10 of the best: Chai in Canberra
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It’s a sad fact that a tea-drinking gal used to have to hightail it to Sydney or Melbourne in order to get a proper chai fix. Not any more. Here are 10 of the best right here in Canberra.
Coffee drinkers have been well taken care of in Canberra for ages (they don’t call Braddon ‘little Melbourne’ for nothing, and, oh, hello, world’s best barista, Sasa Sestic, also known as Ona coffee empire founder).
But tea drinkers were woefully neglected there for a while. Asking a barista with a hopeful (read: desperate) expression, “Is the chai made with real tea leaves and spices, and do you infuse it in milk?” only drew confused, blank stares.
Tragically, what used to pass for “chai lattes” were made with overly sugary sweet “chai” syrups or powders. Or else a sorry-looking chai tea bag was stuck ungraciously in a teapot of hot water with cow’s milk on the side.
But no more. It’s a chai-volution! Chai drinkers can rejoice with chai menus every bit as fancy as coffee menus. Here’s the roundup of some of the best in Canberra. Oh, and before you yell at us for not listing your fave, feel free to sound off in the comments and let us know what we’re missing!
Barrio Collective
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The chai might just be the best in the capital (shh). It’s creamy and smooth and subtly spicy (not overpowering) and served in lovely pale green mugs made by Sawpit Studios (just past Gundaroo) that are perfect for wrapping your hands around in winter.
What makes Barrio chai different (definitely, good different) is that it’s brewed on the house-made nut milk that’s all sorts of creamy and smooth. Wait, what. Nut milk we hear you say? Yep, you heard right our little squirrels.
The nut milk is a deliciously nutty (hehe) blend of macadamias, cashews, and almonds, with a few raisins thrown in for a touch of natural sweetness.
It pairs beautifully with the chai, a roasted blend of cloves, star anise, cardamom, and cinnamon that’s mixed with an organic Indian Orange Pekoe black tea, then brewed with hot water and honey to create the super rich concentrate.
On weekends, it’s hard to find a stool at the shared benches and tables, but it’s well worth it if you can. Hot tip? Beat the crowd and get there early, or visit during the week when it’s a bit quieter for a cheeky chai by.
Where: ORI Building, 59/30 Lonsdale Street, Braddon
Web: barriocollective.com
Kyō Coffee Project
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Stumbling across Kyō, the adorable Japanese-inspired café down Nibu Lane in Braddon can make you feel like a modern Mary Lennox stumbling across The Secret Garden.
The café only comprises 19 square metres but the beautiful shaded courtyard is crammed full of greenery in the form of welcoming pot plants, and gets a surprising amount of sunshine.
It’s the perfect spot to savour the fluffy, frothy chai latte made with local girl Anthea Cahill’s RealChai oh so fresh “Honey Blend,” which lists salt and love as two of the ingredients (we’re intrigued).
The chai can be made on oat milk, which is so in right now, darling, or on soymilk.
Where: G05, 27 Lonsdale Street, Braddon
Web: kyocoffeeproject.com
Sweet Bones Bakery
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At Sweet Bones Bakery you can choose from a chai latte or a pot of sticky chai made with award winning Melbourne chai makers, Prana Chai.
But there’s a twist. In keeping with the café’s vegan leanings, the masala chai has been blended with agave syrup, the honey swapped out. Vegans and diabetics can celebrate.
It can be made on full cream, cashew, soy, almond or oat milk. Both the chai latte and the teapot are scrumptiously flavourful, but be warned, the chai is super strong.
Expect to be bouncing off the walls if you have a whole huge teapot to yourself, but it’s well worth it if only to see what retro teapot and vintage souvenir spoon the tea will arrive with this time.
The bakery has a gorgeous rockabilly vibe, with a stunning mural of a desert scene with the words “EAT LIKE YOU GIVE A DAMN” painted on it, reclaimed wood tables, hand painted saws, skull-shaped sugar bowls and succulents in teapots.
Where: Shop 8, 18 Lonsdale Street, Braddon
Web: sweetbonescompany.com
Two Before Ten
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The reddish-brown chai is earthy with a full-bodied flavour, and even has a bit of a crema effect on top when you pour a cup from the adorable, tiny teapots that pack a punch.
The chai has hints of cardamom, fennel, ginger, black pepper, star anise, and cinnamon so curl up with a good book on one of the couches in the café’s library if you need something cosily zingy to start your day with
How much: $5 for a pot of infused chai
Where: 1 Hobart Place, City; 68 Bandjalong Cres, Aranda; Arrivals Terminal, Canberra Airport
Web: twobeforeten.com.au
Red Brick
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If you can’t find a seat amongst the Curtin regulars (and sleep-deprived interlopers from women and children’s hospital QEII Family Centre, down the road) just pull up a milk crate outside.
That’s what the locals do—although you’ll probably still have to fight it out with the many four-legged friends that take over the corner café on weekends. It’s worth having your hand (or face) licked by a dog or two, if only to savour the two kinds of chai for the discerning chai drinker.
The chai latte is made with Grounded Pleasures’ “Seven Spice Sri Lankan Chai,” a powdered blend of spices, organic, unrefined jaggery sugar (evaporated sugar cane juice) and a natural Sri Lankan tea extract. It’s the perfect blend of sweet and spice.
The tangy, rich, reddish-brown chai leaf tea is made with Larsen & Thompson’s “Spiced India Black Tea: Chai.” The ultimate pickup me up, it has a hint of black pepper to keep things spicy.
The chai leaf tea comes in black teapots that look downright adorable (as well as Instagrammeable) next to jars and vases filled with sweet bouquets of native flowers.
Snap a pic—but don’t be surprised if a tail or a pair of furry ears photobombs your perfect chai photo.
Where: 4/35 Curtin Place, Curtin and other locations around town.
Web: redbrickcoffee.com.au
Typica, Highroad and GreenHouse
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OK, hear us out on this one (or rather, three). The common denominator in all these cafés is that they were all born into the ONA family, which means, open, bright spaces with lots of greenery.
And yes, they’re mostly known for their super fancy coffee menus, but trust us, the infused chai latte is also to die for.
It’s made with RealChai’s “Honey Blend,” and comes spicily silky, and at Typica and Highroad, in gorgeous tulip cups that really do make the chai taste better. What’s more, it’s consistently good across all three cafés.
Typica
Where: 4/4 Palmerston Lane, Manuka
Web: onacoffee.com.au
Highroad
Where: 1 Woolley Street, Dickson
Web: highrd.com.au
GreenHouse
Where: Level 1 Canberra Centre, opposite the Apple Store
Web: facebook.com/GreenHouseCoffeeandFood
Beess and Co
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The best thing about the infused Punjabi chai that naturally comes with honey, is that it’s presented in sophisticated coffee plungers.
The plungers not only look good, they keep the chai hot hot hot, and also let you control the strength of the chai (chai in a teapot has been known to be forgotten when this chai correspondent is engaged in lively conversation).
This suburban café at Yarralumla shops is in a lovely spot too. Enjoy the mini gallery inside where you can browse (and buy) local art, or grab a table outside under one of the leafy trees to enjoy your cuppa.
Just watch out for the magpies that have become expert at swooping in as soon as unsuspecting customers get up to leave.
Where: 5/29 Bentham St, Yarralumla
Web: facebook.com/Beess-Co
4th Seed
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What’s not to love about the chai here? It’s made with RealChai’s “Honey Blend” (we’re sensing a theme here) and can be brewed on full-cream, lactose-free, soy, and almond milk.
The café is charming and sweet, with exposed brick, crisp, comfy white chairs, funky dangling light bulbs, and a natural wood aesthetic, the walls also acting as a mini gallery to a rotating roster of local artists.
The best spot for people-watching is outside on the wide footpath, where yummy mummies in activewear catch up for brunch.
The chai (and enticing brunch menu) will hit the spot just before you hit the excellent Queanbeyan op shops, where you could pick up your own cute teapot to make chai at home with.
But really, why would you bother when all your chai needs are now so well taken care of?
Where: 227 Crawford Street, Queanbeyan
Web: facebook.com/fourthseed
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