Review: Prana Original Sticky Chai
Prana Chai is made in Australia, and is known for their “sticky chai” blends. Of course, what is sticky chai? This basically means that they add honey or agave to their spice blend, making it sticky. This sweetens it so that you don’t have to add sugar or sweetener during the process.
This was an entirely new concept to me, so I went ahead and ordered some. (some of you may have seen my instagram story when I got the Prana Chai in, so if you’re not already, go and follow @itrychai on instagram!)
According to their website, Prana sources their ingredients from India, Sri Lanka, and Guatemala and hand make their blends. Also, their sticky chai is award winning so I had to try it. Is it really worth the hype?
Well, the packaging is really nice and simple, and just by holding it, I can already feel the wet chai blend. The back of the package has the instructions, and being someone that doesn’t typically measure food in grams, it took a little extra effort. I had to use a digital kitchen scale in order to measure the amount of chai, as well as google to convert the amount of liquid.
The instructions on the bag state that you need to heat the mixture VERY SLOWLY until hot. This was kind of confusing since it didn’t really give a time limit or anything, so I went by sight, until it looked like the color I’d imagined it should be. The process is simple because you don’t have to add any sweetener though, so that is a plus.
I will say that the smell of the package is stronger than the smell of the brewed chai in the pot. I used Oatly’s Oat Milk in my chai for the first batch, and that combined with the honey made the consistency thick and creamy which is nice.
It definitely doesn’t taste how I expected it too. I was not quite sure what to think at the first sip. It isn’t spicy at all. The leading flavor is from the star anise, which is all I can taste. I followed the instructions exactly (to their measurements) and I think maybe I need to add more of the mix than recommended next time.
The chai just doesn’t taste much like a masala chai, and has only very very subtle flavoring. The flavor that does come through is the star anise, which by itself isn’t my favorite flavor. After this first taste I’m not the biggest fan, but I will try again tomorrow with more than the recommended amount of blend and maybe a little more sweetener and see how it goes.
Batch #2:
So I tried it again, with more of the chai mix itself and also added some sugar. In addition, I also steeped it for more time (thinking maybe the flavor wasn’t coming through because I didn’t take long enough yesterday).
The outcome was the same for today’s batch as well. The flavors are muddled, and the star anise is the strongest taste there. Also, I think by adding more of the mix and steeping it longer caused it to come out more on the bitter side. The honey in the mix seems to take away from the spices and I think that’s why it seems so mellowed out.
Overall, is it worth trying? Only if you’re a chai enthusiast and want to see for yourself. Personally, I don’t think I will be buying again.
