Ku Cha House of Tea Offers Broad Selection of Custom Chais
Chai is a year-round tea, but we understand its particular popularity during the cooler months. It’s got spice, combinations of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger and more that stimulate body warmth. Combine the spices with black tea, which also possesses warming qualities. Serve it hot. It’s like a down jacket in a mug. Only it tastes waaaay better.
We are big fans of chai at Ku Cha House of Tea, so enthusiastic that we carry 14 kinds, including Autumn Chai, Mile High Chai, and Ku Cha Chai. Whether you are putting it in a thermos for a day outside, savoring a cup in the kitchen in the morning and watching the leaves (or snow) fall, or just sipping it all day at the office, we’ve got a chai for you.
We even infuse cookies with our custom Autumn Chai blend, available in our shops in Boulder, Fort Collins and Cherry Creek. You too can use our chai to pump up the flavor in all sorts of baking and cooking projects. Cakes. Pies. Marinades for meats? Sure. Delicious.
The tea style is fairly new to the United States. People could find it in health food stores during the 1980s and before, and served at Indian restaurants. But that was about it.
During the 1990s, however, interest began to brew.
In fact, according to a Seattle Times story from 1997, San Francisco and Boulder were some of the first outposts of chai in the United States.
The article credits an early Boulder chai brand, Mountain Chai, for helping to kickstart interest nationwide in chai.
“Mountain Chai and Oregon Chai (a major brand that still exists today) have helped create a growing national market that has attracted attention from giants such as Starbucks,” the article says.
In 1997, Starbucks started experimenting with chai at stores in Portland and Dallas. Now, it’s available in Starbucks shops worldwide.
But 20 years later, chai has spread far beyond Starbucks. Nearly every coffee shop in the country serves it, as do most restaurants. It’s in lattes and cookies. In breads and pastries.
What is “pumpkin spice,” the ubiquitous flavoring that commands so much attention (and ridicule) through Thanksgiving in the United States? It is an American interpretation of chai.
Here at Ku Cha, we will stick with traditional chai.
In India, chai is made from hot milk, spices and sweetener, often a kind of sugar sold in blocks called jaggery.
Meanwhile in India, the birthplace of chai, the preparation is a daily ritual for hundreds of millions of people, who refer to it as Masala chai. Workers called Chai Wallahs in the country navigate trains and crowded streets shouting “garam chai garam chai,” which means hot tea.
Thank you, India, for inventing such a bold, spectacular, and versatile style of tea!
Chai Tea Cookies
MAKES about 2 dozen cookies
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon c hai tea
- 1/4 tablespoon salt
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the flour, sugar, powdered sugar, chai, and salt in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Process until the tea is pulverized and distributed throughout the dry ingredients. If desired, pulse in the cardamom and cinnamon, which will give a more pronounced chai spice flavor to the cookies.
- Add the butter and vanilla. Pulse just until a rough dough is formed. Scrape the dough onto a piece of wax or parchment paper. Form into an 8 to 9-inch long log. Wrap the paper around the log and roll until smooth. Freeze the dough, or refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- To bake, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat. Use a sharp knife to slice the chilled or frozen log of dough into 1/3-inch-thick rounds. Place on the baking sheet and bake until the edges are just beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
RECIPE NOTES
Storage: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
