★★★☆☆
Nice spicy chai tea. Not something I would drink often but was nice last week while nursing a cold. Opens up your sinuses!
'Masala' means 'blend of spices' and 'chai' is simply 'tea.' Inviting fragrance, invigorating flavor, warm finish.
Customers use these reviews to describe their experience with Masala Chai, including flavor, aroma, preparation preferences, strength, and how the tea fits into daily routines. Browse the full review history page by page to compare tasting notes, steeping tips, and favorite ways to enjoy this tea.
Nice spicy chai tea. Not something I would drink often but was nice last week while nursing a cold. Opens up your sinuses!
Now this is a masala chai! Puts all the commercial/'grocery store brand' chais I've tried utterly to shame, not to mention the pre-made 'chai latte' type drinks you can get at most places. This brings me back to the first time I ever had masala chai, at a small place in Santa Cruz, California.
I felt like the chocolate chai I used in one of my signature blends was a little heavy on the cardamom, so I was expecting to encounter the same thing here, but now I think it must just have been that one tin, because in the masala chai sample bag, the spices are very well balanced. The cardamom is definitely present but does not drown out the other spices, and the ginger is a warm but not biting presence. In inferior chais, I have found that the cardamom is usually missing entirely or of extremely low quality and having hardly any flavor, and the ginger is generally either low quality and weak flavored, or else it's high quality but overused, causing it to cleanse the palate in an undesireable way when the chai is sipped - essentially preventing you from really tasting much of the tea! This blend avoids both issues deftly, providing a nice amount of both spices.
I do wonder if the cinnamon used is true (Ceylon) cinnamon or cassia. It doesn't taste like the typical low-quality cassia from the grocery store, but it's hard to detect the classic Ceylon tang through the stronger presences of clove, cardamom, and ginger. If it is cassia, that's a little disappointing, but it does seem to be better-than-usual cassia at least. If it's Ceylon, I think it should be given a slightly higher proportion in the mix. It's not quite standing up to the other spices. The cloves are whole, which is interesting, and gives a slightly different flavor than ground clove would have. A wise decision, I think, as it prevents the clove from being overwhelming.
Unlike some chais, there doesn't seem to be any anise or anise-like flavor to this. Thank goodness! I'm not sure why I sometimes encounter an anise-like flavor in masala chai, but I'm personally not a fan. So I'm glad it isn't present here. I'm also pleased by the way the spice content is balanced, so that there's a very slight peppery flavor, a gentle prickle on the tongue, and a sense of warmth even in room temperature tea, but it isn't overly spicy so that you feel like you need a sip of milk to cool your mouth and throat after you sip this.
I usually try a new tea plain, with no milk or sweetener, but I'm a sucker for chai latte, so I drank this with milk and a bit of raw honey. It formed a lovely dark liquor, golden brown with a slight reddish tinge, not quite as dark or thick as coffee but with a nice body that feels light yet substantial. Adding milk enhances the natural smoothness into something almost silky and the honey blended into the background instead of being a dominant flavor, bringing out the natural sweetness of the spices instead of feeling like an added, extra presence.
I should note that the long brewing time is partly because I didn't leave the tea on the heat while brewing. So the water was boiling when I poured it into the cup, but it cooled as it sat, so that it didn't exactly brew at 212 the entire time. If you have one of those nice devices that keeps your water at a consistent temperature the whole time, you should probably not let it steep as long as I did unless you don't mind a significantly stronger brew! I used one heaping tablespoon instead of two heaping teaspoons, but my mug is large, so it turned out to be an adequate but somewhat modest amount of tea for the amount of water and length of time spent steeping. I intend to try to get at least one more infusion from the same 'serving' of leaves/spices, but I will probably either use less water or let it steep longer, to see what the flavor is like when more concentrated. It was quite tasty, but I'm curious if it will become overly peppery or if it might just become even more delicious. Looking forward to finding out!
If you're not already a fan of spiced teas, this would be a really good one to start with, especially if you're a fan of ginger and cardamom. Their familiar presences will draw you in and make you comfortable without hiding the other aspects of the flavor profile. And if you are a masala chai fan, this is a really good selection - not just by itself, but as a component for mixing signature blends. Its flavors are strong enough to contribute something interesting, but not so strong as to wipe out other elements of the blend. It's so, so good with milk and honey, but it would be wonderful plain, too, if that's how you prefer your tea.
A little peppery for me but still pretty good. Enjoyable on a cold afternoon.
A favorite, full-bodied start to my mornings when I don't want coffee. I enjoy with some heavy cream and stevia. The cream cuts some of the strong spice.
Usually I like my tea with lots of milk and sugar, but this is the only kind that I can drink straight after steeping!
I really enjoyed this tea with honey or unsweetened.
My son's favorite tea. It tastes great straight, sweetened, with or without milk... you can't go wrong with this one.
I originally bought this for my mom because she loves chai. I fell in love with it and had to order more because we completely obliterated the first sample bag.
Got this as a free sample. Has very good taste to it. Will order it again.
I received this as a sample for my birthday and after trying it, I had to order more. It's one of my absolute favorite go to Chai teas and I like this even better than teavanas Chai teas. The price also can't be beat.
Warm, sweetness, and relaxing. Add a little milk to make it an original chai.
Absolutely delicious! This is a great winter tea. The subtle chai flavors make for a smooth, rich cup of tea.
Strong and spicy!! Great with milk and some sugar crystals. If you're looking for a subtle tea, it's not this one!
I've tried quite a few chai, and this one always ranks at the top. Great stuff
This is one of my favorite chai teas. It is not too strong like some others can be- nice balance of spices.
it is great and test soooo good I love masala chai.
Perfect! It's the right amount of spicy, combined with some honey to balance it out. This is my go-to chai when I have a rough (or great!) day, and I a man able to brew at least three cups with one serving. Not everyone's way of doing it, but if you're on a budget, try to steep more than once. It smells excellent, has a nice spice to it, and makes you feel warm. I love it!
Chai teas are one of my favorites. Great spicy taste.
Loved this tea and now have my daughter enjoying it too!
I love this one. It is a great Chai. My god-daughter also likes it and I wish she would stop using it all up. The best thing about Adagio is the fact that you can buy the sample packs and see if you love the teas as much as the people reviewing this
I made this as a concentrate, and put it in the fridge to use as a base for cold Chai lattes. Perfect flavor.
Spectacular when you add a touch of milk and honey!
This tea really packs a punch: when you first sip it the cardamom and cinnamon come on very strong, however it finishes with a surprisingly smooth blend of ginger and cloves. It's a little finicky when you first try to brew- it can very quickly become over-steeped/bitter- however it takes very well to brewing the traditional way [being simmered with milk and sugar/honey].
Personally, I use (1/2) to (2/3) the recommended amount and add plain black tea- this smooths the cinnamon a bit and prevents bitterness.
I love this chai. The spices sing out, and the mildly peppery flavor lingers for a short time reminding you that this is the good stuff...
A standard chai. Just like it's supposed to be. I like to mix mine with oolong or a vanilla tea instead of adding cream.
I am Waiting to try the tea. I Will update later.
This tea is FANTASTIC! At first sip, it seemed a little too flavorful for me, but after I finished the cup, I was sold. It has smooth and rich flavors that are perfect for a chilly winter morning. The aroma is amazing too, it lingers in the kitchen an hour or so after brewing the tea. Definitely will buy again!
I love the blend of spices in this chai. I like the tea flavor to be a little stronger, so I usually add a little extra ceylon sonata to my blend.
It's good, but not my favorite. Have to be careful not to over-steep or dose too much tea. Very strong bitter punch to the tongue if you do.
What a good tea. The spices come though, the balance is great, and I could drink this all the time.
Great to blend with white chai but also stands on its own.
Wow! Much better than your standard Chai tea. This will get the heart pumping in the morning. Does well in a Keurig machine.
Nice tang to it...love the spices! Could have more cinnamon to it...but love chai!
Best Chai I've ever had! I hope to order a different kind soon but...can't get past this one!
Awesome chai :) It's got all the great spices and flavors that you would expect from masala chai. Very good when prepared with a bit of milk and sugar.
Not the best chai I've ever had, but still pretty good.
This is a pretty decent chai. I would steep on the longer side to make sure all of the flavors come through.
I would not have considered myself a chai tea drinker prior to trying this tea. It has a fantastic aroma and a smooth taste.
A great chai tea. Nice and flavorful and good with milk.
One of the best chais I have ever tried, perfect with milk and honey.
I really like this chai. It has the right blend of spices.
This brews up really nicely; the spices are well-balanced, and cheaper chai so often gets that wrong. It can take sweetening, but it doesn't need it.
I love this tea. I got a sample last year and just recently bought 3oz of it. I love the spice. I can have it by itself or I as a latte. As a latte I use soy milk, 3 tsp of tea and then add sugar and honey to taste. Really good and the flavor of the tea is still strong through it all.
love this one with a little steevia and some coconut milk
I really enjoyed this chai! Some have too much ginger or pepper for me - this one is just right!
Tasted just like normal Chai, I was hoping for a masala taste, but I guess 'mixture of spices' describes all chai.
I love chai so I love this tea! Pairs really great with milk and a sweetener. It's smooth and sweet without being bitter.
I want to be punched in the face with flavors and this tea does just that.
It is a wonderful part of my morning routine. Ginger, cinnamon, and clove flavors create the classical Chai flavor in this Black tea. Use one teaspoon per cup if you're only sweetening with sugar, use 2 teaspoons per cup if you're also adding milk to it.
I love drinking some teas straight with no sugar or milk, but not this one. This is an intense flavor that demands additions to mellow it out and to compliment its high notes for me.
This tea is so much better than any of the teas I have been trying for a great, really spicy Massala taste without having to add all the ginger, anise, cardamom and cloves myself. I think that I have found my new favorite cold day treat with soy milk. I just load my ball with the loose tea, dump it in hot water, add two packs stevia, and 3 tablespoons of soy milk, and walk away to sip at my leisure. And yes, I do leave the tea ball in the cup to the last sip. It's delicious!
I'm not a huge fan of spiced teas, but I love this when I'm feeling a bit under the weather---a great tea for invigorating the sinuses!