Ever since the 20th of May, 1498 when Vasco da Gama weighed anchor off the coast of India, the spices of the Malabar coast have captivated the Western palate. Over the next few hundred years, wave after wave of Western arrivals, Danes, French and British fell under the intoxicating spell of spicy cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, cloves and black pepper. The problem was of course that trade of the spices came with a hefty price in the form of costly wars with India's indigenous kingdoms. Subsequently, what spice made it back to Europe fetched exorbitant prices and came to be available only to the exceptionally wealthy.
As any modern day visitor to India will tell you, Malabar Spice is a little easier to come by these days. How so? The heady blend has evolved to become the signature flavor of spiced chai, added to the mix of India's ubiquitous drink along with hot whole milk and strong tea. Today, the drink is available on virtually every street corner, train platform and bus stop. And while no warfare is required to make your purchase, a little haggling never hurts.
We've decided to do our part to further propagate the sultry flavors of Southern India by developing what we believe to be one of the greatest chai blends ever created - decaffeinated Hi Antiox Green Chai. What makes it so great? Well, in addition to the outstanding mélange of grassy green tea and peppery spice, the leaf we've sourced has an exceptional antioxidant count owing to its high altitude cultivation. (Research conducted at Canada's University of Guelph indicates that teas grown at high elevations exhibit higher than average antioxidant levels.) A fabulous cup even for which Vasgo da Gama would have crossed any ocean!
Brewing Instructions: Warm the cup/pot with hot water. Pour freshly drawn boiling water over 1 rounded teaspoon (2.5 g) of leaves per cup and steep for 5 minutes. Enjoy!