A chai built around two peppers, neither of which is pepper. Tasmanian pepperberry and Dorrigo pepper both come from the Tasmannia genus, native to Australian rainforest and unrelated to the black peppercorn — their heat comes from a different compound entirely, and it arrives late, at the back of the throat rather than the front of the tongue. It is the reason this chai reads as warm rather than sharp.
Around them sit the spices you would expect: Sri Lankan black tea as the base, then ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, fennel and native aniseed myrtle. Eight spices, all whole and organic, none of them flavouring. Artificial spice extracts are cheaper and louder than the real thing, which is exactly why they are so widely used.
The blend is held together with organic vegan agave syrup, which makes it a sticky chai — the spices cling to the leaf rather than settling to the bottom of the tin, and the sweetness lands at the end of the cup rather than the start.
Chai has no fixed recipe. Each region of India works to its own balance, and within a region it shifts from family to family, often held closely and passed down rather than written out. This is our version of that, blended in Melbourne with Australian natives in the spice bill.
To brew — black, steeped like tea. Boiled in a pot with milk, in the traditional masala chai method. Or steamed in a milk jug as a latte. All three work with this blend.
1 heaped tsp per 200mL, 100°C, four minutes. Longer if you are adding milk.
Organic. Whole spice. No artificial flavours, no shortcuts.
This tea is available in a refill pouch. The pouch is re-sealable to maintain freshness and perfect to refill your Impala & Peacock canister or jar. Pouch size:
