In Search Of Chai

Well I have returned from a marvelous two week trip to Colorado and New Mexico with my crazy husband, Wild Man Dan.  We visited with relatives, met new friends, saw gorgeous scenery, learned new things, and experienced 5 different ways of enjoying Chai. I absolutely adore Chai.  But now more than ever. The word “Chai” means simply tea in Hindi, but the term Chai usually refers to a spiced black tea made with steamed milk and honey or sugar. Chai tea originated in India and includes an abundance of spices including ginger, cardamom, coriander, cinnamon, clove, and pepper. The intensity of these spices when mixed together makes a very complex and rich tasting concoction, that for some, like myself, can be addictive.

Our first experience with Chai on the trip was at the Country Sunshine Bed and Breakfast in Durango, Colorado. This lovely little B& B sits in the hills near Purgatory Ski Resort. Owners Walter and Jodi Hammerle are the quintessential B&B hosts and made us feel right at home immediately upon arrival. As gracious hosts they offer all their guests complimentary drinks of all kinds during their stay, including beer, wines, soda, water, coffee and a variety of teas.

Because it was late when we finally arrived at the Inn, Dan and I opted for a caffeine free choice,  Rooibos Chai, which is made from African Red Bush Tea with spices including ginger, cinnamon and cardamom. Rooibos Chai is tasty, but lacks the rich flavor of Black Chai. To our delight, Walter prepared us an incredible dessert of flaming Bananas Foster to compliment our drinks. If you are staying near Durango, I would highly suggest staying here with the Hammerle’s and allowing them to spoil you as well. The scenery is beautiful, the air is fresh, the rooms are large, and Walter’s breakfasts are simply the best. Jodi is a doll, (although somewhat camera shy, and refused to be photographed for my blog).  Both are very helpful with assisting guests about local trails and area attractions. And if you go, tell them “hello” for us. Walter and Jodi are two of the wonderful new friends we met during our journey.

Walter busy in the kitchen

The next morning we attended church at New Hope Fellowship Church which meets in a movie house on the south side of town. Odd, for sure.  But then again, the pastor there has always been a little odd.  Actually, the pastor is my own brother, Dana and his wife, Dayna. (Rather quaint, don’t you think?) My brother is an excellent speaker, and I enjoyed his speaking and the musical talents of he, his wife, and their worship team. If looking for a non-denominational place of worship while visiting Durango, I really think you’ll enjoy this very friendly church.  They even serve breakfast.  (Hint- fill out the visitor info card and they will give you a very nice goody bag.  Mine included a pen, a CD of the service, a large bar of gourmet dark chocolate, and a $5 gift card to Starbucks! Hey, that’s one way to get people to come to church. ) www.newhopedurango.com

 

After church we stopped into the Brickhouse Cafe for lunch, mostly because the sign outside said espresso and teas! However, upon examining the menu, I found the only tea they carried was Chai, hot or iced.  Never having experienced iced Chai, I decided today was the day. Yum!  It was delicious.  A little sweeter than most iced coffee drinks. But very easy to get used to. The food was very good as well.  I had a turkey breast sandwich, that had a mild horseradish dressing and roasted potatoes on the side. Extremely good.

From Durango, we headed into New Mexico and spent a couple days in Santa Fe.  Here we had booked a room at the Bobcat Inn. May I tell you  that I absolutely know how to pick out the very best in B& B’s!  ( I am not very good at selecting motels, however! On this trip, we stayed in one of the worst motels ever!!! More on this later). The Bobcat Inn is an authentic remodeled hacienda.  Our room was decorated in adobe style with wooden beams, a kiva fireplace, french doors to the portal patio, fabulous views, and plenty of privacy.

A fabulous breakfast is part of the deal here, and owners John and Amy Bobrick are more than qualified to deliver. Amy has been a caterer and restaurant owner, while husband John is a local Santa Fe chef. Having breakfast in the sunny portal and meeting new friends Carl and Lynsey was one of the highlights of our trip.  If you visit the Bobcat Inn, try to stay there on a Saturday and make reservations for Amy’s fabulous High Tea! We were not able to be there on a Saturday, but I am looking forward to our next visit, which will certainly fall on a Saturday!

In the city of Santa Fe, we stumbled upon the Kakawa Chocolate House, which is located adjacent to one of downtowns only free parking lots. This was one of the most fascinating discoveries we made in Santa Fe, after touring all the art galleries. The Kakawa serves a variety of Chocolate Elixirs, (drinking chocolates).  Sound interesting? You will be amazed. Our gracious Chocolatier host, served us several drinking samples before we made our choices. Be warned, many of the drinks are not sweetened, and some have very strange spices and flavorings such as Red Chimayo Chili’s, Jasmine, musk, lavender, rum, Chipotle, Pasilla de Oaxaca, Chihuacle Negro Chili, etc. One of the drinks I was served burned in my throat, and was downright nasty! I finally decided to order some of their delicious, organic Chocolate Chai. It is made in house with rice, almond and oat milk, evaporated Cane juice, and traditional Chai spices. I also had to try the delicious Chai Truffle.  Oh, my!  Rich, rich, rich, rich.  (Please note that the second truffle on my plate in the photo below was for Dan! It was a Lime and Macadamia Truffle.  There was no way in the world I could have handled the drinks and two truffles after all the free sampling we had done. ) Do give the Kakawa Chocolate House in Santa Fe a visit if you are in the area!

On our last day of vacation we visited the Montezuma Castle, home of the United World College located near Las Vegas, New Mexico.  Dan’s brother, a doctor that serves the students there, had arranged for us to take a tour of the college with professor Ravi Parasher, who teaches economics at the school. Ravi was a most delightful tour guide, giving us details of the beautiful building itself and the history as well.  I took this photo in the dining room where these two stunning glass sculptures hang.  These are the work of artist Dale Chihuly, a famous Northwest artist.  The sculptures are valued at over $250,00 each! I thought they looked rather odd in this setting.  So modern, while the rest of the castle remains true to it’s original detail.

After touring the castle, Ravi invited us to his home to meet Mummy and share a cup of Chai. Ravi and Mummy are originally from India, so I couldn’t wait to have an authentic cup of Chai with them in their home. Mummy’s recipe for making Chai includes a shortcut of mixing the milk and water together, and heating in the microwave along with the spices, before adding Taj Majal tea bags.

Ravi informed me that they had a relative from India send this special blend of spices over, all the way from India. I was so impressed, I had to take a picture of the jar to prove to my readers that I was drinking authentic India Masala Chai.  However, when I took a good look at the picture up close, I noticed that the address of the company that makes this “authentic” blend of India Chai spices was in Florida! Well, no matter.  This cup of Chai was my favorite.  not only was it very spicy and very flavorful but the company of Ravi and Mummy made it even more delicious! For the record we were served some authentic Peda with our Chai.  Peda is a sweet treat from India, similiar to a soft candy. It is made from sugar, milk and saffron, boiled and stirred until thick, and then formed in tube like presses before cutting into smaller pieces.

The moral of my story is this:  All tea tastes better when served in good company.  Give it a try.  I’m sure you’ll agree.

Blessings-

Tea Lady Darla

PS- FYI, Culinary Teas offers an outstanding version of Masala Chai on their website. You do not have to add the spices separately to the black tea leaves.  It is perfectly blended for you.  Just add milk and sugar or honey to suit your taste.  Here is the link to Culinary Teas: Click Here.