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?!