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Other Chai Blends

The Chinese had two words for tea; 荼 (tú) and 茶 (chá). In Europe "tú" eventually became "tea" in English, "thé" in French, "tee" in German, and so forth. But in most of the rest of the world "chá" was used as the root for "Chai". Interestingly "trà" is tea in Vietnamese, which seems to be a combination of both.

So as you can see, chai simply means tea. However, when English speakers say "chai" they are most certainly referring to "masala chai", which means "spiced tea" and is a common drink in India.

The spices used can be almost anything, but in general they include ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, clove, and black pepper. (These are the ingredients we use in our blend.) These spices are combined with Assam CTC black tea and added to simmering milk with honey or sugar. The mixture is then strained before serving.

Tea

A strong Assam or Ceylon black tea is often used when making chai. Black tea works well because it is not overpowered by the spices and sweeteners. That does not mean other types cant be used, in Kashmir chai is sometimes made with gunpowder green tea, and for a caffeine free variation Rooibos can be used.

Spices

Almost all masala chai has ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and clove as basic ingredients. Other "warm" spices commonly used are star anise, peppercorns, fennel, vanilla, chocolate, nutmeg, cocoa, liquorice, mint, and rose.

Milk

Whole milk is used for its richness, but non-dairy milk (soy, rice, hemp, almond) will also do.

Sweetener

Don't limit yourself to white sugar, though it is often used. Experiment with the caramelized notes from brown sugar, the more complex slight acidity of honey, or the healthy sweetness of agave.

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