Vanilla Chai

Chai was largely unknown in the United States just thirty years ago. Since its introduction, and largely thanks to its popularity in coffeehouse chains, chai has now become a household name. Our chai blend focuses on two types of spices—those commonly found in baking, like cinnamon and ginger, and those more commonly used in savory applications, like black pepper and fennel seed. These spikier spices are much more often found in Indian chai blends (“masalas”) than in their Western versions.

Vanilla is a natural partner to the warm spices of the baking world, and it works equally well at sweetening up flavors we more often think of as savory. The result is a balanced roundness that keeps you coming back for bite after bite. For the star of our vanilla show, we use the highest quality pure Madagascar Bourbon vanilla we can get our hands on, and we’re excited to feature it.

Because our Vanilla Chai flavor has a gentle and comforting profile, it’s great after any meal composed of comfort foods—where you might normally choose vanilla ice cream! It’s also terrific when it follows any cuisine with blended spices, like Indian or Moroccan: just like those cuisines, it’s uncommon for a single spice to dominate the palate, and the blend creates a new and unique flavor. 

When it comes to dessert pairings, it’s hard to imagine a better à la mode treatment than the absolute classic: warm apple pie! Every single spice in our chai blend brings its own magic to apple pie, and together, they’re practically unstoppable. Another fantastic way to enjoy this ice cream is affogato style. Pour a shot of hot espresso over a scoop, and enjoy the rising fragrance as the coffee mingles with the chai spices and unlocks them, even as they lift the coffee out of its earthiness and balance it beautifully. And here’s a pro tip for affogato at home: scoop the ice cream and place it in its serving dish, then let it re-harden in the freezer. Pour the espresso over when it’s rock hard, and you’ll experience a much more enjoyable contrast between hot and cold!