Representation in a Cup: Bala Chai

For most of us, 2020 will be remembered as the onset of the Pandemic and the year that sparked a mass cultural reckoning. For Angeleno Bharat Vishnubhotla, it was all that – with a side of chai. 

In late spring 2020, Bharat – who is Indian-American – was reflecting deeply about his identity and the role that representation and authenticity played out in his life. He visited a chain coffee shop with a friend, sipped a syrupy-sweet boxed chai and had an epiphany of sorts. “I didn’t want to complain about being misrepresented, I want[ed] to create the representation. So, let me try to make a good chai.”

For Bharat, good chai’s roots run deep. Chai is India’s national beverage, with dozens of regional variations; people gather to drink it four to five times a day. Growing up, his mother – who immigrated from India to Los Angeles in the 90s with his father – would mark the end of his and his sister Radha’s school days with a heady cup of warm masala spices. “Every time we would get home from school, chai would be on the table. A 3pm chai was a way to talk to our mom and dad as opposed to the traditional American dinner.” 

After deciding to create his own blend, the pressure was on. He had to meet the Mother Standard, as he calls it: conscious spice sourcing, pitch-perfect balance, not too sweet, and representative of the cups he grew up drinking. Last but not least, he wasn’t interested in making an instant mix. Real deal chai is all about ritual; he wanted his blend to invite his future customers to slow down and partake. 

He procured ingredients at a local Indian-owned store and got to work. Weeks of trial and error later, he had his blend and his nascent company, Bala Chai, along with a colorful, eye-catching design, courtesy of his business partner/sister, Radha (it’s a family affair!). Bala’s blend includes organic, biodynamically farmed Assam tea – the foundation of Indian chai – which Bharat sources from Chota Tingrai, a tea estate with a focus on social responsibility.  To that, he adds what he calls the “holy trinity” of spices: cardamom (earthy), ginger (gently spicy) and cinnamon (warming), plus monkfruit for delicate sweetness and adaptogenic ashwagandha to counteract any black tea jitters and pay homage to Bharat’s mother’s Ayurveda practice. Itching for connection mid-quarantine, Bharat reached out to his LA network and delivered 50 bottles of chai throughout the city.

Two years later, Bala lines shelves across LA, and Bharat and Radha have found themselves at the forefront of second wave chai. This new generation pushes the boundaries of syrupy concentrates a la corporate coffee chains (for which Bharat is quick to express gratitude for introducing the American palate to complex chai flavors), prioritizing ritual and mindfulness over a quick fix. To make Bala, you need only a strainer, warm milk and five minutes of your time, which Bharat recognizes is precious. By taking time to prepare chai, he says, you’re not only getting the benefit of a delicious beverage; you’re creating ritual and allocating time for yourself. In Bharat’s words, “It’s sipping and savoring, it’s crushing up spices from the Indian market, it’s putting your back into it.” 

Bala has become a beloved staple on Botanica’s market shelves and behind our barista counter (try it with fresh cashew milk!). Come sit down and savor, just the way Mrs. Vishnubhotla likes it. 

Bala bags are available for sale in our market; we make chai lattes at the coffee counter as well! Learn more at balachai.com