Sam Blackburn has been running The Chai Cart at markets and festivals in Brisbane for the past year and a half and has taken the leap to open a cafe space, albeit temporarily. The Chai Cart pop-up cafe can be found along Edward Street in Brisbane City, nudging the intersection shared by Belgian Beer Cafe and the new Folio Books. Testing the waters of Brisbane’s desire for a permanent cafe dedicated to the spiced milky tea, The Chai Cart is open on weekdays in the city, while continuing to make market appearances come weekends.

Sam first began seeking out the perfect chai brewing method during university, when he’d reached his coffee limit for the day, but still desired a five-minute reprieve and a comforting cup to hold. Utilising his background in industrial design, Sam built the custom carts you can see in store, and completed the fit-out with the help of friend and artist Will Powell, whose paintings also line the walls. Sam has opted to slow-brew his chai, steeping unground whole spices and black tea in milk for an extended length of time to really bring out the flavours. He finds the creaminess of soy milk is the perfect match when allowed to brew in an unhurried manner – the same for his spiced hot chocolate.

In-store you’ll find packets of loose-leaf chai to take home – this mixture has been slightly ground to hasten the brewing time for the time-poor sipper – as well as pots of Bee One Third honey to sweeten to taste. Accompany your steaming cup with a slab of peanut butter caramel slice, a red velvet cupcake or dark chocolate brownie baked by Pasinee Tatawatorn of Seasoned Bakehouse and you’re set for morning tea. You can also catch Sam and his trusty chai cart at Yogafest this weekend and Bulimba Festival next month.

For contact information and trading hours, check out our Stumble Guide.