Marvelous Masala Chai!

When a fellow tea lover asked if I would consider writing about chai, I leapt from my chair and answered with a resounding YES! In my excitement, I unfortunately spilled hot chai on myself and besides the seared skin and mildly hurt pride, I was very dismayed at wasting even the smallest drop of chai decadence!

What is chai tea? Redundant! That's what! No need to say "chai tea"...just 'chai' will do as the word's true meaning IS tea. Ask for a cuppa chai in India and they know just what you mean - and you'll indeed get a cup of wonderful tea (mostly likely an Assam or Darjeeling). However, in North America, 99% of the population will ask for a cup of chai and expect to get a milky, spicy, sweet tea that India is famous for. To get this in India, you'd have to ask for a Masala Chai. And that's what we should be calling it here, too. Call me picky!

History

Tea plants have grown wild in the Assam region of India since antiquity. However, South Asians for many moons viewed tea as an herbal medicine rather than a recreational type of drink. Some of the masala chai mixtures (which I'm willing to bet are different in almost every household across India) are derived from Ayurvedic medical texts. I find that fascinating. Could it be true? My love for masala chai is actually GOOD for me, too? Oh yes, indeed it is. More on that later. Sometime in the 1830s, the British East India Company grew concerned about the Chinese monopoly on tea. British colonists had noticed the existence of these Assamese tea plants and started to cultivate tea plantations locally (smart, I guess!). In 1870, something like 90% of the tea consumed in Great Britain was still of Chinese origin, but by 1900 this had dropped to 10% (replaced largely by tea grown in British India and British Ceylon). Wow. Keeping this in mind, black tea consumption inside India remained low until a promotional campaign by the British-owned India Tea Association in the early 20th century. The Association encouraged factories, mills, etc. to provide tea breaks for the workers. Tea was officially promoted as served in England - with small added amounts of both milk and sugar. The Association at first wasn't keen when independent vendors would add spices and increase the proportions of milk and sugar (really to save on the use of expensive tea leaves - thanks to the sheisters!). However, as we all well know, masala chai in its present form is firmly established as a beverage of choice not just in India, but the world over. History lesson over.


Traditional Preparation

While it may take a little longer than our I-wanted-it-yesterday society would like, preparing masala chai with patience and love will yield the most delicious thing you've ever tasted in your life. How's THAT for a bold statement? C'mon - we know when we slow things down a bit, appreciate every ingredient for what it is, things just TASTE BETTER. It's more rewarding. Tea drinkers....we know that, right?? I shudder when I hear people drift into the shop and talk about the delicious "Chai Tea Lattes" they've had at that mega coffee giant. First, ACK! CHAI TEA! REDUNDANT! Second....that mega coffee giant doesn't even use tea! It's an artificial, sickly sweet syrup. Booooo! Oops. That was an unintentional rant. My apologies (sort of).

The most simple method of making masala chai is to simmer a mixture of milk and water with a loose leaf tea, sweetener (meaning sugar or honey - your choice) and whole spices (always use whole spices - the experience is in the details, really). The solid tea and spice residues are strained off masala chai before serving. Methods may vary according to taste or local customs: some households might combine all ingredients together at the star, bring the mixture to a boil, then immediately strain and serve. Others may leave the mixture simmering for a longer amount of time. So, here's what I do (and the truly fun part of masala chai it to PLAY and find what you like):

In a medium pot (Makes 3 cups):
2 cups 2% milk
1 cup water
3 heaping tsps. loose Darjeeling or Assam black tea
3 tsps. sugar (or honey - to your own taste)
3 green cardamom pods (make sure they have a vibrant green colour)
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla bean (opened, seeds scraped out into milk mixture)
Fresh grated ginger to taste
5 black peppercorns
3 - 4 cloves, whole
1 star anise, whole

Bring the mixture (over medium-low heat) to a slow simmer. I don't allow my mixture to come to a rapid boil. Simmer very gently for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and allow to steep 10-15 minutes (I like the spice flavours to really shine). Stir well, strain and serve. I like to serve my masala chai in a glass mug with a cinnamon stick as an accent. DROOL FEST!! Your house will smell amazing at this point.

When I was selling my house we had an open house what seemed to be EVERY weekend. I would ALWAYS make sure I had masala chai prepared and ready for the drinking. When I got home - it was gone. Each and every time.

Now, I should have had you all hooked at "chai", but if you're not entirely sold, here's the kicker: masala chai tea is HEALTHY. It really is! Yes, I know there's sugar in it, but you could replace the refined stuff with honey, I'm sure you could even use agave - whatever you want. But listen to THIS: like I mentioned before, masala chai is based in ancient Ayurvedic medicine. Besides the known health benefits of the tea plant (hellooooo antioxidants, we love you!), the traditional spices used in masala chai are known digestive aids, anti-inflammatories, and so much more. Not to mention, this rich drink has half the amount of caffeine of that coffee you have each morn.

So, for this gal, it's CHA CHA CHAI...all the way!