Full disclosure: I'm not really a fan of rooibos. I tend toward honeybush, but rooibos has always tasted slightly medicinal to me. I'm also very picky about chai: a good chai is amazing, but a weak chai just tastes funny unless it's been doctored with milk and sugar. As someone who tends to take my tea very straight, that means a lot of chai isn't right for me.

So with all that in mind, why did I pick up a tea blend that is one thing I'm historically not into and another that I'm extremely about? Answer: because I trust Chapters that much, and I figured if anyone could make me like something, it's them. Also, I need to be better about providing myself with low-caf and decaf options for late-night tea drinking.

Great news: The Spice Chai Mélange is good, even in my highly skewed opinion.

Like the rest of the Chapters catalogue, this rooibos chai blend hails from literary inspiration: in this case, a certain sci-fi epic that's been back in the cultural consciousness lately. Note that while the tin art is absolutely gorgeous, this tea is not an official tie-in product; it just deserves to be.

The first thing to note is that the chai spices in this tea are strong; the second thing to note is that this is why I couldn't taste the "medicinal" notes that usually turn me off to rooibos. The blend includes ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, clove, nutmeg, and black and white pepper. I'm pretty sure it's those last two that make the difference, because this tea has a wonderful bite to it that I usually don't get in chai blends outside of restaurants. I have yet to milk or sugar this one up because of how I personally prefer to take my tea, but I get the feeling it would be perfect for a late-night latte.

As someone who favors strong teas but is also highly sensitive to caffeine, I have a hard time finding teas I can drink late in the day or at night. Decaffeinated black teas just taste kind of wrong, and herbal teas (unless I'm specifically in the mood for them and/or not feeling well) don't hit the way I want them to. The Spice Chai Mélange is a great middle ground.

While A Date with Mr. Darcy is still (in my opinion) the best of the Chapters tea blends, The Spice Chai Mélange is a fantastic alternative for decaf drinkers. There's also a somewhat sweeter Chai Café Vanilla if you'd prefer a black tea.

Check out the full selection of Chapters teas and coffees, and remember to use my code KARAD15 at checkout for a discount!