What tea drinkers in the U.S. call "chai" is called "masala chai" in Pakistan, India, Tibet, and other countries. Masal chai or just chai has a rich history. Chai tea is a sweetened tea with many different flavors.
This creamy milk like tea was first mentioned in recorded history some 5,100 years ago. A royal Indian king is believed to have discovered chai tea. He used it to cure many different ailments and as word spread of this tea's healing properties, more and more people across India began drinking it. Masala Chai became more and more popular in India as people began to drink it on a daily basis to improve their health.
Chai tea was thought of as a cure for many different medical conditions. In different seasons, people would add different spices and before long, many different flavors of this tea came into existence. People began to experiment more and more with this tea and even drink it hot or cold.
Some of the spices that people would add included cinnamon, peppermint, and even ginger. In the Western world, other spices were added such as vanilla and cocoa. Different sweeteners were added such as brown sugar and even honey. The many different sugar and spice blends created many delicious flavors.
British colonization of India around 1880 led to tea plantations being created in Assam, India. Tea was grown and cultivated to produce a fine black tea. This Assam tea recipe became the main recipe used in chai tea and it is still the recipe that is used today around the world.
In 1960 a new processing method referred to as "Cut, Tear and Curl" was implemented in Assam, India to process black tea. The cut, tear and curl method is an inexpensive process that results in a stronger and even more flavorful black tea. When the CTC method was implemented the popularity of masala chai grew eventually skyrocketing in popularity around the globe for its eclectic and spicy spin on the worlds favorite beverage . . . tea.
Most families in the Eastern world have their own secret masala chai recipe that they pass down to the next generation. Perhaps the most popular way to prepare chai tea is to boil loose black tea leaves, add milk, add spices, then close it off with a sweetener. After the tea has finished boiling, steeped, and simmered, it is then poured over a strainer to filter out the spice residue and tea leaves. Chai is usually served warm but it is also good served ice cold. - 14130
This creamy milk like tea was first mentioned in recorded history some 5,100 years ago. A royal Indian king is believed to have discovered chai tea. He used it to cure many different ailments and as word spread of this tea's healing properties, more and more people across India began drinking it. Masala Chai became more and more popular in India as people began to drink it on a daily basis to improve their health.
Chai tea was thought of as a cure for many different medical conditions. In different seasons, people would add different spices and before long, many different flavors of this tea came into existence. People began to experiment more and more with this tea and even drink it hot or cold.
Some of the spices that people would add included cinnamon, peppermint, and even ginger. In the Western world, other spices were added such as vanilla and cocoa. Different sweeteners were added such as brown sugar and even honey. The many different sugar and spice blends created many delicious flavors.
British colonization of India around 1880 led to tea plantations being created in Assam, India. Tea was grown and cultivated to produce a fine black tea. This Assam tea recipe became the main recipe used in chai tea and it is still the recipe that is used today around the world.
In 1960 a new processing method referred to as "Cut, Tear and Curl" was implemented in Assam, India to process black tea. The cut, tear and curl method is an inexpensive process that results in a stronger and even more flavorful black tea. When the CTC method was implemented the popularity of masala chai grew eventually skyrocketing in popularity around the globe for its eclectic and spicy spin on the worlds favorite beverage . . . tea.
Most families in the Eastern world have their own secret masala chai recipe that they pass down to the next generation. Perhaps the most popular way to prepare chai tea is to boil loose black tea leaves, add milk, add spices, then close it off with a sweetener. After the tea has finished boiling, steeped, and simmered, it is then poured over a strainer to filter out the spice residue and tea leaves. Chai is usually served warm but it is also good served ice cold. - 14130
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