Let’s Get Brewing with Teavana Oprah Chai!

Attention tea drinkers & Oprah fans! In just a couple of days, Teavana Oprah Chai will make its debut in Starbucks and Teavana stores across the U.S. and Canada.

I’m a big tea drinker – green tea, English breakfast tea & especially Chai tea! I enjoy brewing a cup of tea when I am at home. However, when I am out & about, one of my favorite things to get at Starbucks is a non-fat chai latte. So when I got the invitation to the Teavana Oprah Chai Tea Tasting Event, you can bet that I moved heaven & earth to attend it. 🙂

After I arrived at the Starbucks store, I met with Jason who is a Teavana tealogist. He educated us on the techniques of brewing a proper cup of tea. First you take boiling water & then steep your tea for 2-3 minutes. When making hot tea, Teavana suggests using 1 tsp. & for making iced tea, they suggest 2 tsp. If a stronger flavor is desired (which is apparently how Oprah likes her tea), then you add more tea, not time.

While at the tea tasting, I learned that Oprah was very hands on in the creative process. She flew to Seattle to meet with the Teavana team. She personally tasted & smelled every ingredient. After 3 hours, Oprah & the tealogists found the perfect blend of tea & spices to create the winning flavor profile.

What makes chai tea different from your basic black tea? It’s that combination of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom & cloves, blended with black tea & rooibos. Teavana Oprah Chai is sourced from 10 different countries, spanning over 4 continents.

I sampled both the chai loose leaf tea, as well as the handcrafted chai latte. Both were equally delicious! The loose leaf tea is spicy, yet sweet enough that I can sip it without any sugar in it. The chai latte is flavorful & sweet with a hint of spice.

For those unfamiliar with Teavana tea stores, the first store opened in 1997 & was acquired by Starbucks in 2012. If you have a Starbucks gift card or happen to be a gold card holder (like me), you’ll be happy to know that you can use the Starbucks card at any Teavana retail location & earn points through the Starbucks loyalty reward program.

The Teavana Oprah Chai Small Gift Box set will also be available on April 29th. Isn’t it pretty?! This set will contain a 2 oz. tea plus a double wall glass tumbler & stainless steel filter, retailing at $39.95.

For every Teavana Oprah Chai product sold at Starbucks or Teavana, Starbucks will make a donation to the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation to benefit educational opportunities for youth.

So tell me: Do you prefer your tea hot or cold? Are you excited to try the Teavana Oprah Chai? If so, get ready to Steep Your Soul!

Disclosure: I was invited to a tasting event which helped facilitate this review. I did receive a complimentary Teavana Oprah Chai gift set. Though a post was not required, I wanted to share my experience. All opinions are my own.