White Chocolate Spiced Chai

The Night of the Iguana (White Chocolate Spiced Chai) is often considered to be the last major artistic, critical, and box office success for Tennessee Williams, the distinguished American playwright - and noted tea lover. The play features a captive iguana that is tied up to the edge of a veranda while a cast of characters discuss their sometimes tormented sexual relationships - and we all know how complicated those can be! For his own part, Tennessee Williams was something of a tormented soul. At an early age he suffered a nervous breakdown and throughout his life lived in fear that he would go insane. Williams' subsequent outlook on life was that it was woefully impermanent. He is quoted as saying, "Whether or not we admit it to ourselves, we are all haunted by a truly awful sense of impermanence." It is perhaps because of this outlook that the playwright took such comfort in a hot cup of tea - its impermanent nature is what makes it so wonderful - after all, once brewed and enjoyed, the leaves are discarded.

OK, back to the play. Our Master Taster, an avid Tennessee Williams fan decided to honor the complex themes of The Night of the Iguana, by creating an equally complex chai. He used as its base a lush and full-bodied black Assam in order to impart the chai a wonderful depth. Next, white chocolate, caramel, and a heady blend of spices from the Malabar Coast of India were added to the mix - sharp ginger, cardamom, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper. Finally, calendula petals and elder blossoms were added to give the blend some color - representing Williams' colorful existence.

The result, we're sure you'll agree, is one of our most intoxicating chais. It is at once rich and astringent, with pleasant overtures of spice. It is tragic that Tennessee himself never had an opportunity to sample a steaming hot cup-full. Instead, we ask that you brew a pot and hoist a cup in his honor. Although traditional chai preparation methods require that the tea be brewed in heavy milk in order to bring out its spiciness, adding scalded milk to Night of the Iguana will have a similar effect. Here's to ol' Tennessee.

IMPORTANT: Turn your bag of Chai upside down a few times. The powdered spices can settle at the bottom of the bag during transit.

Hot tea brewing method: Bring freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of tea for each cup into the teapot. Pour the boiling water into the teapot. Cover and let steep for 5-10 minutes (for true ‘Chai’ steep at least 7 minutes). While the tea is brewing prepare your cup to receive the chai – put 2 teaspoons of sugar in the cup and add milk (about 20%) of the cup’s volume. When the chai is ready – pour into your cup.

Iced tea brewing method: (to make 1 liter/quart): Place 6 teaspoons of tea into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Pour 1 1/4 cups of freshly boiled water over the tea, steep for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the leaves. Add ice, milk, sugar and top-up the pitcher with cold water. Garnish and sweeten to taste. [A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to double the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water]. .