Instant Triple C: Chai, Chocolate and Caramel !

Instant chai premix and Lasco instant chocolate mix with caramel

I adore discovering a chocolate combination that tastes amazing. It's even better when it's an instant mix because it allows me to enjoy an elevated hot chocolate experience anywhere. Mixing an instant chai with Lasco's instant chocolate mix with caramel is a match made in heaven. All it takes is adding hot water.

If my social media memory serves me right, before this year's matcha craze, the "it" beverage was chai. In Trinidad and Tobago, the two big coffee chains, Rituals and Starbucks, offer various chai beverages. Pricemart carries their own Member's Selection instant mix, and at the supermarket, you can get a few brands of chai instant mix and tea bags. Needless to say, online there are numerous chai recipes to try. I must say that I am late to the instant chai mix game, but that's because when I initially looked up the spices in chai, I thought to myself that I don't need to purchase it because I have the spices at home and I have been basically drinking it already minus the black tea. That thought was so history of chai coded.

The history of chai is quite interesting, and I recommend that you read a dedicated blog post about it. But to summarize, in order to satisfy the British appetite for tea, the British sneakily learned how to grow tea in China, the great tea producer, and brought/smuggled that knowledge to India. In South Asia, spices have been used for centuries to make beverages. The tea planted under the British was initially for the use of the British and not the South Asians; however, when the tea prices in Britain crashed, to increase sales, the decision was made to market and sell the cheaper tea to the people of South Asia who did not have a tea culture. To create demand, the British tea companies lobbied for workers to be given a tea break. Tea vendors popped up. However, the tea that was sold to the people was bitter and thus not enjoyable. The tea vendors began adding spices to the tea, thus making the tea more palatable and chai as we know it was created. Of note, adding the spices was seen as a form of protest because, in a sense, this bitter tea was forced upon the people, and by adding the familiar spices, they were able to make their own delicious beverage. Chai is enjoyed by many today.

The only product that I was aware that Lasco made was the soy food drink. While living in Jamaica, I learned that Lasco has a wide range of products, inclusive of toothpaste. I really appreciate that they took the time to make instant chocolate mixes as well. There are a variety of flavors such as nutmeg, hazelnut, marshmallow, and caramel, with the caramel being a staple in my chocolate arsenal. All you need to do is add water to get a satisfying beverage.

When you combine a chai packet with Lasco instant chocolate and hot water, you get a well-spiced, sweet, and comforting drink. It's perfect for travel or when you're in a hurry and need something soothing. The warm spices embrace you, and the chocolate and caramel add an extra touch of delight. I love it! What's an instant mix combination you enjoy?