Premium tea brand Ichai has launched its eight-strong range of spiced loose leaf black teas into the UK market.
The new teas have been designed to offer consumers a traditional chai experience, with each variant containing a scientifically blended selection of freshly ground spices with benefits on cognitive and immune function, the brand explained.
The tea used is a blend of loose leaf black tea from Sri Lanka and China, chosen for its rounded flavour and ability to carry spices without overpowering them. Spices used in the Ichai blends include grade A whole bourbon vanilla pods from Madagascar, whole green cardamom pods from Southern India and nutmeg from Indonesia. The flavours in each blend are 100% natural; Ichai contains no artificial ingredients or preservatives and retails with a recommended price starting at £3.95 for 25g.
The spices used are all ground to an individual specification using machinery that grinds each spice down to its own optimum particle size to ensure the best possible taste and aroma from each, Ichai said. These grinding and dehydration methods are described as being “unique” to the brand. In addition, all spices used across the range are milled and blended in-house so the whole process can be controlled and the teas can be packaged immediately to lock in flavour before it escapes.
The brand is the brainchild of Dr. Helen Saini, who has previously worked as a plant biologist for Unilever.
Saini said: “I believe there’s a real gap in the UK tea market for a traditional chai that provides health-giving functionality while keeping the balance of flavour intact by avoiding money-saving practices. With Ichai my aim is to make traditional chai properly, without any artificial ingredients and using the milling methods that I have spent years developing to produce and retain the best taste and aroma.”
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