(Photo above: Owner Christopher Carbone sampling at Newport Market | by Krystal Marie Collins)
When I first tasted One Sky Chai (OSC), I was blown away by the reaction my nose and taste buds had to the robust flavors present in the potent and intoxicating blend of spices. Meeting the creator, Christopher Carbone, I quickly understood the enormous effort that went into making the each cup of tea.
I met Carbone, formerly a professional chef, at Newport Market where, to mine and the customers delight, he was sampling OSC in its traditional liquid form as well as in a savory pulled pork concoction. In addition to ready to eat samples, Carbone offered shoppers laminated copies of recipes and dry samples to prepare the recipes with at home, all at no cost.
When asked about the history of OSC and how he came up with such a unique and satisfying chai mix, Carbone explained that initially, “I used to make big stock pots of chai that would slowly simmer all day long using fresh ginger and whole spices.”
Then, in 2011 when he and his wife decided to travel the country out of a van for a year and a half, they needed a way to preserve their ingredients so they could still enjoy their precious chai on the road. Carbone says, “I dehydrated a bunch of fresh ginger and put all the spices in a blender to coarse grind them for quick steeping. We picked up a French press for easy straining and off we went. Soon we were making fresh chai at Old Faithful in Yellowstone, along the Virgin River in Zion, and in Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite.
“In July 2012 we decided to come to Bend and see if we could call it home. In our travels, we received such rave reviews from everyone who tried our chai that I decided to put it on the market and offer it to the community. For the first two and a half years One Sky Chai was available exclusively through Central Oregon Locavore.” Presently OSC is also available at Newport Market and Carbone is taking steps towards sales at Whole Foods.
Carbone says making a product in Central Oregon “means following my bliss and mindfully sharing it with this beautiful community of food and beverage enthusiasts. Every batch is hand mixed with great care, love, and intention.” And I can attest, that sense of joy and harmony has been clearly steeped in the many cups I have sampled.
For more information call 928-254-9040 or check out www.oneskychai.com where there will be a collection of recipes including chai spiced brownies, grilled chai brined pork loin, chai blackened rockfish, and chai infused vodka.
