A decadent and perfectly balanced Chai built on the chocolatey foundation of hand picked Laoshan Black, and laced with saffron for an extra richness. . . . New winter formulation with tulsi, thai ginger, clove, and more.
Chai is a wonderful thing. When the spices and tea are just right, there is something alchemical about the flavors with or without milk and honey. We set out to build a better chai, starting with the tea. We use our chocolatey, malty Laoshan Village black tea as the base, and build up from there with traditional additions like cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, and peppercorn. To make the perfect winter blend, we bring out the sweetness of Laoshan Black with tulsi or holy basil, and complement with thai ginger and clove for a gingerbread-like dessert tea.
The result is a perfectly balanced, rich and deeply warming chai. The sweetness is enhanced and drawn out by the fennel, coriander and saffron. The warm spice is enhanced by clove, ginger, thai ginger and peppercorn. This chai formulation is the result of constant work since March of 2012 at Verdant Labs field testing and bringing in restauranteurs, baristas, and tea experts from around Minneapolis to come upon what we consider the perfect chai. Now served by the highest caliber coffee shops in Minneapolis, our chai is an achievement we hope you enjoy as much as we have. Enjoy plain, or wih a touch of warm milk and honey.
Ingredients: Laoshan Black from the He Family Farm, tulsi*, cinnamon*, ginger*, galangal*, fennel*, peppercorn*, vanilla bean*, saffron*, goji berries*, clove*, elderberry*
*all organic certified spices and herbs
Date of Picking:Autumn 2011
Location of Picking:He Family Farm, Laoshan Village, Shandong Province
What Was Picked:Young leaf material with buds, wilted in bamboo baskets, fully oxidized, dried over a carefully tended wood fire and curled.
Sourcing Agent(s):David Duckler drank this tea with the He family after spending months in Laoshan Village on a tea research grant.
Western Brewing: Use one tablespoon of leaves per cup of water. Steep in a brew basket or loose in a pot to give the leaves plenty of room to expand. If possible avoid tea balls or paper filter bags. Steep for 4 minutes with filtered boiling water and remove leaves or pour off water. If desired, add a bit of honey and warm milk.
Stovetop Chai: Add one Tablespoon of leaves per cup of warm water. Bring to a gentle boil. Add cold milk to taste (usually about 1/3 cup milk per cup of water), reboil, stir in honey and strain off to serve.
We recommend almond milk and buckwheat honey.
