Loose-leaf Kenyan black tea blended with chai spices, in a gift tin with a hand-carved olive wood spoon.
Kenyan black tea, and why it suits chai
Kenya is one of the largest tea exporters in the world, and its black tea has a particular character: brisk, bright, full-bodied and strongly coloured, with more punch than a delicate Chinese black. Most of what goes into commercial teabags anywhere in Europe has Kenyan tea in it, though rarely acknowledged on the box.
That robustness is exactly what a chai needs. Chai is not a gentle drink — it is simmered with milk and heavily spiced, and a delicate tea simply disappears underneath it. A brisk Kenyan black holds its own.
Making it properly
A chai made in a mug is a spiced tea. A chai made in a pan is chai, and the difference is considerable.
Put a heaped teaspoon per cup into a small pan with half water and half milk. Bring it barely to a simmer and hold it there for five minutes, then strain. Sweeten a little — chai spices need some sugar or honey to open up, and without any the drink tastes thin and closed.
Simmering is also what extracts the spices properly: their aromatic compounds are far more soluble in fat than in water, which is why the milk matters and why a chai teabag in hot water is always a disappointment.
JusTea
The Bain family from Canada partnered with the Katah family and the Nandi Hills community to build Kenya's first small-scale farmer-owned artisanal tea factory. The company is verified by the Fair Trade Federation. The olive wood spoon in the tin is carved by artisan families from off-cuts left over from larger items — turning waste into income.
Note
Contains caffeine — black tea, and a strong one. Store in the tin, closed, away from light and strong smells.