I had a big glass of chai on Saturday. We went to a movie and then dropped in at a Dome Coffee Shop where they’ve taken to serving chai.
Chai is a sweet, spicy, milky tea that is mostly drunk in India. You can’t go anywhere in India without being served a cup of the stuff and the spices and flavours they use change from place to place within India.
I’ve wanted to try the local chai for a while. The problem has been that I’ve wondered whether it would live up to my memories of the real thing back in India. I ordered the large and got ready for the experience. It was wonderful. It could have been a little stronger and they used a bit too much cinnamon for my taste but I wasn’t as much looking for the exact same taste as much as the memory and it did the job. It instantly took me back to my Indian experiences.
Do you ever find that tastes can do that? You eat or drink something and the memories flood back. I don’t think I’ll buy their chai regularly, but every now and then when I need to escape to India, you’ll find me at a Dome, sipping chai.
Posted by Rodney Olsen
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I find my memories linked more to smell than taste. Like I remember how someone smells like. It’s hard to describe a smell, it can’t be put into words.
I know exactly what you mean, Marianne. I’ll sometimes be somewhere and smell something that will take me back 20 years. (Gee, that makes me sound old.)
I’m a Chai convert. Our coffee cart at church serves it as a latte, which is delicious. However, I’ve also started drinking it at home as a normal tea drink. I’m hooked on Green Chai Tea, by Healtheries. You can get it from your local supermarket. I strongly doubt it’s authenticity, but I like it!
Inspired by your post, I found Lipton had put some Chai Latte within easy reach in the supermarket. Although it’s one of those ‘just add water’ mixes, it’s Not Half Bad. I’ll wait to see if it survives a second box purchase.
BTW: I don’t think the Jarrah White Hot Chocolate will last to a second box. It actually *is* Half Bad.