Tea India Review: Black Tea & Vanilla Chai

I've been blogging a lot about coffee recently but the truth is I'm also a tea lover. Since it wouldn't be sensible to drink coffee all day long, I usually switch to cups of tea after midday! I was delighted to be sent this set of Tea India award-winning teas, which have recently been launched in the UK. They arrived in a beautiful box filled with gold paper. It's a fitting transport method for these delightful boxes of tea.

I love the design and packaging of the Tea India range, it's all very sleek but with a fun twist. The teapots on the front of the box are drawn using paisley patterns which evokes an Indian style. I also loved the insides of the box, which once opened revealed vibrant colours that match the outer design; it's a very inviting feature.

  Pretty packaging aside, the all important question is how do they actually taste?

Tea India Vanilla Chai

The Tea India Vanilla Chai sounded especially appealing to my sweet tooth so it was the first one I tried. Chai tea is an Indian method of brewing tea which requires a combination of spices to produce a wonderfully fragrant tea. My husband is a dab hand at making a lovely chai tea using green cardamon, fennel seeds, cloves and black tea. It's quite a time consuming business so I was interested to see if an instant version could match up.

The Vanilla Chai tea bags contain cinnamon, cardamon, ginger, black pepper and vanilla flavouring. Surprisingly, the tea bags did not smell instantly of vanilla but rather of the peppery spices. Once brewed, I added a small amount of milk. The overall flavour is extremely comforting, there is a subtle heat from the ginger and black pepper. It is warming and delicately spicy without being overwhelming. There is a subtle sweetness from the vanilla, but it's a very light flavour that is not overly sweet. It's very different from the Chai that my husband makes but they are each delicious in their own way.

Tea India Black Tea

Tea India also make a Black Tea which they describe as "a unique blend of the finest teas with a deliciously rich, smooth flavour for you to enjoy everyday". The tea is made by picking only the two top leaves and the bud to ensure the freshness. Again, I tried mine with a small amount of milk.

The premium Black Tea had a lovely golden colour to it once the milk was added. It had a fragrant flavour that owes it's depth to the high quality of tea used. The taste was light and refreshing but still very robust. It's perfect as a delicious everyday tea. I enjoyed both the Black Tea and the Vanilla Chai, they were equally fresh tasting with smooth rich flavours.

The Tea India range has already won awards, with the Vanilla Chai and Black Tea each being awarded a 2 star gold rating in the Great Taste Awards 2012. There are two other teas available in the range: a traditional Masala Chai and the aromatic Cardamon Chai.

 Cardamon Chai       Masala Chai

The Tea India range is available at selected Tesco stores and Booth stores. Check online at Tea India to find your nearest stockist or tweet @UKTesco to ask if they can stock it in your local store. The Vanilla Chai costs £2.39 for 40 bags, and the Black tea is £2.59 for 80 bags.