Good Earth, Starry Chai

Good Earth Description:
One sip of Starry Chai ™ and you’ll look heavenward as the sweet, luscious flavor makes your taste buds twinkle. Exotic chai spices are masterfully blended with a surprise touch of cherry flavor to create a lusciously organic tea experience.

Ingredients:
Organic black tea, organic natural flavor, organic cinnamon, organic cardamom, organic nutmeg, organic ginger root, organic licorice root, organic raspberries, organic cloves, organic black pepper, natural cherry flavor with other natural flavors, organic star anise, natural flavor, organic chicory root.

Sample provided by Good Earth

My Review:
I am trying to space my Good Earth reviews out a little rather than hitting you all at once with them. They currently have supplied me with twelve different teas and I will eventually review them all.

I am still enjoying the return to my roots with these tea bags. I have only recently started to see this brand locally. Seeing them on the shelf, I had avoided them because my experience in the earlier days taught me in general to avoid teas that had more than 3 ingredients. The rule had served me well, but it appears I need to revise it. My new rule is never buy tea with more than 3 ingredients, unless the blender has proved they know what they are doing. So far Good Earth has earned a spot on that list. They have been a pleasant surprise to review.

On to the tea! The box contains 18 tea bags that are individually sealed in an aluminum envelope. Each contains right at 2g of leaf and spices. Plenty for a hearty cup of tea.

I used boiling water and a 4 minute steep. The brew is an orange/red. Dry the cherry makes this smell a little medicinal, but once steeped it is a warm cinnamon and cardamom with hints of cherry.

My wife liked the taste of this with no additions. I thought it was a little lighter in flavor than I wanted. I added a half packet of Splenda. To me this was a perfect balance of flavor to sweetness. My wife said it was just sweeter. Tinker with it yourself and see if it is better sweet or unsweet (cough sweet).

The taste is much like the aroma. It is a soft warm cinnamon, clove, and cardamom, with a light touch of cherry. Unlike the previous Good Earth chai I reviewed, the ginger and black pepper do not bring a spicy kick at the end. They are present but support the cinnamon allowing it to heat up the finish.

What is especially interesting to me is how quickly this disappeared from my cup. For chai that is a major accomplishment with me. I think there is still a at least one chai from Good Earth I haven't tried yet. There is still the possibility I'll be able to point and say, "Aha! I told you I didn't like chai". For now at least, I have to admit I kind of do like it.

You may find Good Earth Starry Chai at your local Walmart or Kroger store. You can also order direct from Good Earth