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I have received some devastating personal news that I would like to share with Slashfood readers. We don't usually use this blog to talk about private issues in our lives, but I think this is something that needs to be said.Seattle's Best is taking over the cafes at Borders Books.
Nooooooooooooo! As I've talked about here previously, I am addicted to the Borders chai. There's something about it that is unlike any other chai I've ever tasted. The Starbucks chai doesn't taste the same, the Peet's chai doesn't, and none of the store chais I've ever tasted even come close. And now I find out that in May, Seattle's best will take over the Borders cafes. Nothing against their coffee or pastries, I'm sure they're great. But this means that the chai will probably taste like the Starbucks chai, since Seattle's best is owned by the same company. (Does it, readers?)
It also means that next week I'm going to go on the biggest shopping spree I've been on in years, stocking up on cans of powdered Borders chai so I have enough to hold me over for the next several months.
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4-23-2006 @11:33PM chandlerwork said... This is old news here in Phoenix, the remodeling of all the stores' cafes was finished several months ago. I miss the old Borders's-run cafes--they seemed more laid back and easy going. The Seattle's Best staff--or at least management--are more concerned with turning a profit, whereas I believe the old Border's Cafe staff was content just to have a cafe, and its profit and loss were not as important.
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4-24-2006 @12:26AM David Thompson, SLS 2007 said... I'm guessing that the answer is "yes", but have you tried some of the newer formulations of the liquid Oregon Chai? A lot of the smaller coffee shops use it straight from the box (add equal amounts of water) and I've found it to be among the better ones out there in terms of both quality and availability. It tends to be a little on the sweet side -- I'm not sure how your taste runs in that department. Best of luck!
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4-24-2006 @12:35AM Robyn said... Seattle's Best Chai is worse than Starbucks Chai. Seattle's Best is made from like this weird mix that comes in a box--the Tazo one. The one that there's also a green tea latte and another one and they are all too sweet!
Okay now that I think about it maybe it is the same as Starbucks chai since Starbucks uses Tazo... but no, there's a Starbucks in my Barnes and Noble and their chai is fine.
Not as good as Borders though. Theirs is the really almost gingerbread-y one yeah? I hven't had that in forever...
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4-24-2006 @12:38AM Denise said... We've got Seattle's Best in at least two of the Borders here (suburban Chicago). They use Tazo tea, as does Starbucks. I can't stand Tazo chai. It's way too cinamonny.
When the Borders chai went on supersale, I didn't get much because I had too much tea and not enough room. I think I was also partially in denial. It is the best chai I've had. Now I'm kicking myself. But I had a frozen coffee drink at Seattle's Best and really liked it even though I don't normally like coffee. Today I had a frapaccino at Starbucks, too. It's kind of scary. But it's pretty easy to make coffee taste good--milk and flavorings. It's hard to redeem a bad chai.
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4-24-2006 @3:49AM Dr_Jest said... Yeah, it pretty much sucks. My wife is a Borders cafe manager and recently went through the change. She actually asked the person in charge of cafes across the company if we could have the recipe for the chai but they refused. So I have a bunch of cans stocked up myself, but I know it will run out some day. On the upside, the employees seem to like the change. Unfortunately, there has not been the rabid uprising of chai drinkers I was hoping there would be. Bummer.
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6-01-2006 @8:00PM Mike from Jersey said... This is truly devasting news. Borders' chai is beyond comparison. I have been addicted to it since I lived on the mainland. My only solace is that the Borders Cafe in Hawaii still has a large supply on the shelves for sale through the end of June. The only problem for a large purchase is the expiration date, but I plan to stock up and enjoy it as long as possible. Maybe I should buy more and sell it on eBay!
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6-09-2006 @12:34AM Lucinda Czubin said... David, I don't know what coffee shops you go to but Oregon chai is half chai and half milk not water. Try looking for another coffee shop that knows what they are doing. As for Seattle Best and Starbucks both using Tazo, it could be that it is because Starbucks own Seattle Best.
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6-10-2006 @9:27AM talia lodaya said... I am also devastated! I have been drinking this chai for about 8 or nine years. There is nothing like the mood that it puts you in. I have tried at home to imitate the recipe and failed. If anyone can come close please let me know. I have noticed that it is much creamier than others. It also has more vanilla and honey I believe. Talia
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