Just the words ‘Thai Chai’ take my mind to fragrant spices and tropical fruits. But that’s not what you usually expect with a spiced chai blend. When I found this sample packet in my box of teas from Adagio, it was the one I was most intrigued by.
If you’re curious about this tea but can’t quite decide whether to buy it, my review will help you.
Adagio Thai Chai at a Glance
- Blend: Black tea with coconut, ginger and lemon notes
- Flavour: Light coconutty black tea with a hint of lemon
A pleasant, well-balanced tea but an unusual flavour combination. It’s well worth trying (get the sample size) as you might love it! I will finish my sample pack but won’t be purchasing again.
Full Review – Thai Coconut Chai
- Type: Loose leaf
- Tea: Black tea
- Additives: Cinnamon, ginger, coconut, cardamom, lemongrass, natural coconut flavour
- Flavour Notes: Light, nutty, coconut sweetness, subtle lemon
- Aroma: Coconut, lemongrass, fresh green grass, lemon-scented soap
- Milk or Lemon: Sugar/sweetener if desired
- Where to Buy: Adagio Thai Chai
Ripping open the packet (scissors are always disappearing this time of year, or is that just me?) I’m hit with the slightly cloying scent of sweet coconut. Luckily there’s a fresh green grass and lemongrass aroma pulling through too. It certainly livens up the tea scent but at this point, I wasn’t quite convinced that the ingredients would meld together right.
It brews into a light sunset orange-brown colour, typical of light black teas. Interestingly, there’s no hint of black tea in the dry leaf or wet tea aromas. I’ll be honest here. Lemon soap. Yep, that’s definitely what the aroma reminds me of, with a hint of Body Shop coconut hand-cream.
I take a hesitant sip. It’s both dull and light in the flavour. The coconut is deceptively nutty and not as sweet as the aroma had led me to believe. Expect a light black tea with dominant coconut notes and a lingering aftertaste of fresh, grassy lemon zest.
It’s not unpleasant but it’s certainly unusual. I sense it’s kind of a Marmite tea, except the “lovers” will be a very small group indeed.
How to Brew Adagio Teas Thai Chai
Adagio’s instructions are 2 heaped teaspoons of loose leaf, 100°C water and brew for around 5 minutes. I followed this and found the black tea to be about the right strength for my tastes – but I like my tea quite weak compared to my friends. So, I recommend starting at 5 minutes and taking a sip before deciding to steep for longer.
You could add sugar or sweetener to bring out the sweet coconut more, or even a squeeze of lemon to kick up the zest. As for what to drink it with, I’m at a loss. For now, it remains a mid-afternoon tea to guzzle when I’m trying to resist a snack – if you have any ideas, do let me know in the comments.
Why Adagio Loose Leaf Tea UK?
Adagio is a generous tea company! Not only did they send me a seemingly endless box of tea samples, but they also pay their tea farmers very fairly. More fairly than organic and Fairtrade certification boards enforce, which is why you won’t see their stamps on any Adagio tea packets.
As for this tea, I’m happy to see whole spices in the mix with flakes of lemongrass… but I am sorely disappointed that I can’t taste them! Cinnamon, cardamom and ginger and favourites of mine.
Nonetheless, the quality is excellent as I’ve come to expect from Adagio. Whether this turns out to be your favourite flavour combo or not, you simply can’t deny that Adagio has used the best, freshest ingredients they could find for this one.
Summary
At the end of the cup, I still wasn’t entirely convinced that the coconut, lemon and spices worked, especially with a black tea base. I have wondered whether a green tea could work better, adding further grassy notes and combatting some of that coconut chaos. Well, you can’t love them all.
My final words on this tea are: don’t knock it until you try it. There’s nothing wrong with this tea, it just happens that the flavours don’t work for me. Who knows, maybe you’ll fall in love with it. Only one way to find out…
Tea Recommendation
Speaking of lemony green teas, I very recently reviewed Eloment’s Double Lemon tea! Eloments are a very special tea company that uses plant extracts to create super unique properties for their blends. Read my full review of Eloments Double Lemon to see what I mean.