Star Anise Masala Chai

I’d be hard pressed to recommend a chai powder more, first tried them from a local / speciality store about a decade ago. Keep coming back to Blue Lotus Chai. For the price, you can’t beat the integrity of ingredients and flavor. Quality! To be honest, I much prefer concentrated syrups and chai mixes, but they are so spendy. Nice packaging and little wooden spoon are a nice touch. I used this to make about a couple pints of my own chai syrup, couldn’t be any more pleased. Note that you have to mix with boiling water, however you use it needs boiling water or it can be a little gritty. You have to wake up the spices and the tea. You control the sweetness and the spiciness. This blend in particular has the really strong licorice-y anise on top of all the other typical chai spices. The smell is incredible, but make no mistake, when they say anise they mean it! Anise, ginger, and cardamom warmth in your mouth for sure. Perfect fodder for a dirty chai.

This was my second flavor of Blue Lotus Chai I've tried, and they've all been excellent. The Star Anise gives this one a very subtle licorice flavor. This stuff is 100x better than other powders that have sugar and milk already included. In fact I just tossed a $10 can of that other stuff because it's not even worth drinking compared to this. I've been drinking a cup of Blue Lotus Chai religiously as my wake-up cup for the better part of a year. Let me share some preparation tips. I'm an impatient guy so I try to do things as quickly as possible. So to make my tea, I take a 2-cup pyrex measuring cup and add 4 oz water and 4oz of whole milk. I toss in a regular tea bag (Lipton or whatever) to add some extra tea flavor to the mix, and then microwave it for 2:30. (YMMV depending on microwave wattage) This gets it just hot enough without boiling over and making a mess. I then add some tea masala (Indian tea spice) for extra flavor and finally add my tiny spoon of Blue Lotus and 2 tsp of sugar. Quick and delicious! I used to make chai the traditional way by boiling the milk and water on the stove and adding loose tea to steep as it simmered. Took some time and was messy. This microwave chai is just about as good and way more convenient. If you like chai I don't think you'll be disappointed. Try my suggestion above of adding a tea bag to the mix, because I do find the powder is a bit weak by itself, but the addition of the tea bag and the masala makes everything just right. As for the peppery taste mentioned by others - yes, it has a tiny bit of bite, but really, just a tiny bit. The masala I add actually gives it more bite, but even then it's pretty mild. I have no desire to burn my tongue with pepper while drinking a sweet tea, and this doesn't come close to doing that, though I guess some are more sensitive to the taste than others.

I am a chai tea fanatic and when I saw this powder I thought I’d give it a try. It took a bit of experimenting, even with the instructions, to get the flavor and dissolving balanced out, but I have been pleasantly surprised by our tasty it is. You must like star anise as it is quite strong in this mix, but I like it a lot. I also like that there are no sweeteners added, so I can add my own to taste. I also add a little creamer as chai tea is classically sweetened and mild added. I had an East Indian coworker who used to bring me her homemade chai tea and while this is not quite as good, it is a very close second. I hesitated to buy these because they seem a little expensive, but you use such a small amount and the flavor is so nice that it really is worth it.

Flavour is great but why don’t you include the little wooden spoon anymore?

Without a doubt the best flavored Chai out there and all of these within this brand are similar in quality. Knowing how to mix with the right ingredients makes your Chai base so much more flavorful with depth. I mix this with another sweeter brand of Chai and you will never go back to those Big Coffee Chain versions of Chai again.

Dressing your cup of nicely spiced chai with milk or half and half and a little sugar, and the taste is like what I order in a very nice Indian shop. A little goes a long way, and making my tea too spicy is easy to do. Definitely less is more, so I find these chais (I have a few variations) a good price. The Star Anise is my favorite, and their instant turmeric chain is great for a winter warm up.

I first had this while visiting a daughter and her husband. I was trying to help them clear out their overstuffed tea shelf by drinking the ones they didn't like during my 2 week stay. I drank up quite a few teas that had only a few cups of each left. Then I found this one! I asked why it was barely touched since masala chai is their favorite. They said they didn't like the chalky grit. I tried it and fell in love! Why? 1. I LOVE star anise and most masala chai I've found doesn't include it. 2. I LOVE ginger, and while most masala chai does include it, usually it's not strong enough for my taste. 3. I like lightly sweetened tea and this way I can choose how much to add. 4. It's more convenient than brewing up my own mixture; I drink it daily as a treat and pick-me-up after lunch. 5. I can add as much/little milk as I'm in the mood for and mix up the kinds of milk I use. 6. The chalky, ground-up spices sink and stay at the bottom of the cup and I just leave that behind after enjoying a very spicy, very smooth cup of masala chai. By the end of my stay my daughter and her husband were both drinking and enjoying this tea very much. When I got home my other daughter heard about it and bought it as a gift for me for my birthday and now I'm thrilled to have it in my own overstuffed tea shelf. This tea will never be neglected on my shelf, however! And I can't wait to try Blue Lotus Mandarin Masala Chai because I LOVE mandarins!

Taste like fennel, but if you drink enough of it, you'll actually start to enjoy the taste.