Most of us have had a chai tea latte from a coffee or tea shop but few know the history behind the beverage and even fewer have had a “true” chai tea. “Chai” is the hindi word for “tea” and riginated in the Indian subcontinent. Chai tea has been traditionally prepared by boiling black tea in milk and adding certain spices and sweetener. Traditionally, this tea and its spice blend were consumed for more medicinal purposes rather than recreational uses.

The tea used for chai tea is a strong loose leave black tea; Assam and Darjeeling black teas from India are the most popular to use and can be purchased from most Indian grocery stores. The spices used vary from region to region and can be altered for personal taste. Most spice blends consist of cardamom, ginger, cloves, cinnamon and black peppercorns. The heat from ginger and black peppercorns may stimulate digestion, the antiseptic properties from cloves could aid in pain relief, cardamom is believed to help elevated your mood and cinnamon may help blood circulation and respiratory function. However, vanilla, nutmeg, mace, star anise or fennel may also be used. Moving westward, chai tea become even more diversified by sometimes including bay leaf, allspice, cacao, saffron, coriander and cumin.

The milk used in traditional chai tea is buffalo milk, which may be hard to find in the States. However, regular cow’s milk or soy/almond/coconut milk can also be used. It is recommended to use a fattier milk to improve the texture of the beverage. Chai tea is traditionally consumed in the morning due to its caffeine content (about half of a cup of coffee) but it can also be served in the early afternoon or for guests. Preparing chai tea can seem like a daunting task but don’t be intimidated below is a dear friend’s recipe that is very delicious and easy to make, enjoy!

Homemade Chai Tea (makes 2 cups)

Bring to boil:
1 cup of water and ½ -1 inch of fresh grated ginger (1/2-1 tbsp of ground ginger)
Then add:
1 tea bag or 1 tbsp of loose leaf black tea
1-2 tsp of sugar or honey
8-16 freshly ground cardamom pods (1/3-1/2 tsp ground
cardamom)
1 pinch of saffron
Then add:
½-1c of whole milk or milk alternative
Bring to boil 3 times, strain and serve