Chai the way it should be

Having grown up in India, "chai" is hard-wired in my brain to mean steeped black tea and milk. Sugar and spices are optional, though commonly added. 

However, here in the US, “chai” has morphed into something else. Increasingly, it is presented as black tea with spices like ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. Last week I attended the Fancy Food Show held here in San Francisco. The ticket to attend was only $35 and in return, you get to sample loads of chocolates, cookies, jams, cheeses, etc for 3 full days. Not a bad deal for your taste buds (maybe not so much for your heart or waistline). 

As all the specialty tea companies were there too, I took this opportunity to try the “chai” from all these companies. Let me first say that all these companies are tea experts and use really good, high-quality tea to make their products. As you learn more about tea, you start to realize how similar it is to wine. All the teas come from the same plant (as wine comes from grapes), but every tea is so different as it is hugely impacted by the region, climate, season of harvest, method of picking and processing, etc. etc. 

As I went around the floor tasting “chai”, I was less than satisfied with everyone’s interpretation of what “chai” is. Whether it was loose leaf tea or tea bag, as I tasted sample after sample, my brain kept screaming “Where’s the MILK?!” 

 I used to roll my eyes when I would see “Chai Latte” at Starbucks - it combines 2 words from 2 different languages, is overly sweet, and has vanilla. But at least they had the basic idea right – it’s a hot drink with black tea and milk. Or maybe it is the word “Chai Latte” that led people to think that “Chai” is black tea with spices and it becomes a “latte” by adding steamed milk. 

 I know, I alone cant change how chai is being defined here in the US. But if you plan to travel to India, just remember when you are offered “chai”, expect to get black tea with milk. If you want it spicy, ask for “masala chai“ and if you are looking for plain black tea, then you should ask for “black tea, no milk, please”.

If failure is inevitable, why try?

I am really excited about this year…this is going to be a special year for all of us. How can it not be? It started with 1-1-11! 

 I feel especially optimistic this year. Not b’coz I am a lot wiser but also b’coz I have found the support of people who push me forward every time I'm stuck. It’s been a little over a year since I began my entrepreneurial journey and I don’t regret it one bit. Everything you read about entrepreneurship and hear from entrepreneurs is 100% true. But it takes your own experience to drive all those points home. 

Every entrepreneur will tell you that failure is inevitable. A successful entrepreneur will tell you how they found success in their failure. Learning from your mistakes is important. But the real secret to success is not the lessons themselves, or luck or new opportunities; it is determination and humility. 

 It is your determination that will push you to get over disappointments when things don’t go according to plan, will force you to innovate to overcome roadblocks, and will drive you to find new opportunities when things look bleak. 

  Humility will let you accept your mistakes, enable you to ask for help when you need it, make you appreciate the opportunities given to you, and will never let you take anything for granted. Mostly, it will make you personable. 

 In my blogs this year, I want to share what I have learnt about the food business and entrepreneurship. Not just in the abstract, but in specifics. My hope is that it may help others like me. At the very least, it will be a good reminder to me of what I have learnt.