The Chai Cart's Signature Spice Blend

I ordered this spice blend in order to try extracting a, "chai" essential oil...this doesn't contain any tea leaves, so it's all spices and therefore perfect for my experiment.I was surprised to see white pepper and fennel (I'm not a big fennel fan) in this blend, and I was surprised to NOT see any nutmeg. I added more cinnamon and cloves (for no other reason than personal preference), but even without those additions, it smells divine. When I opened the container and sniffed, I closed my eyes and envisioned Christmas morning and gingerbread houses...and (even though I've never been there), India and the tropics...*SIGH*I'm more than satisfied with this purchase; even if I'm not successful in extracting my own essential oil, I would still buy it again. In fact, I'm sort of regretting not adding the nutmeg and some desiccated coconut (Bob's Red Mill is my fave) to the blend, so yeah, there's definitely more of this wonderful mix for me in the near future (and yes, I know that coconut isn't generally a chai ingredient, but Celestial Seasonings makes a decaffeinated, "Sweet Coconut Thai Chai" that I absolutely love, so adding the coconut to chai spices is like adding coconut to chocolate -- it just goes).

too peppery.

It's my favorite chai blend since I can brew it with or without tea and gauge how much tea I add. When you open the container you can actually see the whole spices which appear high quality and fragrant with a hint of peppery sweetness that I assume comes from the cardamom and ginger/cinnamon. On cold evenings that I want to completely relax and keep warm, I brew the blend without tea. When I add loose tea to the mix, it gives me an instant energy boost.

I enjoy chai at restaurants, but I'd never made it myself, so I didn't know what to expect. The flavor and aroma are wonderful. Delicious and soothing....

Perfect blend of spices to make the perfect traditional Indian chai.