Sifting through clove needles and cardemon pods, cinnamon pieces, and black pepper corns in my basket of infused Calcutta Masala Chai, I remember a time before tea shops were so prevalent and coffee just didn’t set right with me. I would walk in to the up-scale coffee shops and scan the menu for non-coffee options. Flavored, steamed milk, or the newest crave, chai tea.
Needing the good conversation and company that coffee and tea shops so often cultivate, and not wanting to sip from a water bottle, I ventured out to order a chai tea latte. I was nervous about consuming something I wasn’t even sure how to pronounce – something that my mom would later refer to as tai chee or chai tea or whatever you call it upon her introduction.
I’ve learned so much.
The chai was not the topic of conversation for me then, but only the vehicle to carry me to greater adventures and a broader knowledge of tea.
Travels to Russia shortly after my palette learned to love and crave chai as we know it in the United States, I quickly learned that chai was simply the word for tea in many other countries. New to the language and the culture, I asked the waitress if they served chai. She responded with a flat, dry yes, but was not amused at my excitement. I received a teacup and saucer with black tea and two cubes of sugar. Good, but not what I thought I had ordered.
My expectations dashed, my world widened, and a piece of the language falling into place, I would later converse on topics with Russian friends over politics, movies, art, authors, religion, and family. The chai was always integral, but always peripheral, that is until our teacups were empty and our conversation at a lull. Then we turned to tea.
Black currant tea, or raspberry, even oolong teas or green tea (good for the health I heard very often). It was usually loose leaf and brewed to perfection accompanied with bread, cookies, honey and fruit preserves.
I never knew that chai could be so much more.
My friend and fellow barista from India tells me that to order chai in India is to receive a cup of black tea steeped with spices: cardemom pods, rich milk, and various other spices depending on the area or home you visit. This is chai as we know it in the U.S.
I can tell when a customer comes in and asks if we have chai. I can see the expression change and eyes light up when I say yes, but their journey, like mine so many years ago has just begun. We certainly have chai and oh so much more¦
It’s a big world, you know. Drink it up!
Your Barista,
Katie
