Day 27: Chai Bag Ginger

Brand: Lupicia
Type: Flavored Black
Brew Time & Temperature: 6-7 minutes, boiling
Leaf Appearance: Small (CTC) black leaves with chunks of ginger added; there is other stuff added, but I can't really see it due to the teabag
Color: Light, golden brown (with the milk)
Smell: I'm getting a strong cinnamon smell, with a mix of various spices (imagine going into an Indian restaurant- that's what it smells like for me). Surprisingly, I don't really smell the ginger
Recommended with/as: As is, honey, sugar, milk
Rating: 8/10

Tasting notes and thoughts:
To make this chai, I followed the recipe given by Lupicia (short version below):
1. Boil 150 mL of water
2. Add tea bag and brew for 2 minutes
3. Add 150 mL of milk
4. Brew for 3 more minutes

Since this was the first time I've ever made chai, I have no idea if it turned out well. However, I do think that it had a really good color and it smelled great, so there's that.

I drank the first cup without any sweetener just to see how it would taste, and I'd say it's decent enough. It was a tiny bit bitter (the milk masked that for the most part) and tasted how it smelled- spicy. The ginger added a really strong kick to the end and stayed in my mouth a while after drinking, but it wasn't really noticeable in the actual taste.

As for the second cup, I added a bit of honey, which I think made it so much more better. It brought out a lot of the flavor and cut down on the ginger aftertaste. To be honest, I like it much more like this than unsweetened. Overall, I like it enough and I think it turned out well, but I think I'll just brew the next chai bag (I think there's 2 more) the usual way, add milk, and then add sweetener after. I can't really give this a proper review until I've had more chai, but it's not horrible and actually a bit nice (it's different!).

Other notes:
Nothing really, other than I think I've given up on trying to get that girl for now, at least. I've been trying to get closer to her (or at least be friendlier), but I'm getting nowhere and I'm getting the feeling that she doesn't feel the same way at all. I probably need to keep going at it (and stop being so damn awkward sometimes), but for the past few weeks I've been walking home alone and hating myself for the rest of the day for not doing more. I think I'm probably just going to take it slow right now, try to be more confident, and if anything happens, let it happen.

Next on the 100 Days of Tea: Caramele