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Masala chai (; ) is a popular beverage originating from South Asia. It is made by brewing black tea (usually crush, tear, curl) in milk and water, and then by sweetening with sugar. Adding aromatic herbs and spices creates masala chai.
The term chai originated from the Chinese language word for tea, via the Hindi chai (चाय). In English, this spiced tea is commonly referred to as chai tea, or simply chai. Originating in India, the beverage has gained worldwide popularity, becoming a feature in many coffeehouse and , 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 latte but mixed with a spiced tea concentrate instead of espresso.
In the 1830s, the British East India Company became concerned about the Chinese monopoly on tea, which constituted most of its trade and supported the enormous consumption of tea in Great Britain around per person per year. British colonists had recently noticed the existence of the Assamese tea plants, and began to cultivate tea plantations locally. In 1870, over 90% of the tea consumed in Great Britain was still of Chinese origin, but by 1900, this had dropped to 10%, largely replaced by tea grown in British Raj (50%) and Sri Lanka (33%).
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 throughout the growing railway system.
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.Collingham, Lizzie. (2006). "Chai: The Great Tea Campaign". In Curry: A Tale of Cooks & Conquerors, pp 187-214. New York: Oxford University Press. .
One way to prepare masala chai is by simmering spices in a pot of water. Tea is then added to the pot and brewed to preference. After brewing, the tea and spice mixture is strained and milk or cream added.
A common Marathi people 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" typically consisting of crushed ginger, crushed cardamom, lemongrass, cloves, and cinnamon. The mixture is brought to a boil and 1 teaspoon of loose black tea is added.
Masala chai in western India often excludes cloves and black peppercorns. A small amount of salt is often added to chai in the region of Bhopal. The Kahwah 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 savoury and is pink in colour, due to the addition of baking soda.
In Mumbai, roadside tea stalls serve small, inexpensive cups of tea called 'cutting chai'. They're so called for being a full-size, full-price cup of tea "cut" in half.
In Pakistan, masala chai is usually brewed with milk and sweetened with spices like nutmeg, cinnamon and/or cloves.
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