Sweet Meets Spicy

This post was sponsored by Starbucks as part of an Influencer Activation. I received compensation and complimentary products to facilitate my review.

I switched over to tea and few years ago when trying to figure out some stomach issues, and I’ve never looked back! My go-to tea in the winter is the organic TAZO® chai tea bags, and then I usually switch to the Apricot Vanilla Creme in the warmer months. Though I drink my daily tea unsweetened, I like to enjoy a nice sweet chai latte when Matt and I venture to coffee shops on weekends.

Long story short, when I saw the opportunity to review the new TAZO® Chai Latte K-Cup® pods, I was pumped to give it a try. The great flavors of chai latte without the hassle of going to the coffee shop! TAZO® has partnered with New York Times Bestselling author and host Padma Lakshmi to celebrate the release of the new TAZO® Chai Latte K-Cup® pods tea, so I received some goodies, including a collection of Padma’s recipes, and a pretty mug.

The tea comes in two parts – the TAZO® Chai Latte K-Cup® pods and then the sweetened dairy packet. You just pop the TAZO® Chai Latte K-Cup® pod in a Keurig® and then mix the brewed tea with the latte packet once it’s done. You never know about the ingredients in some of the packaged lattes in the grocery store, so I was happy to see a simple ingredient list: sugar, milk, dried cream, and honey granules – nothing weird. The actual tea is made with black tea, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom – if you’ve had the chai tea bag version before, it tastes very similar but sweet and creamy! I love that the sweet balances out the spice of the chai. Also, I really liked that the TAZO® Chai Latte K-Cup® pods produce a strong tea – sometimes I find the tea bags to be a bit weak.

I don’t think TAZO® Chai Latte K-Cup® pods are quite as spicy or strong as something you’d get at your neighborhood shop, but I was impressed with the taste – especially because it only takes a second to make and you can make it at home. I actually brought these to work, and it was such a nice treat for all the rainy days we had last week. Lastly – a very small thing – but I liked not having to fish out a cold tea bag from my travel mug at the end of the day:)

Though I doubt I’d buy TAZO® Chai Latte K-Cup® pods to drink every single day, I’d definitely buy them to enjoy on weekends. I also found that I could use half of the sweetener, and it was a little less sweet for everyday drinking. Now if I could only make those beautiful flowers on the surface of the tea!

I’ve got a busy week with graduation tonight and proctoring 7th grade exams, and then Matt’s parents arrive for the long weekend.