The Chai Box Cafe brings authentic chai and connection to Howell Mill.
Since Monica Sunny founded The Chai Box in 2016, the company has grown from small-batch, handmade chai blends into a national brand. Now, Sunny is bringing the tradition and quality of The Chai Box products, with spices sourced directly from farms in India, into a brick and mortar setting. In addition to a menu of chai, the new location will offer limited-edition chai flavors, spiceinfused pastries, community events and “experiences you can’t get from a bottle or a box,” Sunny says.
Why open a cafe?
This has always been a dream of mine. For years, we’ve shared chai through our blends, concentrates and pop-up events, but there’s something special about creating a space where people can gather, sip and experience chai the way it’s meant to be enjoyed: fresh, steeped with intention and shared in community.
How is The Chai Box Cafe an evolution of The Chai Box?
The cafe will be everything people already love about The Chai Box but brought to life in a physical space. People know us for authentic chai, family recipes and sustainable ingredients and practices. At the cafe, they’ll get to experience that in real time. What will feel different is the experience. It’s not just buying chai to take home; it’s tasting it, smelling it, seeing it made and gathering with others in a space that feels like a modern-day Indian chai house with The Chai Box touch.
What chai varieties and menu items can customers expect?
We plan to serve multiple varieties of chai every day—masala, rose, cardamom, lemongrass and more— available with alternative milk options. We’ll offer a full coffee menu and a selection of unique, cardamom forward pastries, plus seasonal drinks and food inspired by Indian street food. There are some pastries we don’t think Atlanta has seen before.
What do you want customers to experience when they walk into the cafe?
We want it to be more than just a cup of chai; we want it to be a complete sensory experience. The moment someone walks in, they should smell notes of cardamom, cinnamon and cloves; hear the chai simmering on the stove; and feel like they’ve stepped into a little corner of India but with The Chai Box’s touch.
THE CHAI BOX
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BY Claire Ruhlin
