elaichi co.

Visited Elaichi today after a friend recommended it. Lovely ambience and the fresh smell of cardamom is quite inviting. I ordered the Elaichi Bun and Karak Chai as it’s the most popular among visitors! They offered to warm up the bun and it tasted heavenly. Not too sweet or heavy - it’s just right! They were making a fresh batch of chai - so I waited a few mins and it was worth the wait! Don’t expect to get a table on a Saturday evening - there’s enough place to stand and enjoy the ambience at this lovely cafe! Highly recommend this place!!!

TLDR: muted flavor from the chai, $6.25 for 8oz is very overpriced We came and ordered a cardamom bun and two drinks. The masala chai was not spicy at all admins had very muted flavors. The iced Karak chai surprisingly had a stronger tea flavor but no other flavors stood out, just a strong tea flavor. Also paying over $6 for an 8oz pour just feels too much. I did enjoy the outdoor seating area

Ordered a hot choco and chai latte! Decent hot choco. Nice art on top! Nice atmosphere. Bunch of students with laptops as usual. I like the chill music they have on.

Good chai and quiche and slightly frantic vibe (4/5 Green Stars) I’ve been meaning to try Elaichi Co for some time now, thinking it might eventually become a regular spot. I had the karak rose chai with oat milk ($7.25 for 8 oz. drink, including +$1 for oat milk and +$1 for rose syrup) and the paratha quiche ($6). The drink was weirdly only lukewarm – this doesn’t bother me too much but I know others are stickers for their hot drinks being hot. I would get it again but the larger 12 oz. size, which costs only $0.75 more. The quiche was nicely made with good pastry and had interesting flavors (a little spicy!) The atmosphere in the place didn’t win me over for a couple of reasons. The staff seemed a bit frantic and created a nervous energy, and the bass on the music was way too much. The music itself was good, but the bass was just annoying. The Wi-Fi cuts off after 90 minutes with a gentle message to move on and free up space for other customers. I’m also giving Elaichi Co 4/5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact, based on the following: • As far as I can see, the whole menu is vegetarian. Not sure how much of it is vegan – maybe the new aloo tikki paratha roll if you get it without the side of yogurt? This would definitely be my next order! • A $1 charge for plant-based milk! That just makes me mad, nudging people back towards traditional dairy. Thanks to a campaign from Paul McCartney, Peet’s recently dropped its charge for plant-based milks. Please do the same, Elaichi Co! • They are pretty good about giving detail on ingredient sourcing. For example there’s Dandelion chocolate in the cookie, TCHO chocolate in the hot chocolate, organic matcha in the matcha latte and organic black tea in the karak chai. • Here’s more on their main product, the karak chai: Organic loose-leaf CTC Assam black tea from Chota Tingrai Farm in India and single-origin cardamom from Chemparathy Estate in India • Nice cups are provided for having your chai in-house.

Elaichi is my favorite coffee shop, which is hard won in an area with so many good ones. The flavors are amazing, the workers have always been kind and helpful, and the seating areas are so cozy. Definitely recommend the chai and the pistachio loaf cake.