Okay, so we’re now closer to February than January. But it’s never too late to review a Christmas tea! After a lengthy break from blogging, I’m back today with an in-depth review of Whittard Ginger Snap Oolong Chai, a limited edition loose leaf tea from their Christmas 2024 range.
If you are looking for unusual chai beverages that aren’t the usual mix of black tea and spices, then this could be a good tea to try. Whittard usually does a great job with creating unique and tasty teas for the festive season.
In my review below, you’ll find details about the ingredients, flavour, and recommended brewing method for this tea.
Whittard Christmas Oolong Chai at a Glance
Izzy’s Rating
- Blend: Oolong tea with cocoa kernels, ginger, spices and flavouring
- Flavour: A very lightly oxidise oolong with saccharine sweetness balanced nicely with zingy ginger and spices
You can taste both the sugar and stevia in every sip, but with a balancing kick from the ginger and spices, this tea feels nicely balanced. It’s an indulgent cuppa for the holiday season.
Full Review – Ginger Snap Oolong Chai
- Type: Loose leaf tea
- Tea: Lightly oxidised oolong
- Additives: Cocoa kernels, ginger, white cocoa butter splits (sugar cocoa butter, dextrose), cinnamon, pink pepper, chilli pods, flavouring, stevia leaves
- Flavour Notes: Light oolong, malty, saccharine sweet, ginger spice, zing
- Aroma: Candied ginger, cloves, pepper, sugar shell sweets
- Milk or Lemon: Neither
- Where to Buy: Whittard of Chelsea
Opening the packet, the initial aroma is sufficiently festive. I can detect notes of ginger – both the dusty dried kind and chewy candied kind – as well as cloves, pepper, cinnamon and sugar. It’s sweet like Smarties with that candied sugar shell. Yum!
Don’t panic when you brew this tea. It’s quite normal for it to have a slightly oily film on the surface of the tea. I believe this is either from the cocoa or the flavouring. Trust me, it doesn’t impact the overall texture of the tea.
Once brewed, Whittard Ginger Snap Oolong Chai has an astringent and spicy smell. It’s quite pale, which hints that the oolong is a light oxidation. As for the flavour, it’s a curious balance of flavours. The oolong is light and fresh with virtually no body. The cocoa and sweetener give the tea a malty note with overarching saccharine sweetness. To balance the richness, the ginger and spices sweep in to provide a zingy aftertaste.
Overall, it’s not unpleasant! I can’t quite see why Whittard have named this tea Ginger Snap but it’s definitely a unique and tasty blend of flavours. It’s a Christmassy indulgence.
How to Brew Oolong Chai
Whittard’s directions for brewing this tea suggest using one teaspoon of tea (2g) in 90°C water for approximately three to five minutes. For the purposes of my review, I’ve followed those instructions closely with a three-minute brew in 250ml of water.
Don’t be afraid to brew for longer or use hot water fresh from the kettle. After a little experimentation, I can confirm that longer brew times and hotter water temperatures don’t pull out any bitter notes – it simply strengthens the flavour of the tea.
Typically, chai is great with milk and honey… but not this one. The oolong is so light and the flavouring so sweet that you really don’t need to add milk or honey to round out the cuppa.
Why Buy from Whittard of Chelsea?
Generally, Whittard of Chelsea are a decent brand in the UK. They have a long history of blending and selling teas with a huge range of classics to choose from, including a delicious Earl Grey that’s one of my top-rated on the blog. However, I often find that for day-to-day tea-drinking, Whittard is priced a little too high. But Whittard is always worth the money at Christmastime.
Whittard Ginger Snap Oolong Chai is just one of the festive beverages they have available at the moment. It features indulgent ingredients like white cocoa butter splits, flavouring and stevia leaves for sweetness. Usually, I’d say that these ingredients were unnecessary and advocate for teas that use only natural, sugar and sweetener-free ingredients instead… but it’s Christmas!
Summary
Whittard’s Ginger Snap Oolong Chai is a festive tea that’s deliciously unique and uniquely delicious. The ingredients are indulgent, and the flavour will keep you cosy over the Christmas period. You can buy this tea directly from Whittard (button below) or find it in one of their outlet stores across the UK.
P.S. you can usually buy this tea for a discount in January. With a ‘best before’ date that’s usually more than a couple of years away, there’s no reason why you can’t buy it 11 months early for Christmas 2025!
Tea Recommendation
If you are as crazy about tea as I am, then you’ll certainly be on the lookout for other tea-themed gifts for the festive period. Here at Immortal Wordsmith, I have a Best UK Tea Advent Calendar article that I update every single year so you can find the best advent calendar to tickle your taste buds from December 1st. Don’t forget you can also use the tags at the top of this article to explore all Christmas-themed articles on our blog!