Our Story

 

As the owner of Caffe Craze, a coffee & tea bar located on the train line just outside of Philadelphia, PA (USA), I was compelled by my Seattle, Washington roots and health conscious philosophy to create an all-natural chai concentrate. I practiced various brewing methods and ingredient combinations with the guiding principle of using whole ingredients and nothing artificial. Soon we were serving chai latte made with our micro brewed Original – Vanilla concentrate and selling the concentrate to local tea & coffee houses. We added new flavors; Green Tea – lightly sweet and Masala – spicy. In 2012, Chaikhana Chai’s Masala – spicy flavor won a North American Tea Championship Award. Even though our batch sizes have increased, we remain true to the guiding principle of using organic and fresh whole ingredients. 

People ask, “what does the word Chaikhana mean?” Simply said, in ancient times a Chaikhana was a Tea House where travelers and locals would seek refuge and pass the time sipping delicious, hot cups of tea while enjoying rich interaction with friends and strangers alike. I was intrigued, realizing how in modern times, this image is still relevant. Chaikhana Chai is the perfect name, reminding us all what drinking tea is really all about…..community and conversation. You can count on Chaikhana Chai to provide an authentic chai experience for you to enjoy and share with others.

I’m proud of Chaikhana Chai Concentrate’s  good health attributes available in all of our flavors due to the slow brewing process and whole ingredients. I am grateful to the customers, employees and suppliers that have enabled us to establish meaningful connections. We buy ever increasing amounts of tea, spices and honey from our original suppliers. The spent tea and whole ingredients are utilized as composted for local farm land and parks.

We like to hear from you! Feel free to contact us with a comment or question and if you enjoy our chai, help spread the word. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. I look forward to sharing Chaikhana Chai with more and more tea drinkers and chai latte lovers everywhere!

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Wishing you a peaceful, productive day.

Cheers!
Dawn Lewis

Founder & CEO