If there was ever a drink that seems guaranteed to improve the mood, its chai. Specifically masala chai, with masala being a general Hindu term for spice mix, and chai the term for tea. If you ask for chai tea, you’re just being redundant. (This sort of expression is called pleonasm, where one of the words is excessive, e.g. burning fire (are there other kinds?), black darkness) On the flip side, many Westerners would be surprised if they asked for a chai and were given a plain cup of tea, a case of under-description or anti-pleonasm if ever there was one.
The Back Story
Long before tea became popular in Southern India, coffee was firmly entrenched in the culture thanks to the Arab traders cultivating plots of coffee since the 17th century. Coffee had a head start compared to tea. Contrary to popular belief, Indians did not introduce tea drinking to the British, but rather it was the other way around. India’s acceptance of tea was the result of a major marketing campaign by the Indian Tea Association (a British company) [Lizzie Collingham, Curry, A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 188] Truth be told, tea drinking started in China, spread to Japan and Tibet. The Thais and Burmese took to eating the tea leaves (tea leaf salad, anyone?), but the Indians could not be bothered. No, coffee houses were popular thanks to the Arab and Persian influence. Other common drinks included ubiquitous water in Eastern India and buttermilk in Northern India (a by-product from making ghee – Indians churned yogurt as opposed to the European method of churning cream).
The European East India merchants brought tea back to India as part of the exchange for goods they traded with China. Indian employees of the company took to drinking this draught, but for a long while regarded tea as a medicine, preferring milk or fruit juice for refreshment.
In the 1820s, British stationed in in Assam noticed plants cultivated that remarkably resembling tea, and decided further investigation was in order. The British, specifically the East India Company, felt that the Chinese might have a monopoly on tea and were seeking more leverage in their negotiations. They were also concerned at the Chinese reliance on small households who grew tea on tiny plots of land as a haphazard and unreliable method of production. Given that the company was required to always have a years supply of tea on hand to protect the tea loving British population for any shortages, a stable, supply chain was a must. [Lizzie Collingham, Curry, A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 190, 191] During this time, tea consumption in India did not catch on, as it was an expensive drink with all the associated paraphernalia: tea pots, china cups and saucers, sugar owls, milk jugs, etc.
In the early 1900s, the East India Company woke up to the fact that a huge (untapped) customer base was literally in its back yard, and a marketing campaign started. Itinerate European travelers whose job it was to convince grocers that they needed to stock tea, traveled from town to town; given the shear size of India, you may imagine that this was a daunting prospect. With not much to show for their efforts, a second approach was put into play; tea stalls were established at factories, mills; anywhere that thirsty workers would prove captive customers. These converts took this habit home to their families and friends and acceptance took root. They also ensured that pliers of tea (chai wallah) found their way on to rail cars tempting parched travelers with this delightful beverage, that they adapted to the Indian tastes. Despite being trained in the European method of tea making, they added plenty of milk and sugar to the mix to appeal to local taste. The same adaptation applied to the tea hawkers that set up shops in India’s cities and ports. Following the shops, demonstrators were sent to towns to educate the women of the household who would not have frequented the tea hawkers. During world war II tea vans were incorporated to concentrate on the army, even following Indian troops to the European arena.
The simplest traditional method of preparing masala chai is to simmer or boil a mixture of milk and water with loose leaf tea, sweeteners, and whole spices. Some folks prefer all water and others prefer just the opposite. Indian markets the world over sell brands of “chai masala,” for this purpose, though many households blend their own. The solid tea and spice residues are strained off from masala chai before serving. The involuntary whiff of perfumed air confirms the day is headed in the right direction.
The method varies by taste or local custom: some households may combine all of the ingredients at the start, bring the mixture to a boil, then immediately strain and serve; others leave the mixture simmering for a longer duration, or begin by only bringing the tea leaves to a boil and adding the spices toward the end (or vice-versa). Like a good curry, ragu or any other popular regional dish or drink, no fixed recipe or preparation method for masala chai exists as families have their own versions of the tea. If you want to stir up a good debate, ask about the best way to make chai.
Because of the large range of possible variations, masala chai is considered a class of tea rather than a specific kind. However, all masala chai has the following four basic components: Masala Chai = tea (chai) + sweetener + milk + spices (masala)
The base tea is usually requires a strong black tea such as Assam, so that it is not overpowered by the spices and sweeteners, although this too can be open to interpretation. The tea leaves (or tea dust) steep in the hot water long enough to extract intense flavor, ideally without releasing the bitter tannins.
Plain white sugar, Demerara sugar, other brown sugars, palm or coconut sugars, or honey is used. Jaggery is also used as a sweetener, mostly in rural parts of India. Large quantities of sugar may be required to bring out the flavor of the spices, which for the sweet tooths may not be a bad thing. Some drinkers prefer condensed milk for the dual-purpose of sweetener and dairy addition.
Whole milk is usually favored for its richness. Some of the differences, if you’ve had chai in India and try to replicate it at and have that its close, but not quite there feeling, this may be why. Indians often use a blend of cow and buffalo milk. The milk is often acquired direct from the source the same day it finds itself in a steaming cup of chai. Also the milk is not processed like in the states, its whole milk with cream, not half and half or some other combination.
The traditional masala chai is a bracing, strongly spiced beverage brewed with “warm” spices. The bare bones chai wallah tea uses simply fresh ginger and green cardamom pods, but most masala chai found in restaurants or homes “kick it up a notch” with additions of: cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, fennel seeds, peppercorn, and cloves. The region in which the masala chai is made has a lot to do with the combination of spices used. For example, the Kashmiri chai is brewed with green tea instead of black tea, and a blend of almonds, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and sometimes saffron. In Bhopal, a pinch of salt might be added. Other possible ingredients include nutmeg, rose (where rose petals are boiled along with the loose-leaf tea), or licorice root.