The Only Chai That Matters
The Only Chai That Matters
The Horn was built by its sambusas. But let’s be honest: you can’t properly enjoy a sambusa without a chai.
It’s the most iconic duo since donuts and hot coffee.
A savory treat in one hand. A sweet chai in the other.
Before The Horn
No recipe. Just habit.
Before 2015, we made chai like every other Somali family, with whatever random tea and spices we had.
Growing up, whenever we went to a new city, we always stopped by the old school Somali cafés. One thing was always the same. Everyone was a fan of one of two shaahs.
Iskukaris
Made ahead
Tea, sugar, and spice already mixed together. You just add milk when it’s time to serve.
Calan
Made your way
A tea bag, cinnamon powder, cardamom powder, and sugar. You mix it however you like.
Somali customers loved ordering calan. The reason was always the same: the café didn’t make chai the way their mom did, or the way they were used to. With calan, they could make it their own.
Don’t get me wrong, I like calan every once in a while too. It’s just not what I grew up on.
The Drift
Everyone has an opinion.
We brought our mom in to make the first recipe, and it was good.
Then my dad started making it, and my dad’s friends started weighing in. Sweeter. Stronger. Some said it wasn’t chai without ginger. We tried to accommodate them.
Over time, the complaints kept coming, until my mom said it herself:
“This is not my recipe anymore.”
Back to the Basics
So we stopped chasing everyone’s version.
The Horn’s chai would be the basics of Somali chai, and nothing more.
Plus Kenyan tea, because it fit the flavor best and simply tasted the best.
And we boil it. We believe the true flavor of chai comes from a long boil, not a quick steep. That’s where the full-bodied flavor comes from.
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Chai in
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Long boil
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Milk in
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Strain
Was It That Simple?
Not really.
We weren’t tea sommeliers. We just knew what tasted good, and we kept tasting for years.
The tea
Kenyan tea is more full-bodied and pairs better with milk than a lot of teas. Plenty of our customers prefer it and can’t explain why.
The cinnamon
We went through bark after bark. Chinese cinnamon wasn’t the same as Indian. Vietnamese had a kick. And I’ll be honest, I still mix up cassia and Ceylon.
The cardamom
We kept testing until we found that Guatemalan cardamom is just as good as Indian cardamom.
The cloves
Use too much and your chai turns into old school homemade anesthesia. It numbs your mouth.
Our chai is how we found the balance.
