Crafted with Care: CharlieJoe Chai
The Vendor Behind Our Chai
From the coffee in your cup to the chai in your latte, we believe in craftsmanship, community, and creating things that last. That's why, whenever possible, we partner with makers who share our values: care in the details, pride in the process, and a belief that everyday moments can be something special.
A Closer Look: CharlieJoe Chai
CharlieJoe Chai's story starts in 1998, when founder Charles J. Ciepiel, known to just about everyone as "CharlieJoe", traveled to India with a college group to serve at a children's home in Visakhapatnam. It was there he first tasted authentic masala chai, poured by local chai wallahs who each had their own take on the brew. That one cup set off a two-decade obsession with getting it right.
Over 20+ years of return trips and recipe testing, CharlieJoe built a signature blend around direct-trade, single-origin Assam black tea and what he calls "The 8 Wonders of the Spice World" — proprietary blend of spices inspired by authentic Indian masala chai. CharlieJoe Chai offers a full range of flavors, but at Summer Moon, you'll find three of them year-round in our Chai Lattes: Original, Spicy, and Vanilla Bee. CharlieJoe Chai also stars in our Fall seasonal Pumpkin Moon Milk® Cold Foam Chai.
But the flavor is only half the reason we partner with them.
A Mission Behind Every Cup
CharlieJoe Chai sources its tea directly from Assam, India, with a commitment to quality, ethical sourcing, and supporting the communities behind every cup. And through a partnership with Life for the Innocent, a portion of every purchase goes toward preventing, rescuing, and restoring children in South Asia from human trafficking — the same region where CharlieJoe's own journey began. As of August 2026, that partnership has helped rescued 165 children, on the way to a stated goal of one million.
It's a mission CharlieJoe sums up simply: brewing the best chai possible, for the saving of many lives.
Try It in Our Pumpkin Moon Milk® Cold Foam Chai, In Stores Now.
Why It Matters
We believe coffee, and chai, is more than routine. It's a moment of connection.
By partnering with makers like CharlieJoe Chai, we're investing in:
- Ethically sourced, direct-trade tea
- A recipe built on two decades of craft, not shortcuts
- A mission that reaches from Assam to right here in Texas
- A cup that does good well beyond the counter
Explore the Maker
Learn more about CharlieJoe Chai and the mission behind it: https://charliejoechai.com
Learn more about their partnership with Life for the Innocent: https://charliejoechai.com/pages/this-chai-saves-lives
May your cup & your day be blessed.