Genuine Chai Brew
A hug in a mug
By Alison McEvoy in conversation with Eimear Simms
One of my most recent intuitive whispers led me to making my own chai. I bring it everywhere, it soothes and invigorates me in any given moment. The action of grinding with a pestle and mortar also connects me to something grounding and ancient.
When I learned that Chai crew had a stall near my office I felt chai synchronicity at work! In Eimear, the woman at the helm of Chai crew, I discovered a passion for chai which far surpasses my own;
“My love affair with chai began in 2019 when I embarked on my solo travels to India. I was waiting for my taxi at Delhi airport to drive me to Rishikesh, a seven hour journey to the bottom of the Himalayas. The yoga school had prewarned me in a rather foreboding email ‘Your taxi driver will be Mr Tayal. Beware other taxi drivers pretending to be Mr Tayal. Do not take any other taxi’.
It was dark as I stepped outside the terminal building and Delhi was covered in a dense fog. A man appeared promptly at 04:30 holding a page with my name handwritten and misspelled. Are you Mr Tayal? I asked. He nodded yes and pointed for me to follow him. I did, but I was like Sheldon asking over and over ‘Are you Mr Tayal? So you are Mr Tayal? Again he nodded.
After driving in silence through Delhi in the darkness he stopped under a motorway underpass. He tapped on my passenger window and asked Chai? Oh ok I said, never having tasted chai before. He locked the car doors and walked off into the darkness. Reappearing after what seemed like ages, he tapped on my window and handed me a plastic cup of steaming chai. I sipped and oh the taste, it was delicious, my fear melted away in the sweet spicy flavour. My first chai, my first day in India. I loved it. I settled back in the seat and fell
promptly asleep. I realise now that I was in serious fright or flight mode. Mr Tayal sensed it and knew the chai would calm me. I knew I was hooked – on India and on Chai.
The practice of brewing chai is steeped in ancient ayurvedic tradition. The warm aromatic spices are naturally beneficial, and can induce a feeling of peace and calm. That’s why chai is compared as ‘a soothing hug in a mug’. Masala chai is a sensory journey, each sip is a celebration of flavour, warmth and togetherness. Brewing masala chai is like alchemy, it has to be the perfect symphony of spicy and sweet.
Health claims? I don’t make any but I can tell when people drink my masala chai that they feel connected to nature because of the warmth and flavours of the aromatic spices.
It was my longing for a decent chai and the lack thereof in Dublin that led me to start Chai Crew.
I come from a family of avid cyclists so it had to be on a bicycle. The bicycle or rickshaw is also the norm in India where the beloved Chai Wallahs (roadside tea vendors) are on every street corner. So, I became a Chai Wallah. We are now trading weekly at markets and our customer base is growing steadily. Once the brewing starts the air is perfumed with the sweet heady scent of spices. In India the Chai Wallah stand is part of the ebb and flow of daily life, and everyone is made to feel welcome and equal. I brew the chai over my gas stove in a large pot, then I strain into my kettles and pour, from a height. It’s pure theatre and customers love it.
