King Chai FAQ

Is Chai a minor fad?

Chai is only just becoming popular here in New Zealand but already cafes that have embraced it are turning over $50,000 plus per annum in Chai sales alone. However, like espresso coffee in the early days, customers are becoming more discerning and the quality of Chai on offer is an increasingly important factor in patronage.

We believe the same attention should be given to Chai as is given to coffee.

Shouldn't Chai be really spicy?

There is no definitive Chai taste and even in the East the taste varies from region to region. There are some who like their Chai strong, but our research has shown that a larger portion of the market prefer a less spicy taste.

"We don't like something you can still taste an hour after drinking it," was a frequent response.

Is King Chai more costly than a syrup Chais?

No. A 1 kg pack of King Chai provides 66 standard serves, whereas a 700ml syrup bottle provides 25. Cost per serve for a syrup Chai is typically 50% more expensive.

Why don't you reduce the sweetness - one can always add sugar?

Most of the imported Chais are blended very sweet to cater for the tastes of the manufacturing country and many here find them too sweet.

However, Chai is a sweet spicy drink for a good reason. The sweetness is necessary to carry the full spice taste. Our experiment in reducing sweetness soon revealed that below a certain level the spice taste dropped out very quickly. We reduced ours to this level, which is less sweet than most competitors.

Isn't powdered Chai more difficult to serve than syrup Chai?

No. We provide a spoon to measure that quickly provides the right serve portion.

We can also source for our customers a suitable dispensing container, if necessary

Once these are set up beside the espresso machine, it is very efficient to place one measure in cup, stir in steam milk and serve.

How is King Chai distributed

We are happy to supply direct by courier but we also appreciate that frequently our clients are trying to minimise their suppliers and bookwork.

We have a number of coffee roasters as wholesalers and will endeavour to interest any additional wholesaler to stock King Chai.

Please contact us if supply is a problem and we will endeavour to find a mutually acceptable solution.