To be honest, i wasn’t disappointed, from the moment i opened the packet and the strong smell of cardamon and cloves filled the kitchen, i knew i was in for a treat.

The actual packaging is very similar to the the Chilli Tea packaging although i noticed that this one said bio-degradable tea temples on the front, which is good as it means i can chuck these in my compost bin….although i couldn’t quite tell the difference between the two materials so maybe the others are bio-degradable too

Anyway i boiled the kettle and dropped a tea temple into mug favourite mug, left it for 3 minutes then had a taste, the first thing that hits you is how smooth the tea is, it has a lovely velvet feel in your mouth and is packed full of flavour, you can definitely taste the whole cardamon pods, cloves  and then you get a bit of chilli tingle, not as much as in the chilli tea, but you still know it’s there..

Chilli Chai is 27p per cup if you buy it in the tea temples which i think is quite a fair price, it’s not something you could drink all the time but is a world apart from the cheaper fruit/herbal teas you can buy.

I’m in two minds which of the two teas i prefer, the Chilli Tea has more of a kick with a lovely hint of orange, the chilli chai is a bit more complex and more about the cardamon.

Chilli Up North Verdict:  Lovely punchy tea with big cardamon and clove flavours – 8/10 (Heat 2/10)

If you would like to try teapigs for your self, check out their website @ www.teapigs.co.uk or follow them on twitter @ www.twitter.com/teapigs

I was really excited to try it as I wasn’t sure how chilli in tea would work.

On opening the package a lovely fruity tea smell wafted through the air, it was definitely a great sign of things to come.

The actual tea packaging is clean and simple but still very attractive, the little fire extinguisher gives you a hint at whats to come.

The actual tea bags or temples as teapigs call them aren’t your usual cheap mass produced paper bags full of powder, they are lovely silky gauze pyramids full of huge strands of tea, chunks of dried orange and most excitingly chilli flakes and seeds.

The differences are stunning and definitely give the impression of a superior premium product that someone has put a lot of love and effort into.

The box says to try the chilli tea with or without milk, hot or cooler its up to you, so in the interests of testing the tea properly Ive tried it in each of the ways, Ive also tried it half way up a mountain whilst sat outside my tent.

First I decided to try it hot with no milk, so I could get the full flavour of the tea, I wasn’t disappointed it had a lovely orange taste at first followed by a nice mellow tea and then that lovely chilli heat as it slipped down my throat, From that moment I was hooked and since then Ive not been able to stop drinking it.

I gave it a try with milk, it was still nice but it took away some of the lovely flavours and made them a bit more subtle.

Next up was a slightly colder cup, this was a revelation, it still packed all the punch of the hot cup but was really refreshing. It also go me thinking about a few recipes that the tea could be used in.

The only downside to the tea I guess is the price, having said that at 15p per cup its not bad compared to tea in a tea shop and for something that’s more tasty than your average tea, I also have to say that in my opinion its worth it. Ill certainly be trying some more of their teas.

Chilli Up North Verdict:  Lovely zesty tea with a great chilli kick – 9/10 (Heat 3/10)