I received a frantic email the other day from my very dear friend Leah, which read something along the lines of 'Chai tea. Need it. Love it. Best Ever. Madame Flavour Sultry Chai. Get it. Now!'

I've actually known this lovely lady since we were knee-high to a grasshopper at primary school together, and after re-reading the email and forming some complete sentences out of the disarray, I realised that she was raving about a new Chai tea that she had just tried, and was urging me to try it too. So, since orders are orders, and I was being directed to leave my desk and go to Woolworths and purchase said tea immediately, that's exactly what I did, and it was GOOD.

I am in no way a tea connoisseur (I physically need a coffee or three every morning), and what I know about tea and tea varieties could be printed on the swing tag of a Dilmah teabag. Leah on the other hand loves tea. She's not a professional tea-drinker, tea-blender or even a posh English lady who has drunk tea since the womb. But she knows what she likes, and every time I try something she suggests, I love it too! I thought that perhaps my lovely, and no doubt attractive blog readers might be interested in this enchanting tea, and since Leah has a way with words, I asked her (ever so nicely) to guest-post a review of this Chai tea, which had captured her heart. Take it away, Leah!

  

With the recent miserable and wet weather that we have been having here in Brisbane, I decided that it was time to spoil myself with trying some new tea. My favourite type to drink is a delicious Chai, but as my darling husband does not want to increase my allowance to include a daily coffee shop Chai (apparently this is not an essential and does not warrant an increase in the allowance), I decided to head to the supermarket to assess what was available on a budget. Chai tea is normally hidden on a top shelf far away from your average Bushells teabags and when I was looking yesterday I came across Madame Flavour Sultry Chai tea. The pretty purple box looked interesting and promised to tantalise my tastebuds with the delights of cinnamon, cardamom and all sorts of delicious spices all encased in an infuser pod (not in one of those run-of-the-mill flat paper teabags!). I was sold on the idea of an infuser pod so I bought a box of 18 pods (for under $6, which definitely fits in my allowance).
  
I returned to the office in the rain and popped the kettle on for my brew. The infuser pod is amazing and there really were whole pieces of cinnamon, cardamom pods and flower petals in the infuser pod. Due to the rain and having a bad morning at work, I decided to go all out and added hot milk with a dribble of honey to the brew. Well… all I can say is that after one sip of this scented tea, I was in heaven! The tea is delightful and warming, and every sip tasted gorgeous! All the girls in my office could not get over the luscious aromas and I think I now have them converted from icky instant coffee to this amazing range of teas!

Madame Flavour is an Australian owned company (brilliant!) and specialises in exotic and delectable brews and is worth the hunt in your local supermarket – look for her boxes hidden on top shelves and behind the poles! With flavours such as the Sultry Chai, Green Jasmine Pear and Earl Grey Twist, how could you not hunt them down? The pods are also biodegradable which is great for all those greenies at heart. Madame Flavour also has gorgeous blooming  teas that unravel when placed in a glass teapot – perfect as a present or for you to share with someone special. The website is www.madameflavour.com and I highly recommend that you check it out if you are looking for something to make your day fabulous!

Thanks for that Leah!

PS: I just checked my letterbox, the lovely Madame Flavour responded to Leah's quick email letting her know that she is a new convert. Madame Flavour, as well as being a killer tea-blender, is also super-generous! Leah and I both received a lovely little package consisting of a pack of the Sultry Chai, and a sweet Madame Flavour tea tin to keep our delicious pods nice and fresh. Thanks Madame Flavour - we'll sing your tea praises every day!

  

PPS: You may notice a new link in my sidebar over there on the left, 'The Ride to Conquer Cancer'. Well, I'll let you know a little later what this is all about and how you can get involved, but I'll give you a quick teaser: Leah is doing a HUGE charity bicycle ride, and I will be assisting with the fundraising. You can click on over to have a look-see if you  like. Also, stay tuned, there will be giveaways and exciting stuff for everyone who supports this very important cause. Go on, click over and take a look. You know you want to...!