Review: Trader Joe's Spiced Chai
Let me start this off by saying I’ve only been to Trader Joe’s twice. EVER. So naturally, this past time I was in Florida I found one and went crazy inside, like a kid in a candy store. I remember that everything there is very good quality, I haven’t tried anything I don’t like.
I was pretty impressed by the tea selection there, and specifically the amount of different chai options they have, from concentrates to powdered mixes (just add water!) . Because we stopped there on our way to the airport, I had already used up most of my space in my bags so the chai I wanted to buy had to fit in my carry-on so I bought the “Spiced Chai” tea bags.
The package hints that this blend is more of an Asian flavor, which is different from any chai I’ve tried so far so I brought it back 4,679 miles to the excruciating summer heat of Maui. And yes, I drank it hot (I don’t even know why).
From the second I took off the plastic from the box you can smell the tea and the vanilla. Place the tea bag in hot water and steep for 4-6 minutes (very time efficient) and then add the milk or milk alternative and sweetener to your liking.
For me I used Oatly’s Oat milk (Original) and sugar. I personally love using oat milk in my chai, but I think I’ll save that for another post later. There’s no specific ratio I follow when it comes to adding milk to the tea, I usually just go by color.
The flavor is definitely more black tea driven, and you can definitely identify the Asian influence. It’s interesting that the vanilla is in the tea mix, I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. The suggested steeping time is 4-6 minutes, but the flavor isn’t very strong so I ended up waiting closer to 8-9 minutes. In the end I like that the vanilla meant I didn’t have to add as much extra sugar, because there was sweetness already there.
That being said, this is not a spicy chai, so if you don’t care for spice you’ll enjoy this chai. I wouldn’t necessarily call it an americanized chai, because the amount of sugar is entirely up to you. It tastes and smells like a nice fall candle, like THAT one at Pier 1 ( if you know, you know).
As far as caffeine goes, I don’t notice a buzz but it’s a nice and quick chai to enjoy if you just want one with minimal effort. After trying these tea bags, I’m interested in tasting the concentrates Trader Joe’s also sells, but we’ll have to see when I come across those. Overall, I likely won’t be getting these tea bags again just because I prefer a stronger flavor and this one was too mellow, and I didn’t care for the vanilla flavoring.
