Revolution's Organic White Chai Tea

Review

From the product description page: "Rich and wonderfully fragrant, this exquisite blend combines White Bai Mu Dan Leaf with cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom, all organically grown. White tea, whose silvery buds are the least processed of all teas, contains the highest amount of antioxidants."

I was e-mailed by someone attached to Revolution Tea and asked if I would like to review some of their products. I said sure, and choose this brand as one that sounded promising. I drank it for a couple of days, and got a general sense of it. I knew I had seen it somewhere (turns out it was at Books-a-Million) and so I kept wondering about that for a bit, giving me a weird deja vu everytime I poured a cup. I am not a huge drinker of spiced tea (aka "chai", which technically just means "tea"), at least not anymore, but I am game for something new just about always.

It is an organic (fully) white tea in loose and effective infuser bag. The tin is a useful, slender cylinder that stores it well and keeps it fresh.

The flavor is very light and very delicate. It is lighter even than Stash's Green Chai (my most drank form of "chai"). Most spiced teas focus on covering up bitter or sour leaf with a dose of spices and recommend you put plenty of sugar and cream on top. This is especially true of a couple of the better known brands (the standards as most tea shops, but I will name no names) who push themselves as being Chai Latte instead of straight tea.

Revolution's White Chai, however, is a much lighter flavor and works better on its own. I don't get the feeling that I am drinking bad tea that is buried under false flavors. I get the feeling I am drinking at least fair tea with nice flavors on top. I still like it with a little milk and a little sugar, but not too much. The flavor can be quickly overwhelmed.

I have also mixed in some cranberry juice and ice for a colder concoction. The flavor is pretty much background, but if you do it right, it makes a nice fruity-spice flavor that is fairly unique.

It has a good aroma and an uncomplicated taste. The hint of spices is warm and inviting and not cloying even on long steeps. Upon drinking you get their flavor front and center, but as the flavor plays off, you get a nice little white tea aftertaste at the end. This helps to round the flavor well and makes it a better overall drink.

This blend won't convert you if you are the sort of tea drinker that likes to taste region and season in the leaf, but it is worth a shot. I, myself, will stick mostly to "pure leaf" flavors but I will be picking up another tin of this to keep around for when I am in a "chai" mood.

I most definitely recommend at least stopping by a Books-A-Million (if you got one) and trying a cup at the cafe. I'm sure you'll like it.

At a cost of 15 per about $9, this comes out to be about 60 cents a cup, which seems relatively ok. This does include a tin, mind you.