NORDIC CHAI

Chai from a clay cup - that raw, astringent taste of earth, mixed with gingery-sweet-milky tea…Is the taste of India. What is the taste of Scandinavia?  

MY INSPIRATION

The project started when I came across the traditional Indian Chai cup. It is made of red Indian clay, lightly fired, rough and unglazed. It leaves the tea with a gritty taste of clay, described as the taste of mother India. After use they threw the cup on the ground, where it crumbled in the heat of the sun and the wet rain. Indian clay returned to Indian soil. Today many have switched to using plastic cups, but they still throw the cup on the ground after use. It gives a lot of waste and the beautiful story disappears. I will bring the story of the little cup back and design a sustainable Chai cup.

The set is wheel turned stoneware in three different colors and shows The Scandinavian soil. It is glazed inside to be durable and symbolize the wet inside of the traditional cup. The cups are made in two sizes. A small cup of Chai and a large cup of coffee, which integrates the most famous drink in Scandinavia with the Indian Chai. The jug is designed based on how to make traditional Chai. It is boiled in a pot and poured from the hot pot into small cups. The handle refers to a old Danish way to use a stick as an extension of the handle, because the pan was hot after it had been over fire. The rough surface creates a contrast to Scandinavia minimalistic style.

ENJOY THE NORDIC CHAI!