How To Make Chai Tea At Home?

C hai tea is milky flavored, often known to have the appearance and energizing properties of caffeine, but it stands out with flavors like cinnamon and cardamom. Chai tea is popular worldwide, but particularly in the Indian Subcontinent. Learning how to make chai tea at home is a blessing when you’re craving it.

Chai tea has many forms, one of them being masala tea. It provides a sensory experience that allows consuming it to seem like a special escape from the daily grind. Ginger gives it a spike, while cinnamon's comfortingly pleasant overtones give it a full-bodied taste. Milk and a powerful black tea brew soften the pungent spices’ sharpness. Here is a recipe you can follow so you can learn how to make chai tea at home.

What Is Chai?

Chai has a long and illustrious heritage. The term "chai" comes from the Indian term "cha," which means "tea." Chai refers to a spicy mixture brewed in a tea-type drink. Chai recipes differ worldwide. However, black tea is commonly combined with powerful spices such as ginger, cinnamon, peppers, cardamom, and star anise. Traditionally, milk is used to prepare the spicy tea concoction and is sweetened with honey or sugar. The milky pleasant tea delight we buy at cafes today bears little resemblance to chai's beginnings.

Chai Tea Origins

According to folklore, chai originated over 5,000 years ago when a ruler in present India commanded the creation of a restorative spicy beverage. He wanted to use it in Ayurveda, an ancient medical technique that uses spices and herbs for treatment. Various spices were employed to produce the medicinal brew as it expanded across India, based on the location.

Black pepper and ginger were supposed to promote digestion; cloves' antibacterial effects were expected to help reduce inflammation; cardamom was assumed to promote relaxation and cinnamon aided circulatory and respiratory systems.

Substitutions and Replacements

Chai tea is brewed with black tea (typically Ceylon, Darjeeling, or Assam). Kashmiris often employ green tea gunpowder, or rooibos for people who wish for a decaf brew, etc. Loose leaves or teabags? Loose leaves tea is considerably stronger and of a higher quality. Teabags, though, are easier to use. 

If you have gluten allergies, you're free to substitute any type of milk you prefer, such as oat, almond, coconut, or soy. 

Sweetener choice is also according to your preference. Jaggery, an unprocessed sugar, is used in the Indian Subcontinent. Brown sugar, coconut sugar, stevia, honey, and maple syrup are all excellent options.

Benefits Of Chai Tea

Black tea, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, ginger, and other healthy elements are all present in chai tea. The exact components used may differ. These are among the most frequent spices found in chai mixes. Each spice has its benefit that makes chai tea a healthy beverage. Here are some benefits of chai tea:

• Antioxidant-rich drink
• Enhances cardiac health
• Enhances digestion
• It boosts your alertness and strength.
• Beneficial to your skin
• Reduces Inflammation
• Defends against colds
• Headaches are relieved.
• Relieves sore throats and menstrual cramping
• It improves your health
• It relieves nausea.
• Decreases muscle pain
• It strengthens your digestion

Homemade Chai Tea Recipe

Ingredients

• Star anise - half
• Cloves - ten to twelve
• Whole allspice - six to seven
• Cinnamon - one heaping teaspoon
• Peppercorns - six to seven
• Cardamom pod, seeded - one
• Water - one cup
• Milk - four cups 
• Black tea - two heaping tablespoons 
• Sugar - to taste

Instructions

Add a cup of water, plus the crushed spices to a pot. Let the water boil on a high flame. Once boiled, switch off the heat, and simmer for five to twenty minutes. The simmer depends on how intense you want the spicy taste.

In the spicy water, add four to six glasses of milk. If you have gluten allergies, you can switch it with any gluten-free milk you prefer. Stir the spice and milk combination to a low boil, then turn the heat down.

Allow five to ten minutes for the chai tea to brew, according to your partiality. (At this stage, you have the flexibility of reheating and then removing it from the flame.)

Add the sweetener or offer without it if that's the preference (let the guests decide). Sugar is customarily incorporated before feeding. In a saucepan, sieve the mixture. Add extra sweetness to the taste.

Making chai tea is an art. When done right, it’s the most comforting beverage. Now that you’re aware of how to make chai tea at home, add and subtract according to your inclination. Chai tea is especially enjoyable during winters!