One of the teas that I like enjoy during the autumn and winter months is chai. I find it a comforting tea that I associate with Christmas. On a trip to America I found it quite difficult to get a cup of tea. So I have to admit being a little surprised when I was offered Bigelow Constant Comment tea as an option. It was completely different to any of the other teas that I had been offered so of course just I had to give it a try. Now the good thing I noticed about being in America was that you tended to get given two packets of tea. This meant one to have after my dinner and one to take home.
Now onto the tea itself I liked the simplicity of the packaging, with the bold red colour with a black strip scheme to the top with constant comment to the centre. I checked the back of the packet where the ingredients were listed as black tea, rind of orange, sweet spice and natural flavour. The tea is also labelled as being gluten free and there is no may contain warning.
On opening the packet I have to admit to being a tad surprised. There was a fairly strong sweet spice aroma coming from the teabag with a faint undertone of citrus noted. On undertaking my famous close up sniff test the sweet spice aroma remained the same but the citrus element intensified. I placed the teabag in my cup and added the hot water. It didn’t take long for the tea to infuse with the water resulting in a light/medium brown colour. On infusing the tea the predominant aroma was the black tea but both the sweet spice and orange were fairly strong. The aroma remained the same on my close up sniff test. On sipping the tea I have to confess to being surprised. It tasted like a nice every day black tea however the sweet spice and orange added a chai element to this tea. This impacted more on its flavour than I had anticipated and as a result made for a much nicer drinking experience. I gave the tea another try at home to ascertain if it tasted any different with freshly boiled water and in a nice teacup. It’s aroma and flavour were just the same as I remembered.
So would I recommend this tea? Yes I would it is nice to have an everyday black tea with a chai twist. The overall combinations of aromas and flavours complimented each other nicely. I liked everything about this tea which I have to admit being pleasantly surprised. So thank you Bigelow for producing a nice black tea.
Great to hear that you were so pleasantly surprised by this tea! Anything Christmassy will definitely have to wait til at least November for me, just so that I don’t run out of festive cheer before the big day, but after that, I may well pick up some of this to sample!
Abbey ? http://www.abbeylouisarose.co.uk
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Hi, I am not sure how easy to get here but worth a try later in the year.
I am not sure I have ever tried black tea… trying to think of a time but nothing is coming into my mind… I am glad you recommend this one! xx corinne
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It’s worth giving a black tea a try, if you do ever give it a try please let me know what you think, thanks.
I love love love tea but sadly never been a black tea lover everything else yes yes yes! But sounds quite nice, would actually use it in my home made ice tea ;), Lea, xx
Author
Oh let me know what its like as a cold tea as I’m intrigued. Thanks.
Oooh, this tea sounds interesting! I’ve never had black tea before but I would definitely be willing to try! Great review! 🙂
Author
Thank you, please do let me know what you think, thanks.
Never tried black tea, don’t think I’d like it because I like a good milky classic tea but I’d give it a go!
Jessica & James | http://www.foodandbaker.co.uk / http://www.foodandbakertravels.co.uk
Author
Oh if you do give it a try please let me know what you think, thanks.
Absolutely LOVE black tea, ill have to give this one a try! Your blog is adorable! Love it xx
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Thank you for your kind comments much appreciated.
I’ve never tried black tea before but after reading your post I really want to try it.
Author
Oh please do let me know what you think,thanks.
This sounds really different, I’ve wanted to try Chai Tea for ages. You might have just pursuaded me 🙂 x
Author
Oh please let me know what you think once you’ve tried it, thanks.
Not a fan of pure chai tea, I feel like this would be a really good combo for me.
Author
Hi, I think it could be.
I’ll have to add it to my shopping list:)
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Greta let me know what you think, thanks.
This is my favourite tea! I have been drinking constant comment tea since I was a little girl having tea parties with my Mom. Great review!
Author
Thank you, I need to find more of this tea or move ?.
I order all of my tea’s from Amazon. Can you order from them? ?
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Hi, I have checked and yes you can ?.
Reading this post has made me want the chai.
Author
I hope you managed to great one.
Omg I love Chai. Especially in winter. There’s something about having it in Winter by the fire. Makes me feel all Christmasy! Thanks for recommending this brand!
Author
Oh yes I may have a few chias by the fire already ?.
I like the sound of the aromas 🙂 Good to see a positive review this week and thanks for linking with #bloggersbest
Author
Hi, the aromas are lovely, yeh for a positive review.
I love chai tea! You’re right, it is a bit autumnal or a bit Christmassy. I’m glad you found this tea and found it to be tasty! #HumpDayLinky
Author
Hi, yes it sure is perfect for this time of year.
This is a great tea for cold weather. Bigelow is one of my preferred everyday tea brands; I also particularly like their classic green tea and lemon lift.
Author
Oh that sounds like a lovely tea. I shall have to see if I can get it online.
It looks like it’s available on Amazon’s UK site.
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Oh now this could be dangerous ?.
I love chai lattes but never tried chai tea! Think i’ll give it a go! #humpdaylinky
Author
Oh you should, I’ve never had a latee.
Awesome, i like to drink and i will add this to my collection as well :))
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Oh great please let me know what you think, thanks.
Looks good! I also really like the packaging-it’s very unusual..
Author
Hi, it certainly is.
Ooh this sounds lovely and I love the packaging too!
Thanks for linking up to #BloggerClubUK 🙂
Debbie
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Hi it sure is lovely I need to try and get some more.
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Never mind not everyone likes it.
Oooh I shoud try this some time! #fortheloveofBLOG xx
Author
Hi, its the perfect time of year to give it a try.
This sounds really different – the spice and the citrus definitely sound like it would be a great Christmas tea! Thanks for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove
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Hi, it sure is a great to for the festive season.
We love a good chai tea (latte) we’ve just recently been to T2 for their seasonal chai tea masterclass and were even more in love than before. Glad you’d recommend this one!
Jessica & James | http://www.foodandbaker.co.uk / http://www.foodandbakertravels.co.uk
Author
Oh I am jealous I would have loved to have Gombe to that Master Class.
Oh I love tea, I could drink it all day, but I don’t think I’ve tried one like this before! X
I’ve never tried this tea but I am looking to try some new tea. I love a good cup of tea.
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Oh please give this one a try and let me know what you think , thanks.
I like builder’s tea! I’d give this a try though 🙂 #bloggersbest
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I think you might like it is perfect for this time of year.
popping back from #sharingthebloglove, thanks for the advice!
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No problem ?
Ooh sounds like a wonderful cup of tea, I’ll have to give it a try! Thanks for the recommendation and for linking up to #fortheloveofBLOG
Author
It sure is a wonderful tea and well worth trying.
I live on tea at the moment, but all herbies….#TwinklyTuesday
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Nothing wrong with herbies ?
im a tea lover. and this is a very informative.
Author
Why thank you.
I enjoy relaxing with a cup of warm tea. Thanks for this review. I am always looking for tea to try.
Author
You can’t beat a cup of tea for relaxing. If you try this tea please let me know what you think, thanks.
I’m not big on chai tea but I may just have to try this one.
Author
I think it’s worth giving it a try as it’s like a chai tea with a slight twist. Thanks for stopping by.
I hardly ever drink black tea but this does sound delightful. The hubby enjoys black tea so I will recommend this.
Author
Oh I think your hubby might like this one.
Never had black tea, but I am a huge lover of green tea! Maybe I’ll have to try it!
Author
Hi, you should give it a try even if it is not green tea.
I am so very simple when it comes to tea but it’s good to hear you found a good one for you 🙂 Thanks for linking up with #TwinklyTuesday
Author
You cant beat a nice simple cup of tea.