Tealicious Masala Chai Tea Recipe

I remember coming across a masala chai packet in Ahmedabad where it is most popular. The Gujjus love tea and the only competitor is the ice cream not beer mind you. Gujarat is a dry state and the only way one can consume alcoholic drinks is through permits available for outsiders and for those on health grounds.  

Hence spiced tea is very popular. In Ahmadabad, tea is virtually Mary's Little Lamb as where ever you go the stalls are waiting for you. There are many stalls with small stools selling dark liquor along with butter buns and you name it.  Collegians, Majnoos, and Businessmen all look for these seats and while away their time in a meaning full or junk banter every day.   

Chai Thelas on the dusty desert roads...absolute fun.  

Anyway coming back to masala chai I discovered a few ingredients which suit my cup very well. 

Here goes 

Dry Ginger One Piece (Saunt)
Clove        ( 1 or 2)    

Few Peppercorns

One Almond 

One Pistachio 

One or Two Cardamom Pods 

Jaiphal Scrapings (Nutmeg) 

Cinnamon Powder in small quantity 

Licorice small quantity 

Add this in proportion as stated above and taste. I have been vague on proportions to cater to individual tastes. Try adding other suitable spices like saunf etc. 

You can add this to the brew and even milk for children. It is wonderful cough medicine as well. 

The Tealicious Brew That Cheers

Say Cheers! Well, this is not done only with drinks this is done also with tea. Well if not said the brew does create a cheerful ambiance and enlivens your spirit. Regular sipping of premium teas is a soulful melody an aspect that keeps the spirit high of the depressed.     

Well, green tea does this with a small amount of harmful caffeine, unlike coffee. And the presence of EGCG accelerates your metabolism and burns extra fat. Hence this beverage facilitates weight loss. Something more to cheer thanks to EGCG.  

There are many different opinions regard as to which brew is the best Green, White, Oolong, or Black. Well in my opinion all work the same.  Though white and green variants have more antioxidants all these hot beverages pack the same punch as far as enlivening your body. It is not only the chemicals, it is the aroma and taste that jars your sensual apparatus and awakens.     

Spices added in the right amount give a tremendous boost to your spirits. Hence in India, people go for the masala chai with mind-boggling variants of the mix. Cinnamon, clove, ginger, cardamon, mint you name them and they all work.

Say Cheers! They Tealicious Way!   

Tea Basics: What’s in a Blend?

Most tea retailers create their own blend to make their tea taste and smell unique so that a particular group of target customers are hooked to only that variety of tea. However, there are no maxims regarding the right blend or anything. There are some regular blends and you can make your own blend by mixing two or three of these regular blends to suit your taste.

Here are some blends that you can take a look at to get an idea about the usual blends. You can try some of them and then make your own by mixing them or adding a few herbs or spices of your choice to experiment.

Earl Gray

This is only black tea with Bergamot citrus oil added for the aroma. The light citrus flavor is refreshing and strong and you can make it to smooth the aroma if you want with a few jasmine or holy basil leaves.

English Breakfast

Yes, this is the name of a blend of tea or to be precise, a Chinese Keemun famous in India, Africa and Ceylon. This is one of the commonest types of tea.

Irish Breakfast

Similar to the English breakfast, the Irish breakfast is a blend grown in Assam and Ceylon in large quantities. It is dark in color and malty in texture.

Afternoon Blend

This is a light tea unlike the English and Irish breakfast. The blend is made from the best Darjeeling tea, Oolong tea and light Ceylon tea. Since it promotes digestion it is recommended after heavy meals which we usually tend to eat during lunch and hence the name.

Russian Style

This is black tea or oolong tea teamed with Lapsang Souchong for the smoky effect. The blend is generally made by mixing Keemun tea, Assam tea and green tea from China. Some other blends include different types of black tea only.

Spiced Tea

Spices like cloves, cardamom, anise and cinnamon are added to superior quality Ceylon tea and your spiced tea blend is ready. The base is black tea because black tea has a strong aroma base to be able to stand out even in the flavor of these spices. To add to the refreshing property dried orange or lemon peel can be grated into the tea and left for some time before straining and consuming.

Herbal Tea

Herbal tea, just like spiced tea is not a blend of tea in itself but tea with added herbs for the aroma and health factors. Green tea is preferred over black tea in the case of herbal tea but you can use either or even a blend of green and black tea. You can add peppermint, holy basil, spearmint and other light herbs to make the blend of your choice.

The significance of flavor additives in tea blends

Tea is said to be the world’s oldest among the popular beverages since a long period of time. People have been drinking tea since many centuries in Asian countries. Recently they have also realized the fact that the tea can also be made better by adding various kinds of flavors and spices to it. This imagination been made to come true by the regular drinkers. Nowadays tea is available in every possible flavor from far and wide.

The best way of adding the fragrance to make tea more delicious is by adding various herbs and essential oils which are edible aromatic compounds. The Masala Chai or Spiced tea  is getting popular among the customers all over the world thanks to unique aroma and taste. .

Deep knowledge of flavors

Understanding flavoring materials, spices and herbs is essential for creating spicy blends. Though this is the task of the experts amateurs can also create magical blends.  For gaining information on flavored tea people must first get to know the information about the processing of the leaf at estates and plants. As the matter of the fact the processing plays a very important role in the production of the various kinds of leaves. This kind of the processing consists of various steps. The tea companies do not make any kind of the compromise with the quality. In the gardens they only choose the topmost buds and the leaves from the plants. All of the plucked leaves are taken to wither and then crushed for twenty four hours. The withered leaves are crushed in between the metal rollers. The additives are added to the blend for increasing the flavor, taste and aroma.

Different flavored tea

The idea of the flavored tea started in China. This place has been the birthplace of the flavored tea drinking. Since ages different types of flavors are in use creating a wide varieties of blends. Some of the notable varieties are masala chai, herb flavored blends and those containing essential oils.  The leaf is fermented during the process and is exposed to various degree of sunshine.

After the plucking of the leaves they are fermented in order to accord a strong flavor and bigger size. The black tea itself possesses the strong and heavy flavor this is quite evident whence we consume strong teas available in the market. Hence flavoring black teas is a greater challenge than the lighter versions like green and Oolong leaf. Some plants are cultivated in the vicinity of plums and cinnamon trees. This accords a distinct flavor to the leaves which is preferred by the connoisseurs.

Tea Flavors

Most talked about beverage in the World tea comes along in thousands of flavors. The diversity in flavor and aroma arises out of many factors. This in spite of the plant being the same with little species variation. The major factors that determine the two aspects are the soil, climate, altitude and cultivation method adopted. 

The other factors that influence the flavor and aroma are the processing and blending with minor role being played by the storage or packing. Since a large variety of teas are grown and processed in tea gardens blending becomes important. The other reasons for blending are to obtain a said flavor or to manage the costs. Expensive teas like the premium Darjeeling tea are often mixed with regular black tea in order to reduce the cost.    

The brewing method also influences the flavor and aroma. In many countries brewing is a ceremonial ritual that is on vogue since many centuries. Masalas or spices also play a great role in the way the tea tastes. Nevertheless black tea finds the greatest popularity among the masses. Darjeeling tea is most popular as a premium beverage along with some varieties of green teas. Some of the leaf cultivated in China, Japan and India are popular as premium blends. The flavors are usually defined as strong, mild and light. Black tea is usually consumed a strong with strong flavor of tannins and other aromatic chemicals. High quality Darjeeling tea  has a slight bitter astringent flavor with very strong aroma.   

The hot tea beverage is not to be confused with herbal teas. These are a concoction of many herbs and usually do not contain the tea leaf.

Indian Tea: Make your own brew

Tea like elsewhere is brewed in various manner in India. The most popular is the black leaf from Assam and Nilgiri. Black and green tea from Darjeeling are of premium variety consumed by connoisseurs and the upper class.   

Black tea brew is less popular in India but is consumed by many whence milk is a difficult commodity. The chai is popular all over India and is brewed with addition of cow, buffalo and goats milk. In rural India sugary brew is much preferred as a tradition. 

Masses like plain and simple chai without any addition, milk being an exception. But in winters some other forms of tea are consumed. 

My best combination is shreds of ginger and cardamom added to the boiling liqueur. This is a wonderful mix and gives relief from cold and indigestion as well. Some consumers add a dash of lemon to black tea. Another good addition to the brew is cinnamon. If you add in right quantity the flavor and aroma is magnificent

Some health conscious drinkers add lemon grass especially to ward of cold and bad throat. For me ginger does this job well. There are various mix of masalas available in packets all over the country. Some of these are fine blends and add to the taste of the brew.    

Many with subtle taste add varying quantity of milk in black tea. I like chai this way it is mostly available in cafe, restaurants and Indian Railways. Read more on Chai Tea in India.  

Indian chai tea

Although tea is not unique to India since it is drunk all over the world now..well almost. Indian chai comes in mind boggling flavors and is sold at roadside dhaba to five star tea rooms. But the ubiquitous chai wala justifies this name of the hot beverage. The recipe and method of making the tea beverage differs from person to person and place to place.

Tea makers have devised their on concoction of masalas or spices to add as flavoring. Such teas are known as masala chai in India and spice tea all over the world.

The masala chai is added to the black tea leaf mostly and rarely to the green tea beverage. But aromatic herbs as spearmint, mint and also lime is added to both black and green tea beverages. Even chocolate and vanilla flavors are added to the hot beverage but very rarely in India.

It is the simple recipe that finds popularity with the chai walas though the tea leaf may be often of different variety and brands.

Enjoying Green Tea

Best way green tea can be had is plain dark with little sugar and a dash of lime. The secret of enjoying green tea is to buy the right kind of leaf. I like Darjeeling green leaf the best though Darjeeling black leaf is no less aromatic and flavorful.

Darjeeling leaves carry a unique aroma and flavor though the aroma is strong and fills the whole room the flavor is subtle and tends to be on the sweeter side unlike that of the black teas from Assam which are a bit bitter in taste.

Another way to enjoy green tea is with milk and sugar and add some spices like ginger and cardamom. For more exotic taste add cinnamon powder. I find lemon grass tea yuck! But it has immense health benefits especially when you are down with cold and a bad throat.

Some people add garam masala or a mixture of spices to green tea in India but I believe this concoction suits the black variety more than it suits the green tea beverage. Never the less spice tea is common in India and who like to add what is his or her business after it is your cup of tea or Chai as they call it in India.

Tea

Popularity of tea all over the world is growing day by day not only for its health benefits but also for the splendid taste that coffee tea carries. The art of tea drinking is engraved in many recipes that are popular all over the world.

The English introduced hot tea beverage in India although the tea plant was native to India, China and many Asian countries। The way tea is consumed in India, China and Japan varies from the way tea drink is consumed in English tea rooms and garden parties।

The hot tea recipe is often simple if you are not adding any exotic spices to the mix. In India ground spices as cardamom, cinnamon and shreds of ginger are more popular additives to the tea recipe when other masalas or spices are added it becomes spice tea or masala chai as is popular in India.

The addition of mint or spearmint, chamomile and other flavors may appeal to a particular segment of tea lovers but in my opinion black and green tea are best had with milk and sugar or for black tea lovers without milk.

Spices or other tea extracts or additives have their own benefits, but the latter rules. For the newbie tea drink lover extra flavoring helps but as he specializes in the art of making tea he develops a taste for tea as brewed plain to get the full benefit of tea leaf.

Green Tea

The finest green tea come from Assam State and Darjeeling district of West Bengal. The healthy organic green tea grown without using chemicals is best preferred for health. It contains beneficial anti oxidants that curb and cure many disease.

Organic and green tea are available in tea bags and loose leaf cartons. You canbuy online the finest teas for your consumption of the taste ful brew. No wonder it is referred to as the cup that cheers. The Assam tea is very popular both the green and black teas and their organice form.

The certified Darjeelin tea is king of teas with sweet fruity flavour with a touch of herbal green. It is more popular among premium tea lovers and in English tea rooms. They are priced higher then black and green teas from other states of India.

They can be consumed with spices these recipe are called masala chai and much preferred by tea lovers all over the world. These spice teas help one for health benefit as well as impart strong pleasant flavors. Masala tea or spice tea are available online as well and you can buy in tea bag or cartons as you please.