Tea Review: Masala Chai Blend No. 33 by Steven Smith Teamaker

This chai has a definite clove presence in the nose and the overtone - and fair warning, it is VERY easy to overbrew to the point where that clove starts to dry out your mouth on the end note. However, an overbrewed pot takes cream and sugar well and stays quite tasty.


If you baby your tea timer and don't go a second over 5 min, than you don't need any cream or sugar and can drink this nicely straight off the steep.

So, it's not my favorite chai blend - but I do like how well it takes to cream without the annoyance of having to brew it IN milk - since so many chai blends need to be steeped in the milk for the spices to hold up to the creaming and this one doesn't.


And now, a word on packaging.




I don't usually talk about packaging in my reviews - but it's worth mentioning here. I have a few blends that are nice, but aren't FANTASTIC and yet I continue to buy them regularly because something about the packaging feels luxurious and decadent and opening it and making that tea feels as though I've treated myself to something terribly expensive and special.

This tea has packaging that does that. The box is fantastic and posh, the tea bag package is slick and smooth and like satin in the fingertips and the tea bag is lovely and luxurious and by the time you have your tea made you feel as though you've really spent a fortune on yourself. It's a head trip, I admit, but it's a head trip that can really do wonders for me. So, it's not the best of the chai blends that I've made myself - but because of the way it holds up to cream and how luxurious it makes me feel, I'll likely refill my stash when I run out.

tl:dr verdict: Tasty blend with a great wrapper that makes me feel fancy.

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