I really love the messages I have been receiving from folks who want to learn more about Midwest Chai! It has been so fun to share this passion of mine with old friends and new customers and I am just enjoying the experience of being stretched in my understanding of not just how to run a small business but also about the product I’ve created.
Since most of the questions I get run along the same themes, I thought I would write my next blog post to answer the two most common ones that come through.
By far the biggest question I get is: how do you make Midwest Chai? Well, folks, the simple answer is… however you want to. Midwest Chai is suuuuper versatile. That’s probably a confusing and inadequate answer, though, so let me step back and explain how we got to this.
I created the chai tea powder mix now known as Midwest Chai as a result of my own attempt to recreate the authentic chai I had when I lived in India, but in a more accessible way. You can read more about this journey in my most recent blog post or on my About Me page. In India, my host mom Dolma taught me how to make chai the traditional way: steep the loose-leaf black tea leaves with ginger coins, cinnamon sticks, etc… It’s a foolproof process that’s been practiced for hundreds of years. The problem is that our American culture, which glorifies busyness and rushing around all day, doesn’t allow for the traditional chai process to be a daily practice (especially when you have six girls to help get ready in the morning, like me!). You can’t just press a button to brew up some good chai like you can for coffee.
When I discovered that all of the ingredients in an authentic Masala chai were available in a powdered or ground form, the lightbulb went on and I started experimenting like crazy. Dozens of iterations later, I was finally able to recapture the essence of the chai from my memories (with a little added spice for my own enjoyment). The gist of this is that Midwest Chai has all of the ingredients and taste of a traditional chai, but in a powdered form that does NOT include dairy or sweetener. I realized that, therefore, it could be made many ways while maintaining the integrity of taste. And that has proven true. Just check out the reviews at the bottom of my website to explore all the different ways people have enjoyed Midwest Chai! You can mix it in to whatever your favorite dairy is; it doesn’t have to be regular milk. All dairy? Almond milk? Just a splash of heavy whipping cream into a full cup of tea? You do you. Sweeten it how you want, and with however much you want. I’ve had customers enjoy Midwest Chai with sugar, honey, and Stevia. Whatever works best for you. It’s even been added to food recipes! Midwest Chai’s versatility has quickly become one of its greatest strengths, and the beautiful responses I’ve gotten from so many people attest to this.
If you are looking for a more traditional cup, it’s a pretty simple recipe that I’ve included on the container: combine a quarter teaspoon (that’s all!) of Midwest Chai tea powder to a combination of ½ cup steamed milk and ½ cup hot water. Add one tablespoon of sugar and stir. Done. Authentic chai in five minutes.
The second question I get often is: what is the nutritional value of Midwest Chai? This feels like a harder question to answer, but actually is pretty simple. The fact is that one serving of Midwest Chai is only a quarter teaspoon, which is made up of six spices and black tea powder. The nutritional value is negligible. Since the spices in Masala chai are generally healthy and beneficial for the body and in such a small amount per serving, there isn’t much more to say on those. Black tea powder does have caffeine in it, but it is a very small amount and unlikely to affect someone in a significant way. To get super technical about the black tea powder in Midwest Chai, it amounts to 1 calorie with less than 1 gram carbohydrates and dietary fiber.
This means that, with Midwest Chai, you really get out of it what you add to it. You can figure out the nutritional value of our chai by paying attention to the type and amount of dairy and sweetener you use with it. Make it how you want, according to your own tastes and nutritional preferences. It is up to you!
As I said at the beginning of this, I have just loved sharing my passion for good chai with people and this post in particular was really fun to write. Please feel free to message me with any questions you have! And if you've had my chai and love it (or don't, I'm open to that too!), please let me know.
Keep calm and chai on,
Aaron
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