Different Ways to Make Chai Tea

Chai Tea is synonymous with India: it is served to welcome guests and chaiwallas are found on every corner with their huge kettles full of simmering chai. I learned how to make a traditional Masala Chai at a cooking class on my trip to India and have previously shared the recipe. Although I love chai, it is sweeter than I generally like and it takes a bit of effort to make it properly. In this post I look at different easier ways to enjoy the spice flavours of Chai (the Hindi word for tea that derives from the Chinese ‘cha’).

Chai developed in the 19th century during the British colonization of India, when the British East India Company started growing tea in India to overcome the monopoly of Chinese production. Indians took the British ‘black tea with milk and sugar’ preparation and put their own spin on it, adding aromatic spices such as cinnamon and ginger. There are regional, local and even family variations of the spices that are used but the sweet spicy milky tea is common everywhere you go.

Traditional preparation of chai involves bringing the ingredients to the boil several times, letting it subside in between. It is a lovely ritual and you can enjoy the spice aromas while it is being prepared as well, but I find that I generally don’t have the time or inclination to make it often. When I do make it, I will make a larger batch and keep it in a jug in the fridge so that I can just heat some up in the microwave later.

Of course you don’t have to slavishly stick to how it is traditionally made in India, you can start making your own variations to suit your own tastes, moods and time of year. You can keep it really simple by just adding a pinch of spices to your favourite tea (it doesn’t have to be black). You can make a spice concentrate that can be added to your tea (made with or without milk and sugar (or honey)). Or you can make a ‘chai blend’ that you just infuse as you would normally make a cup of tea, meaning that you can enjoy the spice flavours and benefits even when you are short on time.

Although chai (as we know it) originated in the nineteenth century, the spices have been used for many centuries for their therapeutic properties (as well as their flavours), for example:

• Ginger supports digestion, immunity and circulation and is highly anti-inflammatory.
• Cinnamon helps regulate blood sugar and provide warming digestive support.
• Fennel seeds have a great range of benefits especially supporting digestion.
• Cardamom is antimicrobial and has the ability to dispel gas in digestion.
• Black pepper strengthens circulation and helps the body metabolize nutrients

The fat in milk helps to draw out fat-soluble constituents from the herbs and allows the flavours to linger longer. Black Assam tea is traditionally used as it has a rich malty flavour but you can change it up by using Darjeeling or Ceylon tea, or even rooibus or honeybush tea for a decaffeinated version.

Basic Chai Concentrate

3 parts dried ginger
1 part cinnamon
2 parts fennel seeds
1 part cardamom
0.25 part black pepper
(Vary the spices to suit)

Use 2 tsp spice mix for every cup of water.
Combine spices and water in a saucepan with a lid.
Bring to a boil and then simmer over a low heat for 20-40 mins (be careful not to let it boil over). Keep the lid on the saucepan to limit evaporation of both water and essential oils in the spices.
Store in the fridge for up to a week.

To serve:
Take 1 cup strained concentrate and 1 cup milk in a lidded saucepan.
Warm but do not boil the milk.
Add 1 tsp black tea (Assam tea has a rich malty flavour) and sugar or honey if desired.
Steep for 5 minutes, then strain and enjoy.

Vanilla Chai Infusion Blend

Use 1 tbsp for 2 cups hot water. Steep 5-10 minutes. Add milk and enjoy.

3 parts black tea (infused with vanilla*)
2 parts dried ginger
1 part cinnamon
1 part cardamom
0.5 part fennel or star anise
0.25 part allspice
0.25 part liquorice
0.25 black pepper
I like to add 1 part dried orange zest to add a bit of colour to the blend so that it is visually appealing too. You can vary the amounts and add or remove spices to suit your tastes. The liquorice in this blend sweetens it so you don’t need to add sugar or honey.

* For the vanilla infused black tea, put 100g Assam tea into a container with 1 tsp vanilla essence and a vanilla pod. Shake often for at least a week to disperse the flavours throughout. You can cut the vanilla pod up into small pieces but I leave it whole and re-use it. This is delicious on its own as a vanilla tea.

Cardamom Rose Chai Blend

This is a lighter blend that is delicious, digestive and uplifting (I feel better just smelling the tea container and enjoying the lovely colours!). It looks amazing too.

3 parts Black Tea (I like to use the vanilla infused version above)
2 parts Cardamom
2 parts Rose Petals
1 part Cinnamon
1 part Mint