Tea Review: African Chai by Jus Tea

 

This isn't like other any other chai I've had before and that may be partly due to the Kenyan Black Tea that serves as the base of the blend.  It's a bold flavored tea, without being astringent or too in your face.  Actually.... it's quite lovely.

Beyond the tea base, the spice blend is also unique.  Most of my chai blends don't have rose or fennel.  The combination of the fennel with the licorice root does interesting things that.... I can't actually describe.  Though, one of the things the licorice does is give the blend an intriguing sweetness without the addition of any sugar.  The rose is lovely on the nose, but isn't on the overnote and mainly sits on the sides of the middle of my tongue on the end note, but without perfuming the aftertaste.

If you're looking for a SPICY chai, this isn't it.  Even though it has black pepper, it's well spiced but not spicy (as in with heat).  If you prefer your chai to be spiced at the level of a mild masala chai, this might be a nice alternative for you on the more heavily spiced side.  I tend to find normal masala chai to be too mild and bland for me - but THIS is a lovely option for me when I want something mild.  Mind you, I get 12 pumps of chai when I get a venti at Starbucks so, my mild may be your medium.

The suggestion on the tin says to steep for 3 minutes instead of the usual 5 for black tea - and I've done both.  At the three minute mark, the blend comes off as mainly black with a hint of spices, which I find to be a waste.  At the 5 minute mark, the spices are far more infused without the tea being over-brewed or mouth drying.

This is a tea I got while on vacation in Virginia, so while I can't direct you on where to buy it locally on the west coast, what I can do is direct you to the JUSTEA website here.