Peaberry's Indian Chai

In India, Russia, Turkey and a host of other countries, chai means tea. In the U.S. we say “chai” when we are referring to masala chai, Indian spiced tea. The idea of combining tea with other ingredients stems from ancient times. Tang Dynasty tea-makers in China simmered orange zest and ginger with their brick tea. Salt and yak butter were — and still are — included in Tibetan Tea. Historically, onions, garlic, pepper, milk, sugar and other less attractive things were added to complement the flavor of tea or to counter its natural bitterness. In Asia, spices, milk and sugar in tea are thought to aid digestion or create “coolness”. Most chai recipes have come to us via north India. There, it seems each family or teashop has its own recipe. It may be as simple as a few crushed cardamon seeds boiled with black tea, or it may call for a mélange of spices: star anise, cinnamon, cardamon and ginger. Green tea may be used. The Kashmiris sometimes add almonds. Peaberry’s Chai is based on a Himalayan recipe as old as the hills. It is a dry mix to be simmered with milk or dairy substitute and is comprised of 58% tea and 42% spices. We hand blend the whole spices (star anise, cinnamon, cardamon, ginger root and more) then mill them to a coarse grind. Whole leaf estate teas from 4 different origins are then milled and blended into the spice mixture. This is a time consuming and careful process that takes approximately an hour to yield a small batch of under 60 pounds. The result -- a soothing, aromatic, delicious cup of tea to be sweetened to taste. Origin: Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India, China