indian spiced chai
2oz tin - 6.00
8oz tin - 15.00
16oz tin - 27.00
chai is so prevalent in india and sri lanka that it could be called the ‘national drink’. it is very common to see the ‘tea wadis’ serving their chai to the walk-by street traffic. in north america we have the coffee carts; in the sub continent and sri lanka you have the ‘wadis’. paint the following picture in your mind: the tea wadis cart has that ‘well used’ look (read - bashed, dented), quite often with a charcoal fire going keeping the water boiling so steam and smoke are rising, an old evaporated milk can full of sugar, another bashed and dented can with the masala chai spices, an eclectic collection of semi -clean mugs and glasses and a wizened chai expert deftly pouring back and forth from great heights, tea with spices and milk, combining the two ingredients. once combined it is normal to add a fantastic amount of sugar for that real chai experience.
chai is brewed with milk and a mixture of spices. each recipe can be different depending upon the spices used. indian spiced chai is often referred to as masala chai. the word ‘chai’ literally means tea (different languages use various forms of this word - for example portuguese call it ‘cha’, hindus call it chai, and in chinese the sound of the symbol for tea sounds very much like cha.) and ‘masala’ is the word for the mixture of the various spices - hence masala chai.
often a lower quality tea is used to make ‘chai’ as it is thought the spices will cover-up any deficiencies in the tea. we do not believe this and prefer to make our dry tea chai mix from real indian spices and high-grown ceylon tea. the quality of the tea elevates this chai to a new level.
note: turn your tin of chai upside down a few times. the reason is that during transit the spices can settle at the bottom of the tin.
country of origin:
sri lanka
region:
nuwara eliya, dimbula or uva districts
grade:
op (orange pekoe)
manufacture type:
orthodox
cup characteristics:
superb body with mellow Indian spice notes. creates a sensory trip to the sub-continent.
ingredients
premium black tea, cardamom, cloves, coriander, cumin seed, sweet cumin seeds, curry leaves, lemon grass, rampe leaves, cinnamon, aniseed
hot brewing method
bring freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. place 1 heaping teaspoon of tea for each cup into the teapot. pour the boiling water into the teapot. cover and let steep for 5-10 minutes (for true ‘chayee chayee’ steep at least 7 minutes). while the tea is brewing prepare your cup to receive the chai – put 2 teaspoons of sugar in the cup and add milk (about 20%) of the cup’s volume. when the chai is ready – pour into your cup.
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