What is Chai? By Anu Agarwal At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Chai is the word for tea in India, Pakistan, and the other countries in the Indian Sub-continent. It is a derivative of the Cantonese word "Cha" for tea. Tea was original introduced in the Indian subcontinent by the British. Over the years, people of the sub-continent have adopted the beverage and made it their own. Today chai has come to imply tea made in a special style. A typical cup of chai is prepared with:

- Tea: The tea is usually a strong black tea, like Assam tea or English breakfast tea. These teas have a strong flavor and combine well with the sweetener and the spices.

- Water: Tea leaves are boiled in water to prepare a strong brew before other ingredients are added.

- Milk: Usually, whole milk is used for its richness, but other types may be also be used. Soymilk may be used as an alternative for Vegans.

- Spices: Chai is traditionally spiced with cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, fennel, peppercorn, and cloves. These could be used individually or together. Prepared spice mix for Chai is available at most Indian grocery stores. Other spices and flavors in vogue are nutmeg, vanilla, licorice, etc.

- Sweetener: A typical cup of chai is sweetened with plain white sugar. Brown sugar, honey, agave nectar, or no-calorie sweetener may also be used.

There is no fixed recipe for chai. Simple chai is prepared by boiling loose-leaf tea with water and milk. Ratio of milk and water may vary according to taste. Spices may also be added to enhance the flavor. The spices may be used by themselves or in combination with other spices. Often tea and spices are boiled continuously in water and milk for few minutes to extract every bit of flavor from the ingredients.

Chai with one or more spices is called Masala chai. Most common spices used in a masala chai are cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom. For extra spicy masala chai, cloves and black peppers can be used. In United States, chai is synonymous to masala chai. This version of chai is usually sweet and has vanilla and cinnamon for flavoring.

Over the last few years, there has been an explosion of coffee shops selling chai tea. The beverage is often offered under the name of Chai Latte and it costs as much a regular latte. Chai Latte is made by adding chai concentrate to steamed milk. This method of making chai latte is based on café latte, which is prepared by adding espresso to steamed milk.

Chai can be made at home easily for a fraction of cost of buying it at the coffee and you can experiment with the spices and flavors. It is a healthy beverage. It combines health benefits of tea and spices used. A cup of tea has half the caffeine of a cup of coffee and is full of antioxidants. The spices like ginger, cinnamon, cardamom etc. warm the body and aide in digestion. Low calorie sweetener may be used to reduce the calories in the beverage.

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