Chai Latte

This beverage, despite the connotations with the word ‘latte’ contains no actual coffee.

Chai, as it is understood in many western countries, is a spiced, milky and sweet tea originating from India and is is hailed as a herbal remedy by many holistic practitioners and enthusiasts.

This is a misconception though, the word ‘chai’ is simply the Hindi word for ‘tea.’

Masala chai, on the other hand is literally ‘spiced tea’ and this is what people are drinking when they order ‘chai latte.’

There is no set recipe for spiced chai tea and it varies greatly from region to region and even family to family, which is where the confusion arises.

Masala chai, or just chai; should be considered as a class of tea not a specific kind, like a blend of coffee not a particular bean.

There are however 4 main components.

Firstly the tea, steeped in boiling water long enough to release all the flavour but not long enough to stew and become bitter. A strong black tea is recommended such as Assam, this ensures that the spices don’t completely overpower it later on.

The sweetener can be any form of sugar. Some families use Demerara instead of plain white, however health enthusiasts would recommend honey or coconut sugars that are less processed and more natural.

Depending on the spices used, it is not uncommon for large quantities of sweeteners to be added to balance and enhance the overall flavour.

It is also not uncommon in India for condensed milk to be used as a dual purpose milk and sweetener.

However the traditional milk used when making masala chai is buffalo milk, in America they use whole milk to mimic the rich creaminess.

Now for the fun part, the spices!

Masala chai is a ‘warming’ beverage, not just because it is served with hot water. The accepted base flavours are ground ginger and cardamom pods. Other popular ingredients include but are not limited to cinnamon, star anise, peppercorn and cloves. For a slightly more refined version flavours such as saffron, nutmeg, rose water, liquorice root and of course; chilli pepper, can also be added.

Unfortunately, in the western world it is almost guaranteed that the chai you have experienced comes in bag form not brewed up in a massive pot over the stove. Either that or as a concentrate that is later diluted containing very little of the intended flavour (or possible health benefits) of the original beverage

Many chains and franchises serve their chai as a slushy iced beverage akin to a milkshake or overpowered with milk as a ‘chai latte.’

Which is simply a renamed version of the original masala chai, not as flavourful but possibly healthier in that it doesn’t contain as much sugar and the milk used may be healthier than buffalo or whole milk.