How Somage Makes Fresh Sticky Chai — Behind the Scenes

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28th June, 2025

How we make Sticky Chai in the factory

Composed by Benjamin Kelly

A behind-the-scenes look at how we make our fresh chai: Step by step process, for baristas and chai lovers who want to understand how it’s made — or maybe even try making their own.

Note: We call ours fresh chai. Most refer to it as sticky. I use the terms interchangeably here — apologies in advance.

So What Is a Sticky Chai?

Chai, more specifically, masala chai (spiced tea) — has deep roots in India. Boiled with tea, spices, milk, and sugar, it’s made daily in homes, and street stalls across the country.

The versions used in Australian cafés — whether sticky chai or chai lattes — are different in form and function. They’ve been adapted for café settings: built for consistency, speed, and milk-based service.

Most Sticky Chai Recipes Are Pretty Similar

We can't give our exact recipe but this would be a good place to start.

- 45–55% honey or sweetener

- 20–30% black tea

- 20–30% spices — usually 7 to 9 total, ginger and cinnamon leading % and the hotter spices use more sparingly (obviously).

Where things really shift is in the detail — spice quality, tea selection, and processing.

Our Approach

We’ve developed a methodical approach across sourcing and processing. Below are some choices we make:

Spices

We work directly with growers and producers — building long-term partnerships to ensure freshness, traceability, and ethical sourcing. Most spices in Australia are auction-bought and stale by the time they arrive.

Tea

We use an organic FBOP from Lumbini Estate. It gives structure, grip, and length — while still holding secondary characteristics like florals and fruit. It’s not just a filler. It’s a critical part of flavour.

Honey

Big bush honeys can dominate. We prefer floral varieties — they stay in the background and let the spices speak. They're also more stable across batches.

Fresh or Dry Ginger ?

Yes — we use both. Fresh ginger adds depth, sweetness, and that lemony edge. It shortens shelf life, but we have the systems to manage it. For us, it’s worth it.

A Note on Ginger

Fresh and dry ginger aren’t the same — chemically, functionally, or in flavour.

- Fresh ginger brings warmth, structure, and a lingering burn. It’s been heat-treated, converting gingerol (sharp and bright) into shogaol — deeper and more bitter.

- Dry ginger is cleaner, sweeter, with more lift. It hits earlier, smells brighter, and adds a top layer of aromatics that drying loses.

We use both — for balance and mouthfeel.

Production Workflow: How It’s Actually Made

Sticky chai looks handmade. But doing it well — consistently, at volume — that’s where the science comes in.

At the core, we’re suspending tea and spice particles into honey, supported by the emulsified pulp of fresh ginger.

1. Milling

We use both pin mills (8,000–14,000 RPM) and hammer mills to process spices.

- Pin mills shear volatile oil cells open gently

- Hammer mills break tough materials like cinnamon

- Temps kept below 40°C to protect oils

Flavour impact: Releases aromatics like eugenol, linalool, and cineole. Our multi-cut approach gives fast release (fine powder), flavour body (medium), and long finish (coarse).

Get it wrong: Overheated = burnt, flat spice. Single cut = muddy milk and poor extraction.

2. Sieving

We run spices through a multi-deck vibratory sifter:

- Fine: <150μm
- Medium: 150–1000μm
- Coarse: >5000μm

This brings control and flavour layering — base, middle, and top notes.

Flavour impact: Fine hits fast, medium holds, coarse lingers. Balanced complexity.

Get it wrong: Unfiltered = sediment, bitterness, haze. Loss of mouthfeel.

3. Ginger Pulping

Cold-processed using chilled blade grinders to preserve zingiberene and gingerol — key for top-note freshness.

Flavour impact: Bright and clean lemony lift, fully emulsified into honey.

Get it wrong: Warm blades = oxidation, dull flavour, stringy texture.

4. Honey Warming

Gently heated in jacketed tanks. We won't share exact numbers, but we go as gently warm as possible — enough to keep it pourable and open for blending, without denaturing anything.

Flavour impact: Opens the honey for binding, solubilises spice oils. It’s not just sweetness — it’s the carrier.

Get it wrong: Too cold = no bind. Too hot = caramelised and flat.

5. Blending

We use low-shear paddle mixers. Ribbon mixers overwork it. Drums don’t fold into honey.

Flavour impact: Even emulsion and suspension. Keeps the mix uniform.

Get it wrong: Poor mix = pooling, clumps, inconsistent flavour.

Optional Rest / Maturing

We allow the blend to rest 24–48 hours in sealed, stainless steel bins.

Flavour impact: Time allows aromatics to bond. Spices soften. Sweetness aligns.

Note: We keep this in a temperature-controlled room.

7.12 am Factory 4, 5-13 Elma rd.

Packaging

Vacuum or crimp sealed in a low-oxygen environment using a rotary doser.

We recommend foil-lined pouches. Sticky chai is... sticky. Packing machinery is essential.

Aroma & Integration

Fresh chai evolves. Like coffee, it matures over days:

- Day 1: Bold, raw — short finish, slight separation
- Day 3–7: Notes harmonise, but may lack length
- Day 7–14: Peak complexity. Everything balanced.

That’s the honey + spice oils maturing. Suspension tightens. Flavour lengthens.

At the Café – Tips for the Barista

Sticky chai doesn’t need long extraction. All the work happens in the factory.

Here’s what we tell baristas:

- Don’t add hot water first.

It melts honey, separates oils, and over-steeps the tea. You lose the balance.

- Whisk before steaming.

Texture is everything. If it pours itself at the table, the fine mouthfeel is gone.

- Serve in a glass.

Let people see the texture. Let them experience it.