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. 

Tealicious Tea Bags or Premium Loose Blend

While a majority of tea lovers use a bag filled with leaves it is not everyone's cup. The advantage of this packaging is that you can carry it everywhere and make an instant cup with the hassle of straining. Though the water still has to be brought to a boil the process nevertheless is much quicker.    

Discovered by accident by an American merchant Thomas Sullivan today's packaging is far more advanced than earlier, with hygiene in place. These square or hexagonal-shaped paper bags are filled with various blends of teas generally less than premium stuff because of cost but nevertheless quality driven.  

A large populace is immersing in these tea bags as a habit inculcated especially when new to the magical brew. They have never tried or want to experience the exciting World of blending the leaves which abound in variants and varieties. 

Does this mean that blending is a mathematical puzzle?

Well yes and know. If you are a master blender employed by a major tea house the art comes easy. If you are a connoisseur the art is easier what with no limitation placed by the company. But for amateurs, it needs a lot of immersion in the World of tea leaves. One has to learn the flavors and what they produce in conjunction. 

This is a full-fledged activity blending teas from all over the World and producing master blends that tingle your tongue and nostril so that you reach the peak of flavor. Believe me, you as a novice can indulge in the passionate world of blending leaves of camilia sinensis. All most all the variants and varieties are available online buy them and say Cheers!

   

Making a Tealicious Blend

Tired of same spoonful of leaves in your morning cuppa...here is a suggestion. Invest in different kinds of tea:

Assam Black Tea

Nilgiri Leaf from the blue mountains 

Darjeeling Premium Certified Leaf 

The Assamese leaves impart color and strength to the brew while the Nilgiri leaves in the blend make it as astringent without which the taste would be flat and boring. Lastly the Darjeeling leaves add to the magical aroma the gardens are famous for.     

Blend these leaves in equal proportion or reduce percentage of Darjeeling tea as the cost is much higher. Anyway add as per your taste and get a wonderful blend. 

It is best to buy premium varieties of CTC leaves of all varieties if you wish to achieve  fantastic taste and aroma to hit your sensory apparatus. If you are health conscious you can buy the organic leaves which are by all means expensive as compared to the non organic forms.     

The brew should be on the stove for more than three minutes if you wish  for all the flavor to peculate. Excessive boiling will lead to make the brew bitter which not all consumers prefer. 

 

Indian Tea Rising Prices

The cost of food overall has risen during this decade so have the prices of tea. Albeit the production cost of this leaf has not risen sharply but the marketing expenses involved and the social cost of production makes a major dent in the price chart. 

What is the social cost?

Well, this is a payment made besides the wages for labor welfare vis a vis education of children and the health of the workers. This rising cultivation cost has kept many gardens away from making a profit. 

India consumes almost 1000 million kgs of this product yearly. It has to import the leaves from countries like Kenya and Sri Lanka. But home production is riding very fast making it imperative to increase consumption here as well as increase exports in order to ride much above the break-even mark.    

The Tea Board of India is planning a series of advertisements in order to boost the storeable cold form or iced tea. The advantage this form offers is its attraction to a younger audience as well as the attractive packing.

Another advantage is that it is instant and does not require any preparation unlike

Iced Mint Tea

Lemon Iced Tea

Tea Garden

Chai.

It's cousin the hot beverage.  

Photo Courtesy: Wagh Bakri Tea Company 

Tea Manna From Heaven

A most recent study by the Japanese discovered that consuming the hot brew resulted in aging more strongly. This was unlike the case of nondrinkers who were much frailer and disabled. The old fared better as far as functional disability is concerned. 

That the tea consumers fared better than their western counterparts who were stuck with caffeine-rich coffee has proven the leaf to be a medicine alternative. With more research in place, the leaf is going to turn over more and act as an alternative medicine for those who do not consume it on regular basis.  

In India, the leaf supplements traditional medicine and offers cost-effective health solutions. As far as medical benefits are concerned green tea finds the greatest users thanks to its beneficial chemicals.  

While the manufacturers extol these virtues which are attracting more towards the brew their prime concern is to increase the consumer base targeting all audiences. 

Though iced tea has been highly successful in finding a base among teens more has to be done as cokes offer stiff competition.   

Caffeine Meter

Chai

Green Tea Soda: Courtesy Wagh Bakri Tea

Cuppa Chai Or Iced Tea

A long time ago few leaves of Camilia Sinensis fell into a bowl of warm water held by a Chinese Emperor. The aroma that emanated from the brew was intoxicating and thus tea was discovered. A typically hot beverage that has floored the World completely is literally speaking undergoing the ravages of time.      

The paradigm shift albeit at a snail's place in traditional tea-consuming countries is taking place. Enter the wonderful zesty iced tea a cold phenomenon that is capturing a new target audience the young ones. The chai as we call it in India is traditionally drunk hot from a cup or small glasses. It is slipped slowly taking a good time probably in betwixt a conversation. 

The iced version is a modern invention perhaps necessitated by creativity and the stiff competition from colas. The usual hot beverage turns into an iced form upon refrigeration or with the addition of ice cubes. This form of brew is also subject to a lot of sugary additions or in many cases lime or both. A dash of ginger throws a lot of punch.

The herbal variants also come in this form with a lot of health benefits. The can or bottled version of this cool beverage is taking its popularity sky-high. It is assumed that cool tea beverages will take away an impressive share from the hot form as well as from fizzy cola drinks.    

Tangy Zesty & Estatic - Absolutely Tealicious Cuppa Chai

Monday Morning Freshness! 

A night before scrap some lemony zest in a cupful of water. Let it rest overnight for the water to absorb the bitter-sweet tanginess from the zests. Get up early in the morning (He!He!) wash your mouth and charge at the stove. Take a spoonful of leaves from a good brand, Wagh Bakri, Tata, or Green leaves of Organic India. The best is to add both black and green variants in equal proportions.     

Sprinkle the leaves in the water containing zest and lift it to the stove. Now add a mix of cinnamon and cardamon powder. This will enhance the earthy and musky flavors of the leaves. Gung Ho brings the mixture to a boil and strains. 

Slurp! There you have one of the most tealicious hot brews on Earth. Good Morning!   

Have it with Poha or just bread and butter. Better still sip the cup full to savor the aroma without any conflict and then dive for brekky.  

I sip mine, predawn, on the balcony when the World is asleep.

Video Relationship & Wagh Bakri Tea

Rishto Ki Garmahat

Relationship can only happen with Wagh Bakri Tea

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 House - Cafe & Lounge

It's all about tea and vendors. Cafe, Coffee Shops, Tea Lounges, and hidden restaurants that focus on tea in Mumbai. 

Wagh Bakri Tea Lounge 

The first tea lounge in India offers tealicious range of WB teas and delicious choices of snacks. An excellent meeting place offers an ideal option for parties and business meet.  There are two joints in Mumbai one is situated Off Hanuman Road, Ville Parle Mumbai. The other is situated at BKC Bandra East.    

NCPA Cafe 

Situated bang opposite the Arabian Sea the cafe serves hot beverages as well as delicious food. It provides a refreshing and tranquil retreat in the maddening crowd of the mega city we call Mumbai.  

Tea Villa 

The joint offers a mind-boggling range of teas to its customers. Promises long hours and refreshing brew as tealicious escape from the rush.  

Cafe in The House 

Ideal for casual repast and some energizing beverages.

Kala Ghoda Cafe

Part cafe, part bakery, and an excellent eatery. Stroll around the gallery in this excellent meeting place in Ropewalk Lane.   

Chai Coffee

As the name suggests serves both chai and coffee. Best place for cutting chai and keema pav. 

For more Information Visit WB Tea Lounge

The Tripoto Site