Pine smoke reaches you before the cup does. Then cinnamon and ginger come through, over a malty black tea that holds it all together.
Pine smoke · Cinnamon · Ginger · Malt
We blend our Lapsang Souchong half and half with our Assam. The Lapsang brings the campfire. The Assam brings the malt, and the body to stand up to milk.
Then come the spices from our Chai: ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and star anise. The smoke wraps around them instead of covering them, so the cup tastes like chai by a fire.
Smoky Chai starts with two teas we already sell on their own. One brings the smoke. The other brings the malt.
Pine-smoked black tea
Dried over pine wood fires. It brings the campfire.
Fujian, China
Shop Lapsang Souchong
Malty black tea
Brisk and full-bodied. It brings the malt and holds up to milk.
Assam, India
Shop AssamA full boil, a generous spoon of leaf and a timer. Steep past the mark and the smoke crowds out the spice.
Two black teas and six chai spices, the same spices we use in our Chai.
Camellia sinensis
Zingiber officinale
Elettaria cardamomum
Cinnamomum verum
Syzygium aromaticum
Myristica fragrans
Illicium verum
Black teas* (Lapsang souchong and Assam), ginger*, cardamom*, cinnamon*, clove*, nutmeg*, star anise*. *Organic
A full rolling boil. Black tea and whole spices want all the heat you can give them.
Use a little more if you plan to add milk.
Then strain. Go much past 5 minutes and the smoke starts to crowd out the spice.
The same leaves have one more cup in them. Give the second steep an extra minute.
Start the timer when the water hits the leaves. We'll tell you what to notice along the way.
Steep 1 of 2
5:00
8 oz water at 212°F, 1.5 tsp leaf
Pour the water over the leaves, then start the timer.
Steep 1 tbsp in a cup of just-boiled water for 5 minutes and stir in a little maple. Top it with warm, frothed milk. The milk softens the smoke and brings the spice forward.
On this page
Both. Half Lapsang, half Assam, with chai spice.
From $19
All spice. Assam with ginger, cardamom and cinnamon.
From $19
All smoke. Pine-smoked black tea, no spice.
From $16
On orders to anywhere in the U.S.
Order here and collect it at our next market stall.
Every batch is blended by hand in Salem, Oregon.
Every tea's page has a brew card with the numbers for a good cup.
Smoke and spice in one tin.
