Lavender Chai Daniel Barros

Although the word "chai" comes from Mandarin, referring to a spicy variant of tea, the drink is actually known for its Indian recipe – the Masala Chai. Unlike the traditional English version, more familiar to the Western world, this one is prepared with black tea and various spices (there are many possible combinations). Masala Chai is still seen by Indians as a medicinal elixir rather than a simple aromatic beverage. Coffee houses in the US, particularly Starbucks, popularized the chai, preparing it with milk and/or coffee. Lavender Chai adopts the oriental fougère genre to maximize the contrast between cold (citruses, minty flowers) and hot (spices, tonka beans) with a sweet touch of honey.