There isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t make myself a cup of tea. I’m always trying out new brands and flavours, on a quest to find my perfect tea. My go-to tea has been Japanese Sencha loose leaf for years, but I like to spice things up once and a while.
I recently fell head over heels for President’s Choice Chocolate Chai tea. It’s made from a lovely base of roasted chicory root, carob pod, with hints of spices like ginger and cinnamon. The price is very reasonable too; I think the tea bags work out to being less than 20 cents each. I find flavoured teas can be hit or miss, but this one is definitely a hit.
It really does have a chocolaty chai flavour like it claims. Before the weather got so hot, I was enjoying this tea piping hot with almond milk. Once the heat wave hit, I’ve been chilling a pot of brewed tea overnight so I have lots to drink the next day. The other plus of chilling tea overnight is that you don’t have to dilute the flavours with ice. [Thanks to Averie for giving me this tip a long time ago!]
Obviously, you guys know how to make tea and this isn’t a “recipe”, but I’ve been enjoying it so much I thought I’d share it anyways. Before bed, I boil 4 cups of water and pour it into a pot along with two chocolate chai tea bags. Then I place it in the fridge overnight (or until chilled if making it during the day), leaving the tea bags in for a stronger flavour (and more caffeine!)
In the morning, I stir in 1 cup of almond milk and 1.5-2 tbsp maple syrup. Sometimes I stir in 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract too. If your milk is already sweetened you might find you don’t need much sweetener. I’ve made this with many other flavours too, including regular black tea.
I love to pour a glass first thing in the morning or as an afternoon pick-me-up. Much like vegan overnight oats, it’s really nice to wake up to! You can also pour it into a travel mug and bring it to work or school with you or on the road.
It’s chocolaty, it’s creamy, and it’s so refreshing in this heat.
[Apparently there is something green floating in my tea. Totally normal…!]
What are your go-to summer drinks? Do you make any at home? What are your favourite teas?
My other fav summer beverages include Iced soy lattes, green monsters, and other smoothies. I know I’m about a million years late to the latte party.
In other news, I have a new summer blog header up! The theme was inspired by my Crumble Bar photoshoot yesterday. I hope you enjoy it. Hold down Control + F5 to refresh the page if you can’t already see the new blog header. (Update 1): Some of you are saying the header looks distorted in Chrome and Safari browsers…not sure why, but I will hopefully have this fixed soon! Update 2) The header should now be fixed in both Chrome and Safari. Please let me know if the image is working for you! Thanks)
Here is the original shot before editing in Lightroom, cropping, and writing the blog name in Photoshop.
You can also check out my post on Chatelaine this week where I talk about two easy summertime smoothie recipes.
Stay cool & have a great weekend!
Love the new header! I’m a cherry fiend!!
Thanks Lauren, me too :)
Great idea! I might go brew some right now so that I can drink it this evening :)
All I can say is THANK YOU!!! You are so inspiring. I have made so many of your recipes. The kale glow salad was phenomenal and the blueberry jam lasted less than two days. I can’t eat gluten and so many of your recipes are friendly to my diet. I never knew what hemp seeds or chia seeds were or even what nutritional yeast was. You have opened up a wonderful new world. I just ordered some really cool glass straws too. Where did you get the tea pot? I love the style.
Keep up the wonderful blog. I look forward to seeing what new recipe you have created.
Jo-Anne
Sun tea! Place one family size luzianne tea bag in a pitcher of tap water. Set outside in sun for 2-3 hours. (I cover the pitcher with a salad plate.) Pour in tall glass full of ice. It’s also good if steeped in the sun with a sprig or two of fresh mint. Perfect way to cool off in Texas on a hot day.
I love that idea…not sure why I haven’t tried it yet!
Your teapot is so darling!
Thanks Angela! I didn’t even know they made chocolate chai tea. I bought some today and iced it and it was DELICIOUS! This is going to be a fabulous guilt-free treat.
I love iced black mango tea with a splash of soy. We back it in a coffee shop and DC, and I just can’t get enough!
I can’t WAIT to try this. Yummy!
I love that tea as well! I was surprised to love a tea from President’s Choice so much, but there it is. Great idea to brew it overnight and have it iced. Thanks!
I love the new header. Cherries are one of my favourite fruits and the part of England I live in is full of cherry orchards and they are just now ripe and ready to eat. I like the background you have used and it works perfectly too
Love your blog and really liking the new header – fresh and modern. x
Thank you :)
Chocolate Rocket from David’s Tea in Toronto is excellent!
You should try it made the same way as you made this tea. (with creamer and sweetner)
It had a hint of rasberry & lots of delicious chocolate flavor. The vanilla rum flavor is also very good!
Thanks for the suggestion!
Yet another recipe I’ve tried and LOVE.
One question… I see these reusable straws in all your posts but I can’t seem to find them on the internet! Where did you get them??
love the new header, it’s just gorgeous!
Thank you so much!
I’m in love! I think this will be my new warm weather beverage. I only have typical orange/black pekoe tea bags on hand but I couldn’t stop thinking about the chocolate part of this post. So I put one square of dark chocolate (chopped up) in my pot along with the tea bags and boiling water. It’s wonderful!
Mm, that drink sounds super yummy – kind of reminds me of those tasty Bolthouse drinks. ^^ And I absolutely love your new header! I’m working on a totally new blog layout, myself.
I love the new header. So pretty and perfect for summer. Cherries make everyone happy.
Thanks for the tips about the iced tea. I’m a tea drinker too and sometimes it’s just too hot to brew a boiling cup.
Love the tea pot! Where did you buy it?
I made my tea last night and had my first taste this morning. Chocolate Chai perfection!!! I’ve always hated iced tea but I’m a convert now!
yay!!
Hi Angela!
Long time reader of your blog here and I was wondering if you could point me to some suitable recipes in your index for a picky/non-vegetarian man? My usual vegetarian dishes are too spicy/exotic for him (seitan, jalepeno infused mexican, goats cheese etc- all things he hates!) He is southern and likes mild bbq dishes and the only thing that was a hit with him have been my desserts + maple syrup bbq Tofu. Any suggestions for some kind of southern/bbq/mild vegetarian dish that will blow him away?!
Mmm, Japanese sencha is one of my favorites too! The chocolate chai is a tea I would’ve never thought to buy (usually I’m not a fan of flavored teas) but how you prepare it sounds really, really good. And I’m also late to the iced latte boat – totally fell in love with them this summer when I accumulated a surplus of Starbucks gift cards. Can’t get enough bubble tea recently either!
One of my favorite things to drink in the summer down here in hot and humid north Texas is infused water. I insert sliced cukes or different types of berries or watermelon in the infuser, then let it sit in the water for awhile…walah…ice cold fruity flavored waters. I also like fruit smoothies! YUM! Lovin the new blog header, just bought 3 lbs of cherries for our trip this week. Love cherries!
Yum! I made one today from chocolate earl grey (I think from Target, was a gift) and it was AMAZING. I can’t wait for breakfast to the rest that is waiting in the fridge. Thanks!
This looks awesome and I want to try it!!! BUT I can’t find this tea where I am (Tyler, Texas) and tried to find it online but was not able to. Is there something similar you could suggest? Thanks!!
Someone else mentioned another brand of chocolate tea in the comments section – I can’t recall the brand at the moment!
Thanks, I see several!
I’m a milk tea fan, so I think I’m gonna love this tea you have here, very creamy. I’ve gotta try this one out. And oh! you’re header looks really great, perfect for summer.
so i guess we cant get that tea in the US? anything that comes close :(
Looks amazing! Where can I buy this tea online? I am living in England now and don’t think I can get this brand in stores. (I am on an American base though, and can get US mail). Thanks!
my new fave summer drink is 3 tbsp of chia seeds stirred into a favorite cold drink (juice, tea, coconut water…whatever you like) and let sit in fridge overnight. OMG it makes me feel fancy and it’s cold and refreshing :-) especially after a morning workout or run
i bet if you throw some icecubes in it and throw it in the magic bullet you’ll have a divine iced drink like from Tim’s :-) only healthy….can’t wait to let my 14 year old try it.
cute header! It looks like summer time :)
Thanks Rachel!
I like to freeze some into ice cubes and pour more tea over the top… it is a great way to keep your tea chilled and non-diluted. :)
Chilled tea is wonderful. My favorite is to simmer a few whole cloves, cracked cardamon pods, half a cinnamon stick, & a couple slices of fresh ginger, covered, in water for about 20 minutes. Then I steep loose tea leaves in it before adding milk or raw honey. Last night I chilled it, then added hemp milk & vanilla. Perfect for after dinner snackiness. Maybe I’ll have to try a chocolate version.
Iced mocha’s are my favorite to make in the summer! I buy Nestlé single serve instant coffe boxes. Take one of those bad boys, some cocoa powder, sweetener and dissolve in a few tablespoons of hot water. Mix with almond milk, add ice, straw, and enjoy!
i’m delighted to have found you and adore your header. i’ve recently began feeding my body in a whole new way. first step was cutting out dairy and it’s made a huge difference in how i feel and look. love your recipes and photo’s, so inspiring.
Thank you! i’m so happy you enjoy the blog :)
We don’t have the President’s Choice brand here, but I found Guayaki Yerba Mate Mate Chocolatte tea and made it as you did yours. It’s really tasty. I like it any time of the day. I’m going to see if our local stores carry the Good Earth Cocoa Chai Tea also.
Thanks for a great summer treat.
Hi there, love this tea! What a great idea to do it iced :)
I just wanted to let you know that this is actually a herbal tea, so there’s no caffeine in it! Which is great when you want a herbal tea that doesn’t taste like fruit or mint :) But it doesn’t do much for you if you want a pick-me-up (or maybe it does…the placebo effect is pretty powerful)!
Very true! I guess the only thing stopping it from being free of caffeine is the cocoa. Maybe that’s why it’s not labeled as such.
Is that a glass straw in your chai tea glass? Or a glass spoon?
Yup it’s a glass straw by a company called Glass Dharma. They have an e-store on their website. :)
Angela, thank you for sharing about this tea. After reading your blog, I went right out and bought it, it is so delicious and smooth, I love it. My only question is if this tea is Gluten-Free? I’ve been diagnosed with Celiac Disease and I can’t find the answer anywhere.
Hey Debs, Glad you enjoy it! Im not sure if its GF. I would try contacting the company for a confirmation. Take care!
Love love love that you shared this! I’m going to go do this now so I’ll have it to wake up to. :) I don’t have chocolate chai tea but I will definitely be trying that. :) Thank you!
Just tried this today …but a steaming version for ths crip Fall weather. Yummy, thanks for the tip about that tea! Used my magic bullet to froth the almond milk and sprinkled cinnamon on top. Delicious!
Thank you so much for your recipes!!! Im 14 and a vegan (mostly any way ) and gluten/sugar free and probable couldn’t stay on track without your recipes.
Okay so this may sound stupid, but how would I turn that recipe into a hot tea? Where I live it will stay cold for another two months and I can’t wait that long to try it out! Will it mes up my almond milk if I try to heat it up? Thanks!
It’s a lovely recipe! I bought a PC’s chocolate chai tea today and i’m gonna try it tonight! Thank you for sharing this recipe! I really like your glass jar with a rooster. Can I know where did you get it?
Good question – I think it was from a dish store in NYC! I can’t think of the name…fishy eddies maybe?
Where do I find the President’s Choice Chocolate Chai tea? I am dying to try!
Loblaws carries it I believe :)
Mmmm…this looks delish. Would coconut milk work just as well as almond?
I am dying to try this, but can’t seem to figure out where to buy it. I’m having trouble finding it online even. Do you order it from a website?