Masala Chai
Black tea, milk, and warming spices — masala chai (spiced tea), the 1830s East India Company's Assam cultivation creating the chaiwalla culture of Indian cities.
- 2 tspblack tea(Assam or CTC preferred)
- 4 ozwater
- 4 ozmilk(whole milk)
- 2 tspsugar(to taste)
- 2 slicefresh ginger(crushed)
- 1 wholecinnamon stick(small)
- 2 wholecardamom pods(crushed)
- 2 wholecloves
- 1Add water and spices to a saucepan and bring to boil.
- 2Add tea leaves and simmer for 2 minutes.
- 3Add milk and sugar and bring back to boil.
- 4Reduce heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
- 5Strain into a mug.
- 6Garnish with a cinnamon stick.
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Masala chai — spiced milk tea — has been consumed across the Indian subcontinent for centuries, though the specific blend of tea, milk, sugar, and warming spices we recognize today developed primarily through the 20th century as Assam tea became widely available. India is now the world's second largest tea producer. The word chai simply means tea in Hindi and many other languages, making the Western phrase "chai tea" a redundancy. Masala, meaning spice blend, refers to the cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper that define the drink's character. The British East India Company's cultivation of Assam tea beginning in the 1830s established tea as a mass-market product, and chai vendors — chaiwallas — became a fixture of Indian urban life. The Starbucks Chai Latte popularized a sweetened commercial version globally beginning in 1994.
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