Chia is from India, Silly

"Chai" simply means “tea” in Hindi and several other Indian languages. Masala chai or "spiced tea" is what you'd drink on the streets of Bombay or Kolkata, and what we have tried hard to emulate with great respect inside of our bags.

Chai has an interesting history which I will try to sum up quickly with bullet points.

-For many thousands of years, Indian culture has served warm, spiced drinks to guests as a gesture of health and hospitality.

-The British very rudely invaded India and occupied its government for 200 years, oppressing its people in the name of greed. Bad form!

-Although there was some tea in India at the time, it was not widely consumed. The British began cultivating the plant in the Assam region of India because China was an unfavorable trading partner (a.k.a., they didn't want to buy anything the British had to sell). So the British started importing Opium to China and got 30 percent of the country addicted to it. Not nice. China was forced to trade with the British in order to save its people from addiction.

-Now there was lots of tea coming from China and India and the British market was flooded causing a drop in the price of tea. The British needed new customers, so they created tea breaks for all their factory workers. Worker conditions in tea production was brutal (and continues to be in many places), so the break was probably very welcome.

-Soon there was a "Chai Wallah" or "tea merchant" on every corner, adding in their traditional spices, milk and sugar.

-Today, drinking masala chai has become a ritual that transcends class and status for many Indian people.

-And masala chai, or simply "Chai," or "chai tea" (oof!) has expanded to cafes and homes all over the world, spreading its magic of health, warmth, and hospitality.