely pungent and delicious Chai tea. It is strong and flavorful and can be steeped twice, still affording good flavor. I highly recommend this tea for anyone who enjoys Chai, with or without any add on ingredients one prefers.
This is the best chai I ever had! It's great and creamy tasting even without milk, great as a chai latte too - the flavor is just right for it to taste brilliant both ways. It's a nice and flavorful taste that warms you up. Just lovely.
My partner and I did a big tea order of lots of sample packets at the beginning of quarantine, and have slowly been trying all of them. This masala chai is so good that it's been hard to try any of the other teas because I just want to drink this one constantly. The spices are so much fresher than they are in other masala chai blends I've purchased, and the tea has a really nice body.
This chai has a nice spiciness to it, but it does come off weak if you brew it like normal tea. I think the ratio of black tea to spices could be higher, but I do still enjoy it. I'm going to try some other ways of making it.
I've had a hard time finding a chai blend I really like - most have had a weird artificial flavor, were too flat/weak, or were too heavy on clove/ginger/something. I'd given up. I started buying tea from Arbor two to three years ago, and after being impressed by a number of their other teas, finally thought to try this. It is a perfect blend! My husband steeps it in milk, and I make a strong-ish brew with water and then add powdered coconut milk - we both think it's delicious.
Pretty new to drinking tea (used to be coffee drinker). This Masala Chai has to be my favorite so far. The perfect amount of spice for me. This is a tea I could drink everyday!
I have tried a lot of Chai Teas and have found this one to be just right for me. I make it lighter and have it as is, or a little stronger and add a bit of milk and honey for the perfect treat. I often use it for a light dessert or as my comfort drink.
Steep this tea in milk & O.M.G.!!! So creamy so spicy.
the flavors are wonderful. really nice on a cold day-thoses days are rare here in texas, but when it happens it is nice
Love the spiciness. Perfect for a chilly fall day. Heck, it's perfect for any day! LOVE.
This chai quickly brews up dark and bold, and I have to be careful not to over brew it. However it doesn't matter much if I do, because I prefer my chai will a smoothing splash of milk. I'm still in the process of trying to make a good chai latte, however my last attempt proved delightful, and it was crafted using two scant tablespoons of chai per 6-8ish oz of boiling water. After I allowed it to brew for well over 5 minutes, I topped it off with some steamed milk. All in all, this is a wonderfully spicy chai tea.
I have to say that over the course of my travels, I have visited a number of countries, and enjoyed many fine teas. Outside of the US, you will find good tea much easier than a good cup of coffee. With that in mind, this particular blend is literally a throwback to my trips to India. The aroma brings up the memories of my times in Dehli and my visits to the Taj Mahal. The flavor itself is spot on to what I had, from the cinnamon highlights, the the cardamon, the hint of ginger, and right down to the peppery finish. My suggestion is to bring the water to a boil, remove from the burner, add level table spoon of the loose leaf, tablespoon of a nice local organic honey, just enough milk to taste and let steep for two minutes. Strain with cheesecloth, serve, and enjoy. I would highly recommend and this will be my third bulk purchase - a very lovely tea overall.
Masala chai is one of my favorites and I'm very particulate about its flavor. Unlike other milky teas, which are normally brewed in water, Masala chai can be brewed directly in the milk which is the way I prepare it. This tea has great combination of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and ginger so that milk doesn't overpower it. My husband, who is not a tea drinker, loves this tea! He adds brown sugar in his, while I drink mine unsweetened. Thank you so much for offering this tea for sale!
The first ever Masala chai that floored my husband. Even I can partake of it straight up without any additions. Thank you.
I am very picky about masala chai. To me, it's only wonderful if it's heavy on the cardamom and ginger and not too heavy with the cloves. But above all- it must be spicy. I hate bland masala chai. This is a really great masala chai. It's spicy with a nice, bold black tea. I drink it with just a splash of milk.
Still a work in progress, but a delicious chai latte can be achieved by simmering 1 Tablespoon masala chai in 4oz water for 5 minutes. Then, add 8 oz 2% milk, and continue to slowly heat until the liquid is your desired drinking temperature (latte guidelines would dictate 160 F but whatever floats your latte boat). Strain into your mug, and add sweetener to taste. No, you won't have the frothy latte foam, but yes, you will develop the intense spice notes while enjoying the tea flavor as well. This is a little more work than just brewing a cup of tea and adding some hot milk, but I think it's worth it.
This has been a great tea for sharing. I have given it as a gift making a basket that includes a jar of local honey, frother, and tea strainer. I know it has introduced friends to Arbor Teas.
It smells amazing, and when I brew it in 2% milk... YUM! It is very spicy but unlike other loose leaf chai I've had, it doesn't taste like black tea with cumin. It's very sweet and strong. It's the perfect Chai, and I plan on buying the bulk size!
There's nothing like a cup of chai to perk me up in the afternoon. I fell in love with chai the first time I tasted it in an Indian restaurant in the mid '80s. For a long time, I only drank chai in restaurants. Then I got ahold of a recipe. But measuring all those spices and boiling them with the tea and milk and waiting for it to cool down meant I still got my chai fix mostly in restaurants. I am, therefore, overjoyed to find this spicy, tasty mix which brews itself in my tea pot and is perfect sipping temperature when it hits the cup. Add its organic and fair-trade qualities, and this is definitely my cup of chai!
I just wish it contained some star anise. I also have to agree with what others have said: this chai is a bit weak.
I have enjoyed the wonderfully balanced blend of flavors of this tea. Each cup has been a delight to my palate with an aroma that my wife describes as smelling like "Christmas".
I was pretty disappointed in this Chai. I absolutely love a good Masala Chai, but this one was too weak for me, even with 3x the recommended amount of tea. I like a very strong Chai, and brewing it in milk helped a bit, but not enough to justify the amount of tea needed. I love Arbor Teas, but I will not be buying this one again.
The blend of spices is perfect in this brew and I adore the aroma and taste as well. Some Masala chai teas are over-balanced in one spice or the other, which makes the tea "off" or too strong. Am enjoying this with coconut milk, warmed a bit in the cup before adding the tea -- a perfect breakfast blend!
I started with the sample and upgraded to the bulk. I love this tea because of it's rich texture and flavor. I use milk and honey in my tea and I still taste the chai. I would suggest upgrading your to maybe 2 or 3oz and steeping your tea bait longer. I want to taste the flavor with my milk so my tea usually comes out excellent.
This chai tea is well-rounded, with the right amount of each spice. I really enjoy using it for an iced chai at home. Some other reviewers have mentioned that steeping the tea and adding milk makes it too "watery". I have a simple suggestion that seems to work for me: brew the tea in hot milk (don't scorch it, just steam/heat it). It will brew right into the milk and infuse it with the rich chai flavor. Also, using plenty of tea will help as well. I love this tea because it is not too over-powering, yet the flavors all come through.
I really wanted to love this tea after reading the other reviews. It brewed up very weak. Recommended serving is 1 teaspoon. We used 1 tablespoon to 4 ounces of water and it was better but still not what I'd expect in a chai. There is no way you could add milk and/or sugar - it would completely dilute the little flavor present.
I love this Chai! It's my favorite! I've tried several other brands, but this is the best! I mix it with honey and milk. It reminds me of the Chai at my fave Indian restaraunt!
This chai is my new favorite..I ordered the sampler and used it up within a few days and had to order the regular size. I love to brew it and mix it with a bit of milk and honey. Reminds me of the chai in my favorite Indian restaraunt!
What a surprising chai blend. Dont bother with the sample this blend is my new favorite.
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