Thursday, April 24, 2008

eco-friendly chai

It's funny. Merely a few months ago, a trip (often to the NEW drive-through Starbucks just down the street from me) to a coffee shop, sometimes even two, was a daily occurrence. Sometimes I'd remember to bring along my travel mug, but not always. About 6 months ago, I began noticing that I wasn't craving my non-fat, sugar-free hazelnut latte anymore. I moved to a soy chai, hot or cold, depending on the weather. I LOVED it. Credit goes to Wendy's other half, Germy (as Mae calls him). After basking in my soy chai-ness for a few months, I realized I could probably make them at home for much cheaper. So I purchased Tazo Chai and added it to the Vanilla Silk we had at home for Ted to drink. That worked well. And then I thought, Tetra-Paks and Silk aren't as great as homemade, and certainly more expensive. I could easily use the homemade soy milk Paul brews daily (it's not as sweet, but it's fine). Could I find a good Chai that's brewed in Boulder? And could I buy it in an eco-friendly, reusable jar type thingee? The answer was a resounding YES! And all I had to do was ask. Now that I made my own chai at home, I hadn't frequented the coffee shop near TaeKwonDo recently (Ozo, at Arapahoe/55th, fyi). But I stopped in one day last week and tried their soy chai. It was delicious and they told me about Bhakti and how it was locally brewed in Boulder and available in Mason Jars. I could even bring in my own jars. Wow! So now, in the spirit of supporting local businesses, not buying plastic or Tetra-Paks, and going with homemade, I am enjoying a homemade soy chai every day. And it's DELICIOUS!! It's VERY strange to be free of my Starbucks obsession. Strange, yet wonderful. I've been a Starbucks die-hard for YEARS. Crazy.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Brewing Market has a yummy green tea soy chai but I don't know if it's eco-friendly OR if TBM is even local. Hmm....Either way, I am officially addicted to TBM chai and my little guy loves hanging out in the "living room" at the Basemar market.

jack said...

So....... No more Starbuck's cards for birthdays and Mothers' Days????

Whatever next?

Mom

Green Bean said...

How totally awesome! A great story about how, with minimal extra effort, you can enjoy something just as tasty but with a much smaller environmental impact. Good for you.