Download Chai Ai ((TOP))
Fanette Goehl
The term chai originated from the Chinese word for tea, cha .mw-parser-output div.crossreferencepadding-left:0(see Etymology of tea) via the Hindi chai (चय). In English, this spiced tea is commonly referred to as masala chai,[4] or simply chai,[5] even though the term refers to tea in general in the original language.
Originating in India[1][6] the beverage has gained worldwide popularity, becoming a feature in many coffee and tea houses, with many using the term chai latte or chai tea latte for their version to indicate that it is made with steamed milk, much like that used to make a caffè latte but mixed with a spiced tea concentrate instead of espresso.
However, consumption of black tea within India remained low until the promotional campaign by the Indian Tea Association in the early 20th century, which encouraged factories, mines, and textile mills to provide tea breaks for their workers. It also supported many independent chaiwalas throughout the growing railway system.[9]
Tea was promoted as served Indian style, with small added amounts of milk and sugar. The Indian Tea Association initially disapproved of independent vendors' tendency to add spices and greatly increase the proportions of milk and sugar, thus reducing their usage (and thus purchase) of tea leaves per liquid volume. However, chai later firmly established itself as a popular beverage.[10]
Black tea is typically used as base in most chai recipes. The most common type of black tea is Assam; however, a blend of different tea variations may be used.[11] Assam, Darjeeling, and Nilgiri are the three most common types of tea used in chai in India.[12]
The traditional masala chai is a spiced beverage brewed with different proportions of warming spices. The spice mixture, called karha, uses a base of ground ginger and green cardamom pods. Other spices are usually added to this karha including one or more of cinnamon, star anise, fennel seeds, peppercorn, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom seeds, ginger root, honey, vanilla, and other spices.[13][14]
Masala chai in western India often excludes clove and black peppercorn. A small amount of salt is often added to chai in the region of Bhopal.[15] The Kashmiri version of chai is brewed with green tea instead of black tea and has a more subtle blend of spices with a pinch of salt. This version is a bit savory and is pink in color, due to the addition of baking soda.[16]
Traditionally in India, water buffalo milk is used to make chai.[17][18] Although whole milk is usually used in masala chai, alternative dairy milk such as soy milk or skim milk is also a preferred option across the world.[19]
A common Maharashtrian practice for preparation of one cup of chai is to first combine one half cup of water with one-half cup of milk in a pot over heat. Sugar may be added at this point or after. Ginger is then grated into the mixture followed by adding a "tea masala". Although the ingredients may vary from region to region, "tea masala" typically consists of crushed ginger, crushed cardamom, lemongrass, cloves, and cinnamon.[22] The mixture is brought to a boil and 1 teaspoon of loose black tea[23] is added. The chai is immediately taken off the heat, covered, and allowed to sit for about 10 minutes to allow the black tea to infuse into the chai. The chai is then strained and served.
In the metropolitan city of Mumbai, roadside tea stalls serve smaller cups of tea at a lower budget which is referred to as 'cutting chai', the term 'cutting' referring to the halving of quantity contained in a full cup to reduce the cost of the cup of tea.[25]
Masala chai is popular in East Africa and the Caribbean.[28][29] It is also quite popular in the GCC; but it is locally known as Karak Tea or Chai Karak (Arabic: شاي كرك, Urdu: کڑک چائے).[30]
As an alternative to the hot tea format, several types of cold "chai" beverages have become popular in the United States. These range in complexity from a simple spiced iced tea without milk to a slush of spiced tea, ice, and milk (or nondairy creamer) mixed in a blender and topped with whipped cream.[32]
Chai with added espresso is called a ".mw-parser-output .vanchor>:target.vanchor-textbackground-color:#b1d2ffdirty chai" in America, as well as "java chai", "red eye chai", "turbocharger", "chai charger", "tough guy chai", etc.[33][34]
The biggest change is that I can no longer go to the coffee shop on weekends. The lines run around the block at even the most average spots, so I\u2019ve had to become my own barista. Since becoming pregnant, I can\u2019t drink alcohol and have to keep coffee to a minimum, so iced chai is my Sunday big splurge. (You all know how hard I love whiskey, but surprisingly, the toughest thing about being pregnant was cutting back on coffee. In the first trimester, I\u2019d shove my nose into a bag of roasted beans daily. I even fantasized about Caramel Frappachinios, something I haven\u2019t had since college.)
There is nothing authentically South Asian about iced chai, but that doesn\u2019t mean I don\u2019t have a place in my heart for it. I know some folks get riled up about the iced chai at Trader Joe\u2019s and Starbucks or when people say chai tea. Yes, it\u2019s super sweet and way too heavy on the cinnamon. Yes, chai tea technically means tea tea. But I don\u2019t think of it as anywhere close to the cha I grew up drinking. (In Bengali, we call it cha, not chai). That tea is nuanced from bitter Assam leaves, prickly ginger and black pepper, and warm cardamon and clove. I think of chai tea as the American cousin, related but totally its own thing. So why not let it have its own name?
My iced chai concentrate is probably too cinnamony and sweet for the South Asian palate. It\u2019s also much spicier and bitter than the type most coffee shops in the US sell. But I think it\u2019s perfect because it hits notes from all the cha, chai, and chai teas I\u2019ve grown up with. And most importantly, it allows me to skip the coffee shop lines.
The health benefits of chai are numerous, considering the many spices it is made of. Below is a list of the spices I have included in my personal version of masala chai, and their medicinal qualities.
Hi Sarah, I just wanted to tell you that Chai tea literally means tea tea, and I am South Asian, you know where tea originated from, so please do us a favor and just call it tea next time instead of chai tea. Thank you, besides that your blog is wonderful ?
Hi Sarah. Love your blog (and your Danish blog too!)
I made this today and it was sooooo delicious and filled my home with the most amazing aroma. I now have many chaice cubes in my freezer. Thanks! (I linked from my blog to this post too, hope thats ok?)
The first time I made chai for more than a 100 people was for my pastoral ordination ceremony two years ago. I started prep at around 5am in the morning, made chai for about 400 people in the church kitchen, got showered, dressed, and was on the platform with 15 minutes to spare!
For your milk: As much as possible, find out how many would prefer vegan vs whole milk options for your chai. I typically do a 2:1 ratio whole milk option to vegan / dairy-free option. i.e 2 large pots of regular milk chai and 1 pot vegan/dairy free chai. If you have access to Costco, the Kirkland brand whole milk is one of the best regular milk options for chai, IMHO. Full-Fat Oatly oatmilk, Extra Creamy Chobani oat, or Extra Creamy Silk Oat are great non-dairy milk options.
Ideally, have someone serve the chai to everyone so that you can be free to do mingle or focus on other batches. Make sure to serve the server a sample cup first to show them the right amount of chai per cup.
Since then my wife and I have been doing \u201Cchaixperiences\u201D around the U.S and, as of a few weeks ago, overseas! Typically, a chaixperience involves us making chai for everyone in attendance, me doing a 30-40 minute keynote on meaningful living while doing a live chai demo for the attendees, and serving everyone in attendance a cup or two of chai.
Earlier in April, I was in Perth, Australia, for a youth camp. Obviously they had to ask the \u201Cchai guy\u201D to make chai for everyone in attendance which was roughly around 300 people. After the 5th or 6th time making chai for large attendances, I realized I don\u2019t have my observations in one place. I\u2019ve also made a ton of mistakes along the way! So here\u2019s a list of best practices to make homemade masala chai for groups of 100 or more that I wish I had when I started.
As soon as possible, find out approximately how many people you are expected to make chai for. If we assume that some might go for seconds, I multiply the number of people by 1.5 to get the total number of cups of chai I have to account for. For eg: for 300 people, it\u2019d be (300 x1.5) 450 cups of chai.
What do I mean by \u201Ccups?\u201D Decide early on the size of the disposable cups you\u2019re going to be using to serve your chai. I typically use a 8 oz disposable cup like this one . I find 8-10 oz chai per person is ideal because it keeps those who like it to have one more cup if they like, and if they don\u2019t like it, it\u2019s less chai wasted. It\u2019s ideal if you purchase this yourself before the event.
Your nearest Indian/Pakistani/ South Asian grocery store will sell boxes of masala chai mixes like this one. If you aren\u2019t familiar with these mixes, check the ingredient list in the back of the container or, better yet, ask the store owner (or other south-asian patrons in that store) for recommendations.
You could also purchase masala chai mixes that contain both the black tea and the spices mixed in together. In a pinch, my go-to\u2019s have been Monk\u2019s Chai, Kolkata Chai, Tahmina Tea, or mixes from Wagh Bakri.
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