Chai Latte – Nostalgia is a funny thing. Sometimes, all it takes is a few notes of an old song, the scent of a familiar shampoo, or — in this case — the first sip of a chai latte. Suddenly, you’re back in a different time, surrounded by memories you didn’t realize you’d tucked away.
For me, that time was 2011.
It was a simpler time — when Facebook was still for staying in touch with friends and family, the iPhone 4 was the latest tech obsession, and Game of Thrones was just getting started.
It was a big milestone for my best friend and me — we had just earned our “N” licenses, and with it came a new sense of freedom.
Thankfully, our trusting parents handed over the car keys once a week, which is when we started a weekly tradition.
We weren’t coffee drinkers, so our beverage of choice was always a chai latte – a tea beverage with chai tea, frothed milk and sweetener.
We would hit up our usual spot, the Bean Bag Café, the cozy little spot that once stood where the Wandering Fern Café is today. Every Thursday morning, we’d roll in, order our drinks, and do the 2 minute drive to Golden Secondary School.
Over the years, the Bean Bag Café closed, we graduated, and she eventually moved to Calgary. But the chai latte tradition? It stuck. We continue to go for chai lattes, in both Golden and Calgary.
This past weekend, I made a quick trip to Calgary for my cousin’s baby shower. On the way, we pulled into Lake Louise for a washroom break and a “coffee.” Needing a pick-me-up, I ordered a chai latte. The second it hit my lips, I was back in high school — riding shotgun in my bestie’s mom’s car, sipping chai, laughing about something ridiculous, and living like those quiet Thursday mornings would never end.
It’s funny — you’d think a chai latte would always taste more or less the same. But just like coffee, the flavour depends on the blend, the steep time, the milk, and the spices. And this particular cup? It tasted like 2011.
Even funnier? I ended up seeing that same best friend later that day. Despite her busy life in Calgary, she always carves out time for me when I visit. And it felt full-circle, like the chai had somehow cued the universe to bring us together.
I know I haven’t lived a long life yet, but I’m starting to see the value in those little moments — the ones that come rushing back when you least expect them. The kind that reminds you how far you’ve come, but also, how much of who you are still lives in those simpler times.
