There is a drink popular in coffee houses throughout the United States and United Kingdom referred “chai.” One can purchase a “chai tea” or “chai latte” in any Starbucks or similar establishment around the world. Heck, it can even be found at small cappuccino stands in the lobbies of office buildings. I was first turned on to this sumptuously sweet, spiced tea back in 1999 when I worked in a law firm in the AmSouth Plaza in downtown Jackson, Mississippi. I have loved this exotic tasting beverage ever since, though for years I had no idea what was even it and what gave it that flavor I couldn’t describe. I knew it contained cinnamon and milk, but that was all I knew.
When I moved to London, I found that Indian food is more prevalent and perfected here than probably anywhere else in the world, including India, and that was when I learned that this spiced tea is an infusion of Assam tea, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and black pepper. This tasty treat is best made from scratch and not with those ready-made “chai” tea bags or those “chai flavored” instant powders.
First of all, referring to this drink as “chai tea” is the same as calling it “tea tea,” since the word chai actually means “tea.” The correct name is masala chai, and I believe once someone makes this delightful drink oneself, plain old hot tea will never be up to snuff again.
The traditional method of concocting masala chai is to bring the teabags, spices and water to a boil and then to add an equal part milk and copious amounts of sugar, and slowly simmer until the mixture becomes a nice caramel color. The tea is then strained into a teapot or into individual cups and served. This, of course, is the best preparation method, but who always has 15-20 minutes to invest standing over a pot for one cup of tea? I know I don’t. Therefore, I have played around with the ratio of spices that are required per cup and have found that the spices and tea bags can be added to an individual mug along with boiling water and then covered to steep, with the milk and sugar added just before serving. Although this brew is not as strong and does not have the caffeine kick of the simmered version, the flavors still fuse together quite nicely.
To make your own cup of quick masala chai, do the following:
1. Put water on to boil.
2. Place two tea bags (preferably a dark tea such as Assam) into a coffee mug, along with 2 cardamom pods, 2 cloves, 1 black peppercorn, and about 1/2 inch of a cinnamon stick. If you have a tea ball, place the spices into it to save time when fishing them out before serving.
3. Pour boiling water over tea bags and spices, filling up the mug up to approximately 1″ from the top. Cover mug with a saucer and let steep for 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Heat about 1/2 cup of milk in the microwave on high power for 30-60 seconds.
4. Remove tea bags and spices with a spoon and add heated milk. Add sugar to taste (I use 3 teaspoons of Splenda).
Voila! Now you’ve got a steaming hot cup of masala chai. Sit back and enjoy!
NOTE: Use the darkest tea leaves you can find. The tea needs to be dark and strong so that the spices do not overpower the flavor of the tea. Also, whole milk is recommended, but 2% can be used. Skim milk will not work at all in this tea since some amount of cream is needed to balance out the spices.
