Who doesn't like a good Chai tea? The problem is that so many are very disappointing brews. Either they lack the necessary spicy punch or they are overpowered by concentrated syrups.
We literally spent months cooking up Chai in my kitchen in order to find our ideal balance of spices. It got to the point where I could not drink Chai for a year because I was so overwhlemed with the aroma whenever I walked into my kitchen.
But it was all worth it because I am so very happy that whenever I want I can knock up a warm and comforting Chai with exactly the right spices for my tastes.
We have paired this Chai with a Qimen black tea. This small leaf tea is strong, malty and slightly chocolatey which I think plays perfectly with the spices.
Making this tea is quite personal. I would recommend adding half a teaspoon of spices for every heaped teaspoon of tea and 100-150ml of boiling water, brewing strong for a few minutes and straining over whole milk. You can add cane sugar or honey of choice if you fancy a sweeter brew.
For a thicker Chai you can infuse the tea leaves and spices in milk (wrapped in muslin if possible) and place on a low heat for half an hour (stirring regularly). Strain thoroughly (nobody likes the texture of ground spices). If you want to go all out then add some condensed and evaporated milk for an ultra rich Chai.
Each pack contains the Qimen tea and a separate sachet of housemade Chai spices.
About our Signature Blends
We love to celebrate the flavour of the pure leaf and avoid any blends that do not keep tea as the star of the show. We have an intense dislike for tea shops selling all sorts of crazy mixes which are sold for their overpowering artificial aromas and seem to be created by marketeers rather than for actual flavour or function.
In the creation of our small range of blends we tried many mixes and threw away over 90%. The ones that made it through the auditions did so because the combination of flavours complement each other and the resulting brew has a potent effect and experience. They are all natural with no artificial flavourings.
