What is Chai?

Chai is the hindi word for tea. Specifically, chai is black tea and milk (sugar and spices are optional). Chai is a quintessential Indian beverage, and is the most consumed beverage next to water.

The key to a good cup of chai starts with the tea itself. The tea from Assam region (the largest tea-growing region in India) is known for its boldness and is best suited for chai because it can hold its flavor when combined with milk and spices. The right way to make chai is to boil the tea with milk.

There is no standard recipe for Masala Chai (spiced tea). Every household in India has their own way of making it. Some of the common spices used to make chai is ginger, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and black pepper.

In the west, the chai or chai latte found in many cafes is almost synonymous to Masala Chai.

A perfect cup of chai is bold, smooth and well-balanced – with no single spice or sweetener over-powering the taste of the tea itself.