[mrchai]

ok, looks like I'm the first one here. Is this board new?

Anyway I'm a former coffee drinker turned from my evil ways. I actually like chai better than coffee. but not any kind of chai. The stuff they serve at Starbucks gives chai a bad name! Who could drink that stuff? weak, thin and super sweet. If that was the first chai I had, I would have written off the whole thing.

Being a former coffee drinker, I guess I like something that has more "body." I got into chai at an Indian restaraunt and it was great. After that, most everything else seemed disappointing. But like I mentioned in the other forum, I like Third Street chai. Glad I found that one. It's much richer and more body, and sweet, but not too sweet like the others. Third street chai also seems to have a little stronger spices.

Anybody else know of another brand or recipe that I should try that tends
to have more body?

==
mrchai

[dale s]

It's hard to appreciate coffee as much as chai, because coffee makes me feel hyped but slightly nervous, definitely not as serene and focused and mentally clarified as I prefer to be.

On those few days when my mind feels a little thick or dull to start with, if I drink a high quality brewed organic chai, it definitely helps clarify my mind and concentration, and also seems to help promote a more relaxed state of awareness than coffee. So for me, chai is a more rewarding choice, esp. considering taste, since the best chais have a great blend of organic herbs and spices that coffee lacks.

I STRONGLY prefer brewed chai (not the powders), from 100% organic ingredients, to experience this quality you can either seek out a local quality brewer, or if you want this quality from a national brand, "3rd St." is one very good choice, because every organic fair trade ingredient is freshly brewed, by comparison Oregan chai is also a decent brand but unfortunately I think Oregon skimps on using a few essences to save on cost, and Oregon is not 100% fair trade, meaning poor farmers overseas can more easily suffer by "business as usual" from powerful buyers.

But in the issue of being fair between these 2 big brands, I wish to be completely honest and freely admit my personal CONFLICT OF INTEREST, because I am an active investor in 3rd St. However I do NOT promote 3rd St. because I invest in it, rather I invested in 3rd St. BECAUSE I was convinced it was the best national brand.

There are also several other equally good but less known brands, but if you care about the best experience (feeling, health and tonic benefits) , concentrate on products with greater concentrations of fresh organic herbs, they must be freshly brewed.