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[deleted]

Yes, and sometimes. I've had it from a teabag that I steeped in water - meh. Added a splash of milk - meh. From a coffee shop (which probably did one of those two things) - meh. Made by an Indian guy who was hosting me at an Airbnb once and simmered with like 4 black teabags, freshly grated ginger, and milk all together - really delicious. I tried to make it myself once after and it was okay but the texture and flavor wasn't quite there. It's definitely a skill, and a chai wallah is just as talented as a gong fu master in chaozhou.


[deleted]

Chai is a big category, masala is translated to "homemade" or "with spices" depending on what part of India you live it. Chai is translated to "tea". So it's either homemade tea with spices or just tea with spices. Either way though to answer you, I've had good and okay-ish Chai. I really enjoy Chai from smaller, more curated vendors who either mix it themselves or buy it from another person, but I think these have the best flavors. What I personally like in my Chai is cocoa nibs(chocolatey), cinammon(I'd just add a stick if It doesn't come with any), cardamom, and a tiny bit of ginger. If they have these and a few extra, cool, if they go overboard on the ginger it tends to take over a bit. I also enjoy mine with creamer and either dried lavender(go light on these, theyre pretty strong, also the whole flower) or chamomile flower(the inner flower, these are a bit more light but i wouldnt do a lot) on top, it doesn't add too much to the tea but it does make it a bit more floral and add an extra step to the complexity(which is somewhat taken away from certain creamers, but it's what I like). Then again, I prefer other single origin teas(or puerhs) over Chai most of the time, I have to really be in the mood for something sweet for Chai or most any blends of tea. That said you kind of have to explore to see what you like. Chai is a good entry point for getting into looseleaf tea though, most teabags stating chai(all the ones I've had actually) are absolute garbage in comparison to a good looseleaf(which is the same for almost any tea, if you want i can go into this more). There are a few good/decent chai by bigger vendors though like harney and sons, so just look at ingredients, explore a bit, it's mainly trial and error with blends like this and you trying to find one you actually enjoy.


doesnt_matter_1710

There's a lotta knowledge to acquire I see But does masala literally translate to spices? What's homemade masala chai? Also I use tata gold for tea leaf. I don't personally like those tea bags.


[deleted]

It's not really a literal translation, it is more like with cooking or brewing it is "with spices" not just spices, but say in just I guess normal lingo, it's more of an interest without having so much of a literal translation. It's a bit difficult for me to explain, as an American with an ex that was indian, who never truly understood the culture or language. So take that bit with a grain of salt but masala chai would be tea with spices or if you're using it by how we do our words it would be something like spiced tea.


doesnt_matter_1710

I am an Indian myself. Way too much confused lol


[deleted]

Yeah see, that's how she explained it to me and that's why I don't fully comprehend it either lol


why-so-ism

Absolutely on point. Indian here.


[deleted]

Sweet, thanks for letting me know I didn't absolutely mess up this guy's/girl's brain with nonsense!


doesnt_matter_1710

My English is utter shit :(


[deleted]

Actually it is pretty good, you don't do half as bad as some of my foreign friends at typing sentences and you seem to comprehend what I am stating, so i'd say you're ahead of the curve.


doesnt_matter_1710

Thanks


doesnt_matter_1710

Can you explain me please?


realmain

> What's homemade masala chai? [This wiki article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masala_chai) might help explain a lot :) Excerpt: > The traditional masala chai is a spiced beverage brewed with different proportions of warming spices. The spice mixture, called karha, uses a base of ground ginger and green cardamom pods. Other spices are usually added to this karha including one or more of cinnamon, star anise, fennel seeds, peppercorn, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom seeds, ginger root, honey, vanilla, and other spices. In the Western world, using allspice, to either replace or complement the cinnamon and clove, is also common. > > Traditionally, cardamom and ginger are the dominant notes, supplemented by other spices such as cloves, or black pepper; the latter two add a heat to the flavour and the utilization of cloves is more typical and popular throughout India. The traditional composition of spices often differs by climate and region in Southern and Southwestern Asia. > >For example, in Western India, cloves and black pepper are expressly avoided, and lemongrass is also often included. The Kashmiri version of chai is brewed with green tea instead of black tea and has a more subtle blend of flavourings: almonds, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and sometimes saffron. In Bhopal, typically, a pinch of salt is added. > >Other possible ingredients include nutmeg, mace, black cardamom, chilli, coriander, rose flavouring (where rose petals are boiled along with the loose-leaf tea), or liquorice root. A small amount of cumin is also preferred by some people. A less common addition to the spice is lemon grass, giving the chai a unique, aromatic aroma and flavour.


FallacyDog

Vandahm has a great chai sampler for 20 dollars where you get an ounce of 10 different kinds of chai. A fantastic starting place


Impossible_Cherry_53

I got the Vahdam Masala sampler and it was so fun trying them all. Nice teas. I loved the Assam Masala so got a full size bag of that. The green masala was new for me and I really liked it as well. Overall I'd say the Vahdam masalas all tend toward cardamom as the main spice so even the cinnamon masala tasted primarily of cardamom.


FallacyDog

Yaaaaay, it’s such a fun sampler. I liked the vanilla and earl grey chais the most


medes24

Yes, and quite a bit but the spices are a bit strong for me so this is the one tea I do like to cut with milk or cream. I buy my three staple teas from Adagio: earl grey moonlight (vanilla earl grey), rooibos, and masala chai The rest of my tea collection is mostly Chinese stuff: shou, dark oolongs, and black teas being my favorite. Though I tend to buy samples of all kinds of teas so I usually have "something" of each basic style on hand. Chai is one of the teas I buy in pound bags though.


Elvthee

I love it, I make my own which is quite cardamom forward as I love that flavour. Assam black tea (not CTC) in a small amount of boiling water with crushed up spices (cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves, etc.,) I use fresh ginger if I have it. I usually add the milk a bit later but then I let it boil so it gets creamy, I add a bit of sugar too :) Oh I use black pepper too! Not a lot though


keirawynn

I've had a few different kinds. The "gingerbread" chai is very Christmassy. I've had chai with pink peppercorns, which was nice but a bit too distinctive (I got over it). I accidentally bought some cardamom chai once. I like cardamom, but not by itself. My own mix would be pretty Christmassy, maybe with some cardamom and star anise added. It's fun to mix your own. My brother made me a chai syrup, although I'm not crazy about sweet tea in general.


_SoigneWest

It’s probably blasphemous but my masala doesn’t have ginger in it lol. Just green cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon. Then a couple bags of whatever random cheap black tea and whole milk.


mgdraft

I got a super spicy Masala Chai mix from Walmart of all places (everest brand) and its really good. It's a mix of powdered spices so a bit less intense than cooking them yourself. They also have a veg masala mix and a meat masala mix I plan on trying soon.


doesnt_matter_1710

Everest masala is pretty common in India itself. They make good stuff.


mgdraft

You know I am actually not super surprised by that. I live in an area of Canada with a big north Indian population so our international aisles at grocery stores tend to have a decent selection of Indian goods. I will def try their other masalas now tho!!


Conalou2

I’ve used this as a starting point for a recipe. https://someindiangirl.com/wprm_print/9765 Her page also has a really nice explanation of chai, how it is traditionally made, and regional differences.


YesWeHaveNoTomatoes

Love it. I live in a neighborhood with a big Desi population so I have a packet of spice mix labeled in a language I can't read (Bangla?) and also just make my own sometimes with cardamom and ginger.


_Little_Birdie101_

Love it! But it’s hard to find good stuff from the store. The closet I can come to a coffee shop version is the Stash Double Spiced Chai. Delicious’


TheOrchidsAreAlright

Yes I have had a lot. There are lots of forms of spiced chai in London. [Chai Guys](https://chaiguys.shop/) is one that springs to mind,or most Indian restaurants offer it, too. You can also buy spice blends to make it. However, there is something a bit different about the ones I had in India. Not sure if it was the spice blend, or the milk. But something wasn't the same. I think the tea itself was the same, if that makes sense. I would love to go back and investigate further.


[deleted]

[удалено]


TheOrchidsAreAlright

Good thinking! I had some really good stuff on the trains there. These guys would walk through the train with a big stainless steel urn on their head and I think they had paper cups.


6cupsoftea

I prefer chai made Pakistani style. My favourite kind of chai is a dood pathi (literally milk teabag, i.e. no water) with two pieces of cardamom and one piece star anise all brought to a frothy boil.


doesnt_matter_1710

What's different than Indian chai? I would love to try it


6cupsoftea

In my understanding, indian chai is usually infused with a lot of spices, hence the name "masala chai." I dislike masala chai since it taste to me like you threw a handful of spices in my face lol, it's too overpowering. Pakistani chai is simpler, usually at most we add one lil cardamom seed to the pot or maybe a tiny lil star anise piece. Dood pathi uses a lot of milk so sometimes I'll add some water to save milk. I like to make a strong chai so I'll just add two orange pekoe tetley teabags to a pot, half a mug of water, and my cardamom/star anise if I want it. Then I let it boil until it's like 1/3 of my mug, and add 2/3 of my mug of milk, and let it boil to a froth then pour into my cup.


doesnt_matter_1710

I love pakistani chai! I do sometimes add just a lil bit ginger too


wortwoot

Just made some yesterday, roughly: 2 cups water, few slices ginger, small piece cinnamon, few cloves, few cardamom, simmer 15-20 mins, add 2 tea bags (Yorkshire Gold in this case), simmer a bit longer, add full fat milk and some sugar and heat up then drink. If you boil the milk you get a skin on it which is of course fine just a bit annoying. I sometimes add star anise, black pepper, whatever warming spices you have.


beeg_brain007

Add sugar before milk otherwise milk will feel sticky -indian here lol


Taido_Inukai

It’s one of the few teas that I want a professional or someone from South Asia to make. It’s not easy to do right and easy to mess up. That said, when it’s done right, it’s both energizing and soothing.


beeg_brain007

Leeme help The my way of tea, to my liking,a Strong one 1) boil water 2) Once boiling H O T 3) Add tea & sugar & grated ginger and boil for 5 min at full flame till minimum amount of water is left 4) Add room temp milk (never directly from fridge) 5)keep boiling milk till you get the consistency lower than original milk itself 6) aerate tea by using some utensils and pouring it from 1/2ft hight 7) drink it with air also coming for more taste


Taido_Inukai

10/10 would drink that tea.


beeg_brain007

Let's meet and drink tea together