The next time you’re meeting friends for coffee, suggest heading out for tea instead.
If you prefer tea with kick, we highly recommend having masala chai - the Indian blend of tea with various spices.
Chai is a traditional Indian spiced beverage that is an aromatic blend of black tea, milk, sugar, and exotic spices such as cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper.
It combines authentic Indian tea culture, natural ingredients, and health benefits, including antioxidants and digestive properties.
Back in India, you find chai wallahs, or roadside tea vendors, hawking tea to passers-by everywhere.
Indians love their chai, and even busy workers would find time to stop for a quick chai.
Chai wallahs expertly pour tea from a height through a cotton strainer, then serve them in a tiny glass, metal cups or little clay cups.
People drink chai for comfort, energy boost, and relaxation, and is today enjoyed daily by millions around the world.
Here in Auckland, masala chai can be found on most menus at Indian restaurants.
Chai is derived from the Hindi word for tea, which itself comes from the Chinese word "cha."
Chai’s origin can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India, first made as a herbal medicinal drink in Ayurvedic traditions, using ingredients like ginger, tulsi, cardamom, and black pepper.
When the British introduced tea leaves to India in the 19th century during the colonial rule, Indians adapted the British-style black tea creating the masala chai we know today.
Traditionally, Indian chai is made using a blend of strong black tea (commonly Assam), whole milk, sugar or jaggery, and a mix of spices known as chai masala.
Spices can include cardamom, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, and fennel seeds, although the blends may differ in each region.
Chai is said to be good for health, especially when made with the right balance of spices and less sugar. Black tea used in chai contains antioxidants and the spices like ginger and cardamom support digestion and immunity, and the cinnamon and cloves have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties.
For many Indians, chai is part of their social culture and there is a common phrase they use when chatting over a cup of tea. It’s “chai pe charcha”, or discussions over chai.
Try it: Delhi Delhi, 13 Mount Smart Road, Royal Oak. Ph: 09 624 1212
