Chai Comes to Britain
　Hot or iced, fruity or spiced, Chai could be the next craze in the UK. Jane Pettigrew heard about the new trend from Geoffrey O'Brien of Davinci Fine Foods Ltd.

 The April issue of Tea and Coffee Trade Journal included a "Question of the Month" page about chai as it is being drunk in the U.S. at the moment and asked if it will eventually entice coffee drinkers away from their preferred beverage. Well, it looks as if U.K. consumers may also be tempted to try this new approach to tea, thanks to Davinci Fine Foods. The U.K.-based Davinci Fine Foods are exclusive importers of Davinci Gourmet syrups and of Tazo and Ghirardelli products. The close contact between the various companies and regular visits to the U.S.(particularly to Los Angeles and San Francisco) allow Geoffrey O'Brien to see what's happening there ahead of others in the trade here. He is, therefore, able to relay to U.K. retailers and foodservice operators information about the latest trends.

About two years ago, Davinci became aware that chai was creating a new trend in the American tea market and appearing on the menu of coffee bars and other catering outlets. And most small towns in the areas of North America that O'Brien visited had their own individual local chai manufacturer. Clever marketing of the new beverage as a "chai latte," with a topping of frothy steamed milk, meant that those who were unfamiliar with the spicy, milky Indian-style tea immediately understood what sort of drink it was. Most U.S. fashions appear sooner or later in the U.K. and at the beginning of 1999, Davinci felt that the time was right to introduce the product here in the U.K.

When O'Brien telephoned me at the end of 1998 to talk about how tea drinkers in Britain might react to the idea of chai, I had to admit that I really didn't know and suggested that perhaps the average Briton is still too conservative to try tea that is brewed and drunk in any but the traditional British way. But then there is probably no such thing as an "average Briton," and so just about anything is possible.

Chai is currently available in two forms _ liquid concentrate or powder. The liquid concentrate is mixed with milk by coffee bar staff or by the consumer at home, usually in the proportions of one-to-one. The dry mix version contains all the same ingredients _ the spices, honey, tea, etc. _ as the liquid concentrate but also includes the creamer or milk powder. Preparation therefore only requires the addition of boiling water. Once brewed, chai can be served as-is, iced, topped with frothed milk, or, of course, flavored with syrups.

Having looked around in the States for the products that met all the essential criteria of taste, consistency, and ease of preparation, Davinci is now the exclusive importer of a liquid concentrate made by Tazo (which also offers an organic chai liquid), and a chai powder made by Big Train, a Californian company which manufactures chai(and are number two in the U.S., after Oregon Chai) and iced coffee mixes. Their chai range currently includes four different flavors _ green tea chai, raspberry chai, spiced chai, and vanilla chai _ available in bulk catering packs and smaller retail packs. The black tea brews all use Darjeeling tea and all, including the green chai, are flavored with cinnamon, aniseed, clove, ginger, and bourbon vanilla from Madagascar