PC India Chai Loose TeaLong before coffee came into my life, I was a committed and dedicated tea drinker. I have two shelves in my kitchen cupboards devoted solely to teas.

So needless to say, when Loblaws came out with their new Insider’s Report, and I saw these new PC loose teas, I bought three kinds right away.

I’ve now sampled the Rooibos Citrus Spice Looseleaf Tea, the Jasmine Green Looseleaf Tea and the India Masala Chai Looseleaf tea now, and here’s my take on all three:

PC Memories of South Africa Rooibos Citrus Spice Tea

I’m a huge fan of rooibos tea, mainly because it’s one of the few herbal teas out there that isn’t tangy. Good rooibos tea has a deep quality to it, and if you’re hankering for a cup of tea but it’s just too late in your day for a shot of caffeine, rooibos does a good job of quenching your need.

Mind you, much as I love it, I am still at a loss how to pronounce it.

Okay, so back to the new PC Rooibos Citrus Spice tea. There’s only one way to describe this tea. Juicy Fruit. It smells like juicy fruit gum, and yes, it tastes like juicy fruit gum, minus the sweetness. A rather odd taste, but every now and then I brew a cup because every now and then I find myself wanting Juicy Fruit tea.

PC Memories of China Jasmine Green Loose Leaf Tea

This is a simply lovely flowery Chinese green tea. The jasmine blossoms (you can actually see them) give the tea such a beautiful aroma. I don’t normally like Chinese green tea as much as I enjoy Japanese green tea, but I love the jasmine scent, so I now brew this quite regularly.

PC Memories of India Masala Chai Loose Leaf Tea

I was a little dubious about this tea when I first made it. The instructions recommend brewing on the stovetop and then straining, but I have this nice herbal tea strainer that I bought from Lee Valley (they call it an herb and spice infuser), so I put my tea in that and left it to sit in the pot on top of the stove. The dubiousness came into play when I saw little tiny specks seep out of the strainer into the water - at that point, I wasn’t sure if I would be getting a mouthful of teeny tiny tea leaves in every sip or what.

The instructions also recommend adding an equal part of milk, and sweetening with honey, but I’ve always made chai with sweetened condensed milk (don’t shudder - I like the taste and that’s why I do it this way). So I made my chai like normal, with a big spoonful of thick sweetened condensed milk, and the resulting tea was extremely flavourful, with no loose debris to bother the tastebuds.

My verdict? PC has done a good job with their new loose teas. I haven’t tried the English Breakfast loose tea yet, but that’s because I’m not a huge fan of English tea.

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