The base of any cup of masala chai is its tea. That’s why when we went back to India to source the tea for our products, we were on a mission to find the very best. We travelled to Assam, the country’s largest tea growing region and were blown away by its flavour's.
We immersed ourselves in the vast, lush and green landscape which gave us a nice contrast from the hectic inner cities. Amazed by the beauty of numerous tea estates and the complexities of the production process, we learnt why Assamese tea is just so special.
At the foot of the Himalayas, along the Brahmaputra river, Assam hosts the perfect conditions for tea cultivation.
Nutrient-rich flood plains, lots of rain, and hot, humid conditions produce a strong, full bodied and malty tea - the perfect pairing for our cardamom masala.
Driving between tea estates and production factories we’d see a constant stream of nimble-fingered tea pickers and small pickup trucks filled to the brim with freshly cut tea leaves. As we were hit with the intense, floral fragrance, the excitement brewed.
We followed the trail of tea leaves to their production factories and watched in awe as the leaves were wilted, mechanically crushed, torn, curled and then oxidised, changing the colour from leafy green to dark brown.
During the tea harvest, there’s no rest for the wicked - sampling every hour round the clock and finely tuning the process, adapting to changes in the outside climate. It’s a delicate and intricate balance.
We knew the mainstream blends just wouldn’t cut it and instead of going through the corporate auction houses, we wanted to form a relationship directly with farmers to create a sustainable and fair supply chain.
We visited numerous estates, each time drinking enough chai to power a small village. However, one particularly impressed us - they were family run, used organic practices to fertilise the land, prioritized quality over quantity, not to mention their tea was just divine. We brewed our Masala chai for them and shared a brilliant moment, learning about their families legacy and how they bought it off the British in 1950! It just felt natural that a partnership was formed!
Several months later, we have their delicious 100% pure Assamese Tea in our hands.
Sourced from India and brewed in London, each cup of chai brings us back to the amazing experience we had searching for the best tea for our masala chai. We are so excited to share these experiences with our customers through our masala chai.
