Chai invades London

A popular tea in South Asia, has gained traction across London.

Made by brewing black tea with milk, sugar, and spices - Chai is strikingly different to many other popular teas in London.

Since 2018, one business has sold over 20 million cups to Londoners.

Kwawaja Nauman Ahmed Taj, a barista at Naan Staap, said: “We’ve got permanent customers everyday.

“It’s like Costa or Starbucks for them.”

However, the adoption of Chai across the whole of London has been slow.

“Mainly they are Asian people originating from India, Pakistan, or Bangladesh.” Taj added.

“In the recent couple of years we’ve seen a surge in other people as well.

“We’ve seen British people coming in, people from all ethnicities.”

When asked if Chai could become their new daily tea one customer said: “No it wouldn’t, no.

“Certainly different to English tea.”

Another customer described the taste as: “A little like coffee but not as strong as coffee but it does taste good.”

Despite the mixed reactions, many new shops selling Chai have opened up within the last year with some establishments planning on opening more outlets across the capital.

Taken from the BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-london-67280456