The 4 Best Organic Chai Tea Brands
For many of us, a steaming hot cup of chai tea might be the best solution to elevate our moods first thing in the morning.
But where does Chai tea originate? Is chai tea good for you or the environment?
Let’s find explore and meet some of the best chai brands using organic ingredients.
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What is chai tea?
Chai tea has its origins in India. The word “chai” is a Hindi word that simply means tea.
Before the British colonial rule, the traditional recipe of chai in India was an ayurvedic preparation (dating back to 5000 years ago) which was just a healing spice blend beverage.
The British introduced tea plantations and the habit of drinking tea into India. Only after this did Chai come to include tea leaves, milk, sugar, and spices.
What Indians call Masala chai or “spicy tea” is what has been popularised as “chai tea” in the western world. The term chai has now become synonymous with a blend of whole spices steeped in a tea-like beverage.
The main ingredients of today’s chai tea include tea, milk, a sweetener, and spices. Although the spices used vary between regions, the most commonly used ones are cardamom pods, fresh ginger roots, cloves, cinnamon, and black peppercorns.
Health benefits of chai tea
There are many benefits of drinking tea in general and chai in particular. Tea contains caffeine, flavonoids, fluoride, and other vitamins which have many good effects on our health.
Tea is rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants are agents that flush out free radicals and toxins from the body, keeping your heart healthy and protecting you against diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Tea also contains Theanine which helps to calm your mind by reducing blood pressure and also keeps your blood sugar levels stable. Consuming around three cups of tea regularly can also reduce the risk of heart disease by 11%.
The main component of Chai is black tea which is well-known to reduce LDL (bad cholesterol). The spices used in chai tea also have their individual health benefits. Ginger and pepper are known to stimulate digestion, and cardamom is a mood elevator. Cinnamon supports circulatory and respiratory functions in the body, star anise acts as a breath freshener, and clove has antiseptic properties that relieve pain.
Health benefits of choosing organic teas
Although chai tea has various benefits, it only delivers these benefits when consumed in its purest forms.
The usage of pesticides and fertilizers reduce the health benefits and effects of tea. Tea is a high pesticide and fertilizer-intensive crop. Pesticides like endosulfan, acetamiprid, chlorpyrifos, thiacloprid, and imidacloprid could be lurking in your cup of tea if it is not organic. When consumed, these pesticides can build up in your body and cause severe health problems like cancer. Since the pesticides are sprayed on the tea leaves and this is what we consume, there is also not much you can do to wash the pesticides off fully.
Moreover, tea is usually put in packaging that is extremely harmful to our health as well as to the environment. Organic teas typically tend to have more sustainable and safe packaging which makes it a better alternative, health-wise.
Organic tea also improves the power of your immune system as it contains vitamins H and D which helps in tissue development and bone strength. High-quality organic tea that is free of pesticides helps to improve gut function and improves digestion as well.
Is loose leaf or bag teas better?
Plastic is added to most tea bags to ensure that they retain their shape when seeped in hot water.
Hence, they do not decompose completely when disposed of. Moreover, the tea bags release microplastics when seeped into hot liquids.
One tea bag can contain up to 11.6 billion microplastics and release 3.1 billion nano plastics into your teacup! Microplastics in the body can affect the endocrine system in the long run if consumed regularly.
The other alternative to plastic tea bags is paper. Even if the tea bags are made of paper, this paper could be subject to bleaching with harmful chemicals which you will end up consuming as well.
Therefore, although tea bags can be convenient to carry around and use, we suggest that you take the extra effort to use loose leaf teas.
Loose teas are also more flavorful and wholesome as they are not ground to a fine dust form.
An added perk is that loose teas are less expensive compared to their teabag counterparts as you buy them in bulk.
Environmental benefits of choosing organic chai tea
As we mentioned before, tea is a pesticide and fertilizer-intensive crop. Pesticides are not good for the environment as they deteriorate soil quality and leach into water bodies. They also don’t allow for a healthy ecosystem as they kill microflora and fauna.
Tea is a heavily managed crop that is cultivated as a monoculture and this comes along with various environmental threats as well.
Additionally, the spices put in chai tea are also grown in a pesticide-intensive manner.
The USDA certified organic label on tea boxes indicates that the products were made under rigorous organic conditions. This shows that the quality, purity, and nutritional value of the tea have been well-preserved.
4 Organic Chai Tea Brands to Try
If you're ready to switch to this organic black tea this list of tea brands is sure to help! These are some of the best organic chai tea brands that focus on high quality ingredients and good flavor.
Yogi's Unique Chai Blends Made with Organic Ingredients
If you are an avid tea drinker, chances are you’ve come across Yogi. Yogi is a USDA-certified vegan brand that has highly selective sourcing standards.
Their teas come in compostable tea bags made from a select blend of high-quality manila hemp fibers and wood pulp which is oxygen bleached.
They also use vegetable-based inks on the packaging. Amongst all their tea blends, they also have a few chai tea options available; namely, Chai Rooibos tea, Honey chai turmeric vitality tea, Pumpkin spice tea, and Vanilla spice perfect energy tea.
The Chai rooibos tea stands out as it combines the traditional Rooibos tea enjoyed in South Africa with a Chai tea blend. Users of this tea say it has a bold energizing flavor! Yogi's teas can be purchased for $4-$6 a box.
Organic Chai Tea Drops
Tea Drops a woman-owned company that sells bagless creative whole leaf teas.
The Chai tea offered by Tea Drops has a strong black tea base (Assam) and is mixed with fragrant chai tea spices.
The spice blend contains green cardamom, ginger, raw cane brown sugar, and organic vanilla extract.
Customer reviews mention that the Tea Drops Chai tea is perfectly nice on its own and also in the traditional way as a mixture with milk and sugar which makes this chai tea option the real deal.
The packaging comes in a recyclable cylinder or as 25 drops within a burlap bag. Their tea bags are made in such a way that there is 15% less waste than traditional tea bags.
With every order, they also donate an entire year of clean water to someone in need. Chai Tea Drops can be purchased for $5-$15. They also have chai latte kits and chai boba tea kits!
Art of Tea’s Custom Organic Tea Blends
Art of Tea custom crafts and hand blends organic tea and botanicals. They offer two types of tea in the organic masala chai blend options.
The Art of Tea Tali’s Masala Chai is a medium caffeine tea that is a mix of spices like organic cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, and other spices along with organic Assamese tea.
Certified USDA organic, reviews say this tea is aromatic and a nice blend for winter. The Chaga Chai Mushroom Tea is also a medium caffeine content tea.
This tea is an earthy savory tea blend that is a fusion of organic Assamese tea which is hand blended with Ashwagandha, Chaga mushroom, and fragrant spices.
Reviews say this tea has a smooth and soothing taste providing the perfect balance. It is available as 4 oz and 1 lb zip pouches and also as an artisan tea size (30 oz). These can be purchased for $20-$32.
Traditional Medicinals Organic Assam Chai black tea
The Organic Assam Chai black tea from Traditional Medicinals is a great organic chai tea option that combines tulsi along with organic cinnamon, cardamom, roasted chicory root, and ginger.
The organic Assam tea is sourced from organic farms in the foothills of the Himalayas. The other tea ingredients are organically farmed or organically wild-collected.
Traditional Medicinals is also an elephant-friendly certified company as the tea is sourced from tea plantations that prioritize the protection of elephant habitat. Their chai teas can be purchased for around $7 a box.
Hopefully this guide helped tea drinkers learn the importance in high quality chai tea blends. Enjoy the spicy flavor of this delicious tea!
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