If you love chai, food, and creative experiences, you’ve come to the right place.
Welcome Chai lovers! This website has been the start of Ruchi’s journey toward deepening her love for Chai. Ruchi has evolved from starting this venture as a food blog (formerly known as The Tiffin Kitchen) to forming a full-fledged Chai business with events, classes, and products! It’s been such a fun ride so far!
ABOUT Ruchi
By trade Ruchi is a speech pathologist. She works full time in a hospital helping patients to communicate, eat and swallow safely. She is also a lifelong tea lover and student, which lead to her recently becoming a Certified TAC Tea Sommelier®
In Ruchi’s words: As a teenager I was always envisioning themed menus and parties, hosting friends and leaning on my family to help me execute what I was dreaming up. One of my favorite memories is when I decided to throw a pajama party for my birthday, and my parents and brother lovingly spent hours helping me put together a giant blanket fort!
It’s really this passion for creating experiences around food that lead me to dream up Chai High Tea, the pop-up experience we are best known for. My dad came to the United States to study in the 1970s, and my parents married and made Indiana their permanent home in 1980, a few years before I was born. Growing up as an Indian American kid, I was always around Chai. My grandfather, who I grew up living with, LIVED for the phrase “Bapuji, cha thayaar che,” (Grandpa, Chai is ready!) every afternoon. He also worked as a partner at a tea warehouse in Kolkata, where they received tea from Assam and Darjeeling.
As I was growing up and going through what a lot of immigrant kids go through - figuring out my identity while balancing two cultures - I found preparing Chai to be a tangible way to “hold my own” so to speak when guests would come over. In my house, chai pani (literally “chai water” but really means chai and snacks) is ALWAYS a thing when guests come over. Its culturally customary to offer Chai to anyone who comes over, and generally expected. When Indian guests came over to visit and my parents were still at work, it felt amazing to be able to make and serve Chai and snacks on my own. It made me feel deeply connected to my culture.
Chai High Tea® is essentially a play upon words. We South Asians love a good rhyme shyme, and even though we technically serve our Chai at our events over faux afternoon tea, NOT high tea, we like how the name rings. We also love teaching about the History of Chai in this setting because it’s a bit ironic. You can’t talk about the history of Chai without talking about British colonization, so serving it this way really sets a mood!
Our Chai High Tea® event features tastings of our favorite Chai recipes from various regions of South Asia, including our family recipe, with plenty of delicious Indian snacks. We are passionate about sharing Masala Chai with the community that tastes like what we drink at home. You’ll learn about the history of Chai and get a chance to make your own Chai blend! We offer this experience virtually for private groups, which includes goodies in the mail to brew your own chai with us! Feel free to contact us for more details or to book your class. Additionally, in the Indianapolis area, we offer at-home private Milk Tea Brewing classes!
We also sell chai products including chai brewing sets, seasonal chai masalas, and tea leaves directly from a tea estate in Assam, India. We ship our products across the USA. You can find them at our Etsy Store.
Over time, Ruchi’s mom, Manjari, has become a huge part of Chai High Tea® They have had so much fun together bouncing off ideas and recipes testing. She’s an amazing chef and foodie with decades of solid experience. Ruchi and Manjari the special time they’ve spent and continue to spend in the kitchen together. Manjari is also Ruchi’s “tea buddy,” and blind cupped 1000s of teas for her when she was preparing for her TAC Tea Sommelier® Certification Exam.
About Manjari
Manjari is a former accountant who now works fulltime in an elementary school! In her free time she loves reading, drawing and entertaining. She has never met a stranger and has the gift of making anyone feel comfortable and at ease. She’s a talented recipe developer, best known for her delicious Manjari’s Chevdo snack mix!
Raised in Mumbai, India, she has fond memories of chai time with family and as a way to welcome guests. She grew up adding lemongrass, cardamom and ginger to her chai, which has influenced our branding and products.
WHERE TO START
For tea lovers- Ruchi’s favorite recipes on the blog include her vegan version of Teh Tarik (Malaysian Milk Tea) and a spin on Masala Chai with Hojicha. Check out the Etsy store for Chai High Tea’s latest shippable offerings, and join the e-mail list to keep up with Chai High Tea® events, Afternoon Chai boxes, and other updates.
