Benner Tea Co. Chai Black Tea

Few things are as soothing and warming as a cup of hot tea on a cold day. I keep my pantry stocked with a variety of teas, and I’m always on the lookout for more flavors to add to my collection.

I’m a big fan of chai, a tea that originated in India. This special tea blend features black tea combined with spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, and black pepper. Chai is mildly spicy and is especially delicious served with milk or cream and a little sugar, honey, or other sweetener. Chai means “tea” in Hindi-Urdu, so if you call it “chai tea,” you’re really saying “tea tea.”

In previous years, Aldi has stocked tea bags for chai during the Christmas holiday season as limited-time Aldi Finds. They were typically part of a mixed case that included chai, an herbal cinnamon spice tea, and an herbal candy cane tea. These tea flavors were popular, and Aldi Reviewer received a number of comments from readers who wished Aldi would sell these teas all year and not just during the winter holidays.

It appears Aldi listened to customer requests because now the grocer is stocking chai as a year-round product. I was surprised to come across it during a recent shopping trip. (You’ll still apparently have to wait for the holidays to stock up on cinnamon spice tea and candy cane tea at Aldi, though.)

Benner Tea Co. Chai Black Tea costs $1.85 at the time of publication for a 1.6-ounce box containing 20 individually wrapped tea bags. That comes out to about 9 cents per serving. That’s cheaper than the chai Aldi’s cousin Trader Joe’s sells.

This is a Regular Buy, so you should now be able to buy it any time of year at Aldi.

Ingredients are: black tea, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, clove, and star anise.

These are the same ingredients listed in the chai Aldi has previously stocked only during the Christmas season, so it appears they have taken the same tea and simply repackaged it to sell year round. I appreciate that this is made without natural flavors, which are sometimes included in chai from other grocers such as Trader Joe’s.

Because this is made with black tea, it does contain caffeine. An 8-ounce cup of black tea on average contains about 47 mg of caffeine, but it might contain as much as 90 mg of caffeine. That makes this chai a good drink to enjoy during the morning hours.

Ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)

To brew hot tea, bring fresh cold water to a rolling boil. Pour 8 ounces of water over one tea bag and steep for 3-5 minutes. Remove the tea bag. If desired, add milk and/or sweetener.

To make iced tea, bring a quart of fresh cold water to a rolling boil. Pour 4 cups of water over 3-5 tea bags and steep for 3-5 minutes. Remove tea bags. Pour tea over ice-filled glasses. If desired, serve with milk and/or sweetener.

(Remember, you can dispose of your used tea bags in your compost bin.)

So how does this chai taste? It tastes like how I expect chai to taste, with a classic black tea flavor mixed with cinnamon, black pepper, and other various spices. I remember thinking the Aldi chai I bought a few years ago during the holidays seemed a little milder on the spices compared to other chai I’ve had. Aldi has maybe adjusted the spice level some because this current version seems a little more flavorful. Overall, this is a good tea, and I’ll probably keep a box in my pantry all the time.

The Verdict:

Benner Tea Co. Chai Black Tea features classic black tea with spices such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger, black pepper, cardamom, and star anise. It pairs especially well with milk and sweetener for a nice caffeinated boost when you want it. Recommended.