Two chais, two different bases
Scheherazade Shai and Spicy Yerba Chai both deliver spiced chai flavor, but they start from different leaves. Scheherazade Shai is built on black tea from India's Nuxalbari Tea Estate, while Spicy Yerba Chai uses yerba mate as its base. That single difference shapes everything else: the body, the steep time, and the kind of spice kick you get.
If you want a classic brisk chai with a black tea backbone, Scheherazade Shai is the straightforward pick. If you're curious how yerba mate changes a chai—drier, crisper, and golden in the cup—Spicy Yerba Chai is the one to try. Neither is a substitute for the other; they're simply different drinks.
What each blend is built on
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Scheherazade Shai: Scheherazade Shai is described as the boldest, briskest chai, with black tea from Nuxalbari Tea Estate at the foothills of the Himalaya. A black tea base typically gives a familiar chai structure and briskness, which matters if you want a traditional cup.
Scheherazade Shai
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Spicy Yerba Chai: Spicy Yerba Chai uses yerba mate, which imparts a dry, crisp feeling, and the tea brews the color of pure gold. Yerba mate changes the mouthfeel and color, so expect a lighter-bodied, less malty cup than a black tea chai.
Spicy Yerba Chai
Spice profile: warm vs. sneaky heat
Scheherazade Shai doesn't list its individual spices in the supplied information, but it's positioned as bold and brisk, with the instruction to steep longer for a potent, spicier chai. That suggests the heat builds with steep time rather than coming from a single pronounced pepper note.
Spicy Yerba Chai is more explicit: cinnamon rises first, supported by clove and cardamom, while licorice root soothes your throat and cayenne and black pepper sneak up with a powerful—and spicy!—aftertaste. If you want a chai where the heat is a deliberate feature, this is the clearer choice. If you prefer a general boldness without a specific pepper finish, Scheherazade Shai fits better.
Spice and steep-time evidence
- Spicy Yerba Chai: Cinnamon rises first, along with clove and cardamom; licorice root soothes your throat while cayenne and black pepper sneak up with a powerful—and spicy!—aftertaste. This tells you the heat is layered and arrives late, which suits drinkers who want a noticeable spicy finish.
- Scheherazade Shai: Steep for a minute or two for a mellower brew, or longer for a potent, spicier chai. You control the intensity by steep time, so the same bag can make a gentle or strong cup.
How to steep each one
Both blends respond to steep time, but the supplied guidance differs. Scheherazade Shai gives a clear window: one to two minutes for a mellower brew, longer for a potent, spicier chai. That's a useful range if you like to dial in strength without guessing.
Spicy Yerba Chai notes that, as with most chai teas, a short steep tastes smoother, while a long steep brings out extra spiciness. No specific minute range is provided in the supplied information, so start short and adjust to your taste. If you're used to brewing black tea chai, treat yerba mate chai as its own thing—the dry, crisp base behaves differently.
Steeping guidance from the catalog
- Scheherazade Shai: Steep for a minute or two for a mellower brew, or longer for a potent, spicier chai. This is the only explicit time range supplied for either blend, making Scheherazade Shai easier to brew consistently.
- Spicy Yerba Chai: As with most chai teas, a short steep tastes smoother, while a long steep brings out extra spiciness. You get a clear direction—short for smooth, long for spicy—even without a minute range.
Size and value: which bag fits your habit
Scheherazade Shai comes in 75g (30 cups), 150g (60 cups), 300g (120 cups), and 500g (200 cups). Spicy Yerba Chai comes in 40g (16 cups), 85g (34 cups), 200g (80 cups), and 500g (200 cups). Both list a catalog price of $5.92 with a comparison price of $11.85, but the cup counts differ by bag, so check the size that matches how often you drink chai.
If you're buying to try, the smallest Scheherazade Shai bag gives 30 cups, while the smallest Spicy Yerba Chai gives 16 cups. That makes Spicy Yerba Chai the lower-commitment taste test, while Scheherazade Shai's entry size suits a household that already knows it likes black tea chai. Both top out at 500g (200 cups) for regular drinkers.
Bag sizes side by side
- Scheherazade Shai: Available sizes: 75g (30 cups), 150g (60 cups), 300g (120 cups), 500g (200 cups). The 30-cup starter size is larger than Spicy Yerba Chai's, so it's better for confirmed chai drinkers.
- Spicy Yerba Chai: Available sizes: 40g (16 cups), 85g (34 cups), 200g (80 cups), 500g (200 cups). The 16-cup bag lets you try yerba mate chai with less commitment.
A note on yerba mate and caffeine
Yerba mate naturally contains caffeine, and black tea does too, but the supplied information does not state exact caffeine amounts for either blend. If you are sensitive to caffeine or need to limit your intake, treat both as caffeinated unless you confirm otherwise with the store. Neither product record includes safety or care instructions beyond the steeping notes above, so any personal dietary decisions should rely on your own healthcare guidance, not this comparison.
Which chai should you buy?
Choose Scheherazade Shai if you want a bold, brisk black tea chai with a clear one-to-two-minute steeping window and a larger starter bag. It's the safer pick for someone who already enjoys traditional chai and wants to control strength by time.
Choose Spicy Yerba Chai if you're drawn to a dry, crisp yerba mate base, a golden cup, and a spice sequence that ends with cayenne and black pepper heat. The 16-cup bag makes it an easy experiment. If you dislike a peppery aftertaste, Scheherazade Shai is the more neutral bold option.
Both are made in Montana by Lake Missoula Tea Co., so the real decision comes down to base tea, spice style, and how much you want to commit to your first bag.