It is now chai season – but that doesn’t mean you need to go all-out on pumpkin spice! This week, I’m reviewing Dragonfly Tea’s Cape Malay Chai, a herbal blend of rooibos and cosy spices that’s ideal for the chilly October evenings we’re currently experiencing.
Rooibos chai can be hit and miss for me, with rooibos sometimes producing a medicinal quality that’s hard to get over. So, let’s put the kettle on and put this tea to the test.
In my full tea review below, you’ll find my tasting notes, brewing method, and some info about Dragonfly Tea to help you decide if this tea is worth a spot in your cupboard this autumn.
Dragonfly Cape Malay Chai at a Glance
Izzy’s Rating
- Blend: Rooibos with spices, chicory and cassia oil
- Flavour: Light, nutty rooibos with warm spices
This tea is pleasant with cosy spices and nutty rooibos. Though it lacks depth and complexity, its simplicity is quite charming.
Full Review – Dragonfly Tea Rooibos Chai
- Type: Tagged paper filter teabags
- Tea: Organic rooibos
- Other Ingredients: Cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, chicory, cloves, black pepper, cassia oil
- Flavour Notes: Light and nutty rooibos, warm spices, cinnamon
- Aroma: Cinnamon, honey, nuts, nutmeg, wood smoke, Christmas cake, dark brown sugar
- Milk or Lemon: Honey to taste
- Where to Buy: Amazon
Dragonfly wrap their teabags individually, so when you rip one open you’re hit with a fresh aroma. This tea smells like cinnamon, honey and nuts. It’s sweet and yummy with little hints of woodsmoke and nutmeg that give it an unmistakably autumnal feel.
Once brewed, it turns the water into that classic rooibos tea shade – orange with cinnamon-brown tones.
The flavour is good, don’t get me wrong… it just lacks complexity and depth. You can taste the light nutty rooibos at first, with spices adding this hint of warmth in the aftertaste. But that’s it. The spice notes aren’t distinct; the ingredients list tells me it is a blend of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and black pepper, but I wouldn’t have picked out those flavours by taste.
What is distinctive about this tea, however, is the mouthfeel. It’s almost creamy on your tongue with a thickness that reminds me of a high-quality chamomile infusion.
How to Brew Dragonfly Cape Malay Chai
With rooibos tea, you can brew for as hot and as long as you like. I started with just 2 minutes in freshly boiled water but extended it to 3 when the flavour was too subtle. You can always take a little sip every minute or so until you reach a strength you like.
As there’s no caffeine in this chai, you can drink it late into the evenings without disturbing your sleep. Rooibos is actually a popular tea for replacing caffeinated black tea, as it has a comparable richness and body. So, if you want to drink less caffeine in general, this is a good black tea alternative to try.
Go ahead and add some honey. Rooibos tea can definitely be drunk with a little splash of milk, but it’s perfectly palatable without it too.
Why Dragonfly Tea?
Dragonfly Tea is an independent teabag company that produces some unique tea blends. Their Cape Malay Chai was made to celebrate “Cape Town’s 300 year culinary traditions” and uses organic rooibos sourced from the Cedarberg Mountains in South Africa. It looks like all the other spice ingredients are organic too.
Their packaging is plastic-free and staple-free, using paper and string to tie up their teabags. The outer packaging is made of paper and cardboard too so the whole lot can be composted or recycled if that’s your thing.
As you can see from my photos, the ingredients have been finely chopped to help them infuse quicker. It’s pretty standard for a teabag quality tea.
Dragonfly Tea, on the whole, is a good brand to buy from in the UK and you can also find their teas on Amazon in the US and other countries around the world. As a bonus, they also have some great recipes on their blog that use their teabags. The recipe for Cape Malay Chai is this rather tempting Chai Apple Cake. Yum.
Summary
Cape Malay Chai is a very respectable caffeine-free chai to sip on this autumn. You can play around with brew times to get the right strength and use any teabags you don’t drink in Dragonfly’s recipes on their blog. There’s really nothing to lose by trying it.
Amazon is the best place to find this tea online, but if you’re in the UK you also have the option of ordering it through Ocado and finding it in health stores like Holland & Barrett.
Tea Recommendation
The cosy warm quality of this tea is just what I need to stay happy on a cold autumnal evening. If you’re looking for other teas that can boost your mood with those chill happy vibes, read my list of the Best Happy Teas next.
