Spice Up Your Life with This Chai Mix!

After earning her BA at Colorado College and a year at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Block Islander Jessica Filkins was traveling around the world when she discovered a spicy concoction in Indonesia called jamu. This tonic helped her own digestive health so much that she began to add the spices to lemonade that she sold back on Block Island. Later, while working at the South County Food Co-op, in Wakefield (now closed), she shared it with co-workers, but she realized it was too labor intensive to distribute as a beverage. Thus, she began to develop an organic dry mix, with an emphasis on turmeric and ginger, plus cardamom, cloves, fennel, fenugreek and cayenne pepper. The result is Jahmu Chai, which Filkins and her brother, Walter, now blend for a variety of different teas, with and without caffeine, all with a health-supporting mix of one-third turmeric and one-third ginger. Their main products are vegan, dairy-free, sugar-free, gluten-free and soy-free. The powered mixes can be added to hot water for a “tea,” to hot apple cider or blended into any cold beverage. The chai blends also lend themselves well to curry dishes, soups, even muffins and cooked grains.

Available online, at specialty stores throughout Rhode Island and across the U.S., especially the Northeast and California. 401.294.1480; Jahmu.com