Hemp chai gets its bite from an unusual pairing: hemp seeds alongside the usual black tea base, cinnamon, cocoa peel, and both black and pink peppercorns, rounded out with blackberry leaves, marigold and pink cornflower blossoms. The result in the cup is a coppery, light-toned liquor that tastes sweeter and more spiced than you'd expect from the ingredient list — chocolate and warming spice come through first, with the peppercorns giving it a slight kick and the blackberry leaves adding a vegetal, herbal note underneath.
Hemp shows up more and more in tea blends these days, and it's worth separating fact from stigma here. This is the same Cannabis sativa plant associated with drugs, but hemp cultivars are bred to be exceptionally low in THC, so there's no psychoactive effect from drinking this. What hemp does contribute is CBD, and infusions like this one have long been used by some as a way to take the edge off chronic pain, on the theory that they support the body's own endocannabinoid activity. Hemp itself has a long history well beyond tea — people have used it for fibre, rope, paper and oil for thousands of years, and its reputation is only now recovering from a century of being lumped in with more potent cannabis varieties.
Brew it with freshly boiled water for 3 to 5 minutes. It stands on its own without milk or sweetener, though a splash of milk suits the chocolate and spice notes if you want it. Kent and Sussex Tea and Coffee Company packs it fresh to order.
