How to prepare a Chaï tea?

The origins of Chai tea:

It is said that the history of Chai tea dates back over 5,000 years. Originally, Chai was used as a remedy that was served in a bowl of raw clay (called "bhan" or "khundi"). It is said that in some regions and cities in India, street vendors often shout in the streets "Chai Ji!", "Chaï Ji !". Chai is consumed both at home, outside or in public transport.

 

The characteristics of Chai tea:

Chaï thé, or Chaï Masala, is a black tea (in general, it is rarely found in the form of green tea) with spices. Ginger, Cinnamon, Cardamom… there are many Chaï spices that characterize this tea. This typically Indian drink calls upon the very typical cuisine of the country: it is said that a recipe without spice is not an Indian recipe. The same goes for a Chaï tea.

Depending on the recipes, the composition of Chaï tea varies: gray pepper, black pepper, cloves, star anise, miel sirop d’érable… maple syrup honey ... can be added to Indian Chai. Some like to consume it with milk, to make a Chaï latte. When you consume your Masala with latte, you make sure you have a milder drink. Sometimes a teaspoon is enough to sweeten the intense flavors of the spices.

 

Which ingredients to choose?

For the basis of your drink, black tea it is best to start with an organic product. As Chai tea is a traditional drink of Indian origin, the ideal when it comes to tea is to choose Assam black tea. It is an Indian tea, its name  "Assam" refers to the Indian region from which it comes. If you don't have an Indian black tea, you can go for a classic black tea. It is important not to select a flavored black tea, it could change the taste of your Chaï.

For spices, we also advise you to opt for organic, quality spices. A choice of quality spices is also a guarantee of having the true taste of the ingredients, not having to use a lot of them to smell their delicious aromas. By choosing top-quality ingredients, you make sure to concoct a superb Chaï black tea: something to delight your taste buds but also those of your guests!

 

How to prepare a Chaï tea:

In order to prepare a most original and delicious  "Chaï tea"  or « Masala Chaï » here is how to proceed: we recommend that you first bring a frying pan. Put it on high heat then add all your ingredients as they are. Heating your spices will allow the release of all their flavor (prepare your senses and your taste buds: you will be amazed!). It should be done for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and place your ingredients in a bowl. Crush all the ingredients roughly (using a mortar, for example), then mix them together. You can find many Chaï spices recipes on the internet or in delicious cookbooks, but we still allowed ourselves (just below) to share our favorite composition recipe! Your Chaï Bio spice blend is now ready! Then brew the tea. To do this, choose a classic black tea that you will steep in water. The preparation of your Chaï tea ou Chaï tea latte for the most greedy is soon ready. Add your spices to your black tea infusion. Patent for a few more minutes, 3 to be exact. When the time is up, remove the tea bag and the spices from your preparation. Pour everything into your favorite cup, add a touch of milk if you want to have a Chaï latte recipe or leave your tea "plain"  if you prefer a classic Chaï .

Remember that each Chaï spice is replaceable if you don't like a particular flavor

Regarding the choice of products, the best is to choose organic spices, an organic Masala or an organic Chaï, it is always better than a conventional recipe! For tea, we can only recommend a natural organic Pagès black tea black tea. For us, they are the best (even if we admit it, we are not very objective ...).

 

Why drink Chaï tea?

Chaï tea is known more for its organoleptic properties than for its beneficial properties. It nevertheless includes several plants and spices which are renowned for their ability to soothe or cure certain ailments. Globally, Chai tea is said to be renowned for its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. We drink it especially in winter, the Chai spices, such as black pepper or cloves, having a warming side which is very pleasant when you want to warm up. It is the presence of Cinnamon and Clove, which are very often in typical Chaï tea, that give it this anti-inflammatory side. It is said that its antibacterial properties are due to the presence of Ginger

Chaï tea tea is a mixture of tea with spices, many spices. So we don't really drink it for its virtues like we can drink a simple tea or a simple plant infusion, we drink it for its characteristic taste!

The taste of Chaï tea:

So let's come to one of the most important topics of our article: taste! Cardamom Cinnamon Pear cloves Cloves ... all these spices (but also all those that we have not mentioned) very pleasantly perfume this so typical tea. If you like spiciness, spicy flavors that awaken the taste buds Chaï tea  is for you. Be aware that it is also often served with sugar, sometimes even a lot of sugar. The latter makes it possible to enhance the taste of certain spices.