Chai/Tea
is very important to every Indian. "There is nothing like starting
your day off with a nice cup of chai!" they say.
Indian
Tea
In
India, chai is prepared by boiling loose leaf tea in
water and then to this milk is added. Depending on
personal preference, various spices and/or sweetner may
also be added at this stage. When spices are added to chai,
it is called masala chai.
There
is no fixed recipe or preparation method for chai and many
families have their own special versions of the tea. The
key to making good tea is to leave the tea leaves (or tea
dust) in the hot/boiling water long enough to get the
flavor of the tea but not too long. Excessive exposure of
tea to heat will release the bitter tannins in the tea
leaves.
Since masala chai has many variations, it can be considered as a class of tea
rather than a specific kind. Most masala chai incorporates one or more of the
following: cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, star anise, peppercorn, and cloves.
Other possible ingredients include Nutmeg, chocolate, cocoa, vanilla , licorice
or saffron.
There are many varieties of tea available in India, but the most commonly used
kind is the black tea as it is strong and hence does not let the additives like
sugar or spices overpower it.
