Masala chai dates back 5,000 years ago, to South East Asia. It originated in the courts of King Harshavardhana, who would drink the chai in order to be able to stay awake through long court days. Since then, black tea has been added to the sugar and spice mix, and milk has also since been added to enhance the flavours.

The basic spice base for chai can also be found in many other cultures around the world, with cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, star anise, and pepper being used in food and drinks pretty much everywhere. Even in India, chai is never one solid recipe, with Kashmir serving green tea instead of black tea, Bhopal adding salt to the blend, and Western India leaving cloves and black peppercorns out.

There are many health benefits associated with masala chai, such as boosting the immune system, aiding in digestion, and being rich in antioxidants – which is just about perfect for my fellow Chronies. There’s nothing quite like a drink that both tastes delicious and does good within the body.

If you would like to learn more about the culture surrounding masala chai – and the tea culture of over 30 different countries – then you should check out my new tea course! Within it, I talk about some of the coolest tea cultures across the world; in mountain villages, in bustling cities, in deserts, and even in space! I think it’s pretty cool, and even though I’m probably biased, it’s definitely the best tea course in the game 😉

time to tea

Hibiscus, liquorice root, mint, tulsi, ginger, nettle, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves.

Sunita sent me one of the best chais I have ever tasted, made up of delicious black tea and high quality spices from the Kerala region. Energising and with health properties, it is the perfect brew for a cold British day.

I also tried the rose green tea which was delicate and refreshing, and which had been made by sun-drying roses for the Darjeeling green tea. Along with this, I tried their Emotional Detox tea, made from fresh hibiscus, mint, liquorice, and basil. Free from all artificial flavouring, it can help with settling painful or passionate emotions. Pretty useful during the end of a dark year, honestly.

Cuppa Chai

Assam tea, green cardamom, black cardamom, cloves, ginger, fennel seeds, cinnamon, black pepper.

Cuppa Chai is actually one of the first new chais that I tried this winter, and let me tell you, I fell head over heels with it immediately. It came with a lovely little thank you note and I really like their cute little logo!

The tea itself was quite clove-y – but I’m certainly not complaining! As it happens, the cloves really draw the flavours together in a balanced and pleasant way, perfecting the brew. I drank it with honey and it was such a full taste, with a very warming base.

One of my favourite things about Cuppa Chai is that the brand stays true to its roots. The website states: ‘All too often, when we hear the term “Chai” being said, displeasing images of a powdery, overly sweetened, dissolvable drink mix come to mind.  ​These “Chai Lattes” (which are neither chai, nor a latte), are so far from the beautifully rich, real chai experience, that we want everyone to know about it.’ And I couldn’t agree any more!

I am not a fan of coffee shop chais, and yet, it seems to be my only option when out and about. But oh my, compare those sweet, thin chais to this delicious and full Indian chai and you’ll notice the difference immediately. Pop it in a takeaway cup and enjoy it wherever you go!

Over the past year I have spent a lot of time studying the benefits and downfalls of CTC (Cut-Tear-Curl) tea. When this tea is made, the leaves are macerated by a machine in order to generate a larger surface area and as such, flavour. But these CTC teas can often be blended with other lower quality teas and chemicals, creating a rather nasty brew. Cuppa Chai, to contrast, is one of the first dry chai blends I’ve tried where they incorporate whole leaves into the brew. By using two high grade Assam tea varieties, one longer leaf and one shorter leaf, they are able to bring a whole lot of flavour and depth whilst skipping out on the dusty texture of cheaper, low quality teas.

The owner, Premdeep, is super lovely and easy to contact with any questions, and he runs a sick Instagram filled with cool photographs of the tea and great ways to drink it.

The tea crew

Black tea, ginger, coriander, cardamon, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper.

I found this tea to be quite malty, almost as though I’d dropped a whole bunch of Maltesers into the mix – which is a pretty delicious flavour!

It came with a high-quality thank you card, which a cute personal touch that removes the barrier between seller and consumer, and makes you feel as though you’re really part of it.  Supporting small and independent businesses like this really changes a tea from something you drink to something you feel, and everyone loves that!

is one of the best things about it. You can get their tinned teas ribbon wrapped with wooden ghost tags which is really cool!

They sell loads of really cool teas with local references surrounding Littleborough in the north of England. An example of this is their limited edition Pendle Witches Brew, a Halloween twisted spice blend set around the Trial of the Pendle Witches. Within this famous witch trial,  12 accused witches who lived in the area surrounding Pendle Hill in Lancashire were charged with the murders of ten people by the use of witchcraft – a spooky brew, for sure.

They also sell a lovely gingerbread tea that I tried and that is perfect for curling up with, giving off a delicious taste of Christmas. It comes in golden-tined packaging, which is a nice festive touch. Their packaging is pretty cool – for holiday seasons such as Halloween, they ribbon-tie their tinned teas with adorable wooden ghost tags!

Another thing that I really like about The Tea Crew is that along with being of the highest quality tea, their teas are also ethically sourced, and they use eco-friendly products for all of their packaging. Along with this, they also offer free samples with every order, and the tea is dairy free, gluten free, and suitable for vegetarians and vegans. What’s not to love?!

Roqberry

Indian Assam black tea, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, fennel.

Where do I begin?! Firstly, the tea comes in the coolest packaging – a little red and yellow cardboard box which is very well designed, and it has pyramid bags made from a silky, biodegradable material. You have a clear view of all of the going-ons within the tea bag, and its pretty fun to be able to pick out individual ingredients.

The box has clear ingredients stating the type of tea, the spices, and the percentages of each ingredient which is helpful, and it comes with easy-to-follow instructions so that there is no reason you could get lost along the way.

The box also renders up some very pleasant imagery – ‘We bring you authentic masala flavour from our tea-tasting tour of Delhi. Inspired by Chaiwallahs (tea sellers), one sip and you’re at the local spice bazaar’. It tastes a little like slightly spiced Builders Breakfast (making it ideal for beginners), which I guess it pretty much is. It’s no wonder that the chai has been awarded a Gold Star in the Great Taste Awards 2018 for ‘delivering fantastic flavour’.

Their origin story is pretty cool. ‘After falling for Asia’s spellbinding tea rituals, our travel-obsessed founder Kim decided to bring the feeling home. Her mission: to infuse that sense of moment, connection, and intensity into the humble brew we all think we know. So our collection of lifting, soothing and tempting blends was born – ready to carry you anywhere, through rich flavour, evocative aroma and just a little flight of fancy.’

Everything is blended locally in the UK, and the brand itself has won more than 20 Great Taste Awards – the most respected accreditation for artisan and speciality food producers. Their name was also inspired by the hard-working tea plant, which has the misfortune to often taste better the more it struggles.

They are sustainable, with a determination to reduce damaging waste wherever they can. They do this with their non-toxic plant-based teabags, which are packaged from FSC certified wood pulp, and the carton itself is made from FSC certified paper from well-managed forests, so they’re totally recyclable. Even their shipping boxes and tissue paper are FSC certified, acid free and printed with soy ink. It’s pretty impressive, actually.

They have so many other cool flavours as well, such as raspberry fondant, sushi + spice, and peppermint cream which all sound delicious.

Chai Wallah Margate Tea

Indian Assam black tea, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, chilli.

I was super intrigued by this tea, especially as I saw it had chilli in it and I’d never had chilli in a chai before. It came with a super cute thank you card and a handwritten note, which I really appreciated! The packaging was nice and they have a really cool stamp.

The tea itself smelt pretty good and had a higher black tea ratio than some of these other teas. The brand was founded on a love of chai and India, and they drew their design influences from the crates and tea chests used to transport tea throughout the ages, ‘celebrating the extensive diversity of the history of tea drinking, whilst the contents are uniquely modern. Everything is lovingly hand made ensuring each pouch or box is unique.’

Again, this is another brand that’s big on being in touch with their audiences, as they are always there to lend a helping hand to guide you through their blends and help you find something you love.

H.R. Higgins (coffee-man) Ltd

Smooth black tea mixed with ginger, citrus peels, all spice, whole cardamom, cloves, star anise, nutmeg.

The first thing that I absolutely fell in love with the H.R. Higgins chai masala was the beautiful display tin that it came with, both securing freshness and showing off a gorgeous design – complete with the very impressive royal appointment logo.

Whilst looking at the tea itself, I noticed that it is made up of a high density of leaves punctuated by beautiful warm colours and punchy red berries. This is probably my favourite out of all of the teas, and even without honey it was still lovely and sweet.

It’s very smooth and warming, with fiery undertones and that very nice sweetness to accompany it. Inspired by the traditional Indian chaiwallahs, they have created a unique blend perfect for satisfying drinkers looking for a little more adventure in their lives.

H.R. Higgins is a London brand which was established in 1942. Nowadays, H.R. Higgins is run by the grandson of founder Harold R. Higgins. ‘It supplies the best available coffees and teas to discerning connoisseurs in all parts of the United Kingdom and all over the world.’

I have never visited the Duke Street store myself but would love to – you can learn about the distinctive quality of speciality teas from the best growers in the world, enjoy freshly prepared tea and coffee on the lower ground floor of the shop, and truly take in an authentic London life.

The morals of the business are perfect too, as they source their tea through established relationships with individual farms, cooperatives and trusted partners. The believe that the most important part of the entire tea process is that the coffee farmers, their families and their communities all benefit from our relationships. As such, they work with tea estates which care for the local environment, work hard to combat climate change and support the workers and their families.

They have so many cool tea and coffee accessories on their website, and they have a chai paired orange and clove velvet truffle from a collaboration with The Highland Chocolateir, looking like the most divine thing I have ever seen. They also have very cool hand-painted caddies, and for 196 GBP you can buy ‘year of tea’ which is a lovely little twelve-month journey through ‘some of H.R. Higgins most exquisite teas chosen especially for you by David Higgins.’

YOGI TEA

I had never tried Yogi Tea before this, but I had come across the brand in health and wholefoods stores every now and then, itching to try it. And then, in November, a giant shipment of 14 boxes of Yogi Tea came through my door, and I simply couldn’t hold back any longer.

Yogi Tea is an independent company that uses organic, ethical, and sustainable ingredients and practices. As their website states, ‘For many of our customers, tea is one of the most beautiful things in the world. For us, the main thing is that it stays that way. Every day we make sure that our products are made with the utmost care and in harmony with nature. We are convinced that you can even taste it.’

They specialise in Ayurvedic tea recipes with roots in the 3,000 year old Indian philosophy (the core of which recommends awareness and balance in every action), and believe that tea can help to improve that balance in life we are all so lacking. The teas are more than just tea, though, it’s a whole experience!

Yogi Tea is 100% certified organic, using ZERO flavour enhancers, artificial additives, artificial flavourings, chemical fertilisers and GMOs in their teas. They are committed and self-aware, ensuring that that their outer packaging is recyclable and free of chlorine and mineral oil, using FSC-certified paper. Even in shipping and production, they make sure that they leave as little mark on the environment as possible. This is done by using  100% C02-neutral shipping of their raw ingredients, using zero fossil fuels for the heating system and getting their electricity from renewable energies, using biofuel, and ensuring that transport from the production site to the warehouse where possible is by rail.

The packaging and branding is the best I have ever seen, and the theme of wellness and ancient philosophy is wound in very well. With yogic wisdom on each tea tag, and a yoga exercise on each pack, you can’t help but feel inspired as you sip your cup of delightfully perfected tea, and the quotes on the box and information about tea origins and even the fact that the barcode is shaped to be a person meditating, bringing it all together perfectly.

The tea bag itself is completely biodegradable and free of plastic and genetically modified materials, and I’m still kinda shook that such a little teabag can pack so much flavour.

Along with all of this good stuff, Yogi Tea also supports numerous sustainable projects across the globe, and is committed to ensuring full traceability in their supply chains and third party certification. They support projects such as the Kumari Project (building safe and joyful childhoods for orphans in Nepal), the Nevandra Association (providing children in Hyderabad with hope for the future by facilitating self-help initiatives focused on love, shelter, health and education), Naturefund (which concentrates on buying forests and replanting them to protect habitat for the great variety of species), and Doctors without Borders, along with many others.

Their website is pretty cool, featuring a blog where they share recipes, self-care ideas, inspirations, and yoga suggestions and tips. Along with this, they have an ingredients page, which offers interesting facts and insights into the ingredients they use – for example, did you know that alfalfa is the Arabian word for ‘the father of all food’? Or that in earlier times, anise was sacrificed to the Gods?

They also have loads of helpful yoga videos on their site, with poses designed to help support your immune system, poses for renewal, poses for balance and to strengthen the body.

Three of my favourite chais from Yogi Tea, are the Himalaya Tea, the Green Chai, and the Turmeric Chai. The Himalaya tea was a perfect mix of sweet and spice and was absolutely delicious, whilst having warming properties that were both perfect for waking up in the mornings and curling over an open fire in the evenings. It had the traditional chai ingredients such as ginger, fennel, cinnamon, anise, and coriander, but was somehow sweet despite not having the mounds of sugar added to it. The subtle message of this tea is ‘balance and broad vision.’

And then, the Green Chai is very fresh, made from spices and mint, with a very cool undertone to it. The yoga pose on the back of the box recommends the Breath of Fire, where you consciously pull in the navel while exhaling through the nose, with inhaling happening automatically as you relax the stomach. The subtle message of this tea is ‘Bringing back the enchantment.’

Finally, there’s the best turmeric chai I have ever had. Softer and less overbearing than most turmeric teas, this one has a hint of cinnamon, liquorice, and cocoa, along with stronger elements of ginger, black pepper, fennel, cloves, cardamom, and of course, turmeric. I especially liked the packaging of this tea, as it had a beautifully illustrated golden mug on the front of the box, and to the side of the box, it reads, ‘There is strength in repose.’

And so, have any of y’all tried these chais before, or now want to after reading about how absolutely divine they all are? Let me know in the comments below!

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