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TRANSCRIPT:
"Hi Ambi, how are you?"
"Very well, what are we doing today?"
"My favourite, the Amritsar please."
"Absolutely."
At a small café in Sydney the spicy chai is bubbling and former Australian army engineer Bill, who did a decade of active service, is grateful for a free cuppa.
"So, what do you think?"
"Love it."
"ANZAC day is special to me because I had a family member who did survive Gallipoli. And this small token of being able to get a chai at Ambi’s, means a lot."
The chai bar is owned by Ambi, also known as Amarjit Singh Thind who served in the British Army.
"I do give a free chai to veterans and serving members of the armed forces because I too am a veteran. And it's my way of giving back."
Mr Thind’s story spans several continents.
Born to Punjabi parents in East Africa’s Kenya, he says government pressure forced his family to flee.
"We had to leave because we were British passport holders. The plane actually was on the runway and I remember my dad and I, the two of us were running to board the flight, the last plane out of Nairobi."
As a teenager growing up in London, Mr Thind later joined the armed forces.
"So, in 1979, finished my basic training. We then got deployed into Germany, into one of the RAF bases where we maintained the communication centres. And this was during the Cold War as part of the British Army of the Rhine."
After moving to Australia in 1989, Mr Thind set up an IT training business and was coaching a women’s hockey team when his passion for drinking chai led to making it for others.
"After the training session, sitting there and admiring the flavours and the spices, the smells of the chai. And they wondered what it was. I said, it's chai."
The spicy drink made from exotic spices steeped in hot milk has special significance for many South Asian communities.
As a coffee alternative, Mr Thind says Chai is growing in popularity here, too.
"Strong fusion with African style spices, Punjabi style cooking. And that's what makes this unique. No one does what we do."]]
"This is a masala chai."
"And you feel it down the back of your throat. It's not a gentle drink. It's more hand-to-hand combat."
Despite tough economic times, Mr Thind has turned his teas into a thriving business, opening four chai bars in NSW and the ACT over the past seven years.
A fifth is in the works.
"The secret to my success really is the authenticity of my chais, the brewing of my chais. There was really no authentic brewing of chai. Chai was always powdered, some sort of syrup thrown with a bit of cinnamon in there. Our chai is handcrafted. We mix all the spices, brew it with water, add milk and then serve it that way. So it's very, very authentic. Just how mum would have done it. We will continue to grow. Canberra is going to be the next second spot we are opening up. We want to be in Melbourne this year, and then I need to be in the UK next year. That's the plan."
Mr Thind’s chai range spans more than a dozen exotic styles flavoured by imported spices.
"Spices typically come from all sorts of parts of the world. You've got India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, you've even got stuff coming in from Guatemala. The most popular chai right now is the AMRITSAR It comes from the streets of Punjab, strong in ginger and cardamom. For the sweet tooth, we've got Maddy's Mzungu chai, which is flavoured with chocolate and pepper."
And then there’s the eponymous Ambi’s Chai.
"And that's where it all started. It's strong in pepper, strong in ginger, and very sweet."
Customer Ash Perrow says the chai bar is about more than sipping tea.
"Here, it’s like a bar but it’s chai not alcohol. So, it’s a nice place to come and spend time and connect with other people."
With war constantly in the headlines, Mr Thind hopes his chai bars offer a little peace in a troubled world.
"I'm very proud of bringing people closer. Over a Chai, we sit down, we chat, we meet, we talk and get to know each other. I'm very proud of that."
