Golden Light

Known as the “King of Spices,” the best black pepper is grown in southern India near Cochin. The berries of the perennial black pepper vine are harvested when unripe, then sun-dried until they blacken. Quality is determined by oil content and appearance. Black pepper is spicy, pungent and often has a light salty characteristic—an important feature in chai blends. After the black pepper has been harvested, it is steam distilled to produce the essential oil.

Sarsaparilla root from India is unlike sarsaparilla from other origins. It has a taste and aroma that is vanilla-like and creamy, making it ideal for use in chai and blends with rooibos, or simply enjoying by itself. A climbing plant that grows throughout India, the root is dug, washed, peeled and sun dried. The thicker roots of the sarsaparilla plant make the best and most flavorful brew.

Seductively fragrant, with floral notes and a menthol bite, cardamom is a bush in the ginger family that grows to 10 feet high. Popular in Persian and Indian cooking, it is also widely used in tea and chai blends. We believe the best is produced by indigenous Mayan farmers in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. Its pale yellow flowers turn into clusters of cherries that are dried. These whole green pods or the dark seeds inside are removed to spice tea.

Turmeric, part of the ginger family, is a flowering plant that has been coveted in India as a cooking spice, natural dye and medicinal herb for thousands of years. With its iconic vivid golden color, turmeric has a somewhat bitter and earthy flavor profile with notes of pepper, ginger and orange. There are many medicinal properties of turmeric and the vibrant ingredient has become widely recognized as a superfood in recent years.