What do you get if you combine chai tea with milk? Chai tea latte! In our webinar: The Story Behind Your Cup of Tea: Episode 02: Chai Wellness in Your Cuppa, tea sommelier & mixologist Robert Schinkel demonstrated how you can create your own chai tea.

 

What is chai?

Chai means tea. Chai tea literally means tea tea. The origin of chai is Ayurvedic. In the past, they used chai as a medicine. Some cultures still use chai as a medicine.

In India, Ayurveda is considered a form of medical care. Herbs and plants and especially natural antioxidants in the plants are seen as a natural system of medicine. Besides a drink with medicinal powers, chai tea is also a delicious drink full of flavours. Robert Schinkel is a chai lover. During the webinar, he demonstrated how you can make a classic Masala Chai and a chocolate chai.

From which ingredients is chai made?

Mostly chai contains the following ingredients:

• Turmeric
• Ginger
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Anise
• White pepper
• Cardamon
• Black pepper
• Chili powder
• Black Ceylon tea | Robert used Brilliant Breakfast Tea.

Every person has their own recipe. Some people will make chai with all the ingredients mentioned above. Some will add extra ingredients such as fresh ginger instead of dried ginger, or ads orange or lemon zest. Others will leave out certain ingredients. Experiment with different ingredients and the amount of ingredients. Taste and discover how how your favorite rite chai taste.

Classic Masala Chai

Masala means herbal. Chai means tea. Masala Chai means herbal tea. Wherever you go. Or whoever you ask for the recipe of Masala chai, they will all give you a different recipe. Just like that, every family in Italy has their own recipe to make pasta.

You can drink chai with or without milk. Chai with milk is called chai tea latte. It all depends on your personal preferences. Same as: do you drink your tea with or without sugar?

Recipe classic Masala Chai

Robert has shared his favorite Masala Chai recipe with us.

Ingredients Masala Chai per cup

• 1 teaspoon (2 grams) Brilliant Breakfast Tea
• 200 ml filtered water
• 50 ml full-fat milk or plant-based milk such as Oatly
• pinch of grounded ginger
• pinch of grounded cardamon
• pinch of cinnamon. See if you can find Ceylon cinnamon. Ceylon cinnamon is more aromatic than the regular cinnamon
• pinch of black pepper
• pinch of grounded clove
• Star anise
• Optional: sweetener of your choice Lemon zest (only the yellow skin of a lemon)

How to brew Masala Chai tea

Mix the herbs with the loose tea in a tea infuser. Pour filtered boiled water over the mixture. Let the tea steep for 7 minutes. Normally you steep the tea for +/- 2,5 minutes. In this case, we want a strong and bold tea. The milk (and optional sweetener) will balance the flavours of the tea. Remove the star anise. 

When the tea is done, pour the tea into a cup and mix it with the milk.

Tip: play with the amount of herbs you use. If you prefer a chai tea latte, use cinnamon and cardamon as a base. The combination of these two herbs gives the tea warmth, texture, spiciness, and a little sourness. That is the basic that you are looking for in a chai.

Chili Choco Chai

This version of chai is completely different than the Masala Chai. And still, it's a chai. Peppermint and chocolate are a perfect combination. After Eight chocolate is an example of how perfect these flavours combine.

Ingredients

• 150 ml strong brewed Pure Peppermint tea
• 50 ml chocolate milk
• Slice of fresh ginger
• Pinch of chili powder
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Vanilla sugar
• Orange zest (only the orange skin of an orange)

Chili powder and peppermint are a good combination together. Peppermint adds coolness while chili adds some heat. Together they make a good pair.

Prepare the peppermint tea and add a pinch of chili. Let it steep for 6 minutes. When the tea is done, pour the tea and the chocolate milk into a saucepan and put it on the stove. Add the remaining ingredients. Whisk the mixture airy while it warms up. If you have an espresso machine with a steam function you could also use that to warm and foam the tea. Rub the orange zest over the glass, so it releases some of its flavours. Pour the tea into a glass and garnish it with some fresh ginger.

If you want sweet tea, add some vanilla. If you want a bit more spiciness, add more chili or add some more cinnamon for more warmth.

The Choco Chili Chai is not a traditional chai but a chai inspired by the Classic Masala Chai.

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