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!
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!