Chai

[OregonYeti]

"Chai" simply means tea in Hindi. I encourage any of you who have not tried tea brewed in the Indian way, to try it. I have given my tea to American friends and the reaction is rarely short of "wow".

To make it, start with an Indian labeled tea. Most tea is from India, but the Indian brands are usually much better than domestic American brands. India's Lipton (different from other Lipton) comes in green label, yellow label and red label.

The green label is Darjeeling tea. The yellow label is high-quality black tea. The red label is more common tea, also black. I usually use yellow label. There is also Taj Mahal brand, a high-quality black tea. This recipe is also definitely worth it with other brands of black tea.

For any of these teas, steep a slightly heaped tsp of tea for each 8 oz hot water, for 4 minutes, with spices if desired (explained below). Have hot milk ready. When done brewing, strain and add a few tablespoons hot milk and about 1 Tbsp sugar per cup and stir. This is strong tea compared to most, and also pretty sweet.

Darjeeling tea is usually spiced little, if at all, since it's very fragrant and more delicate. The spices in black tea are partly what make tea into Indian "chai". I prefer just green cardamom (1 split pod per cup) and some fresh ginger, maybe 1/4 inch slice per cup. Stick cinnamon and other spices are also used a lot. There are a lot of traditional ways to spice it up, but this is the basic recipe for "chai". Strong, sweet and milky, and usually spiced.

[Maywen]

I personally like a bit of pepper in my chai.
Maywen

[sankum]

I love tea. It surely is refreshing. healthy than cofee. I like to add cardomam in my tea.

[tralfaz]

OregonYeti-- where do you get your tea? I've been mail-ordering Lipton Connoisseur tea from kalustyans.com since I'm rural and the Seattle shops don't always have it in stock.

[OregonYeti]

Most Asian grocers, and all Indian grocers, have good Indian tea.

I also found it here Lipton Yellow Label Tea - Food and Drink - Shopping.com

[tralfaz]

I can find the green or yellow label teas in a few Asian/Indian grocery stores. Lipton also has a pricier grade of darjeeling in a large round green 500 g. tin called "Lipton Connoisseur tea". I've only been able to get it from one out-of-the-way suburban grocer, and he doesn't alway carry it.

Anyway thanks, I think I'll have some chai now.

[Chef_Matt]

Originally Posted by tralfaz

OregonYeti-- where do you get your tea? I've been mail-ordering Lipton Connoisseur tea from kalustyans.com since I'm rural and the Seattle shops don't always have it in stock.

Tralfaz,

Have you tried the russian tea and spice company downtown?

Chef_Matt

[tralfaz]

Originally Posted by Chef_Matt

Tralfaz,

Have you tried the russian tea and spice company downtown?

Chef_Matt

Thanks for the suggestion chef_Matt, no, I haven't heard it it. I googled but couldn't find it. There's a Russian Tea Room and a Russian Spice Co. in Bellevue, is it one of those? World Spice below the Market? They do have a nice selection of teas, but not the one I'm looking for. I try teas from different shops, but I just this one it a lot. It's not a real high end darjeeling, just a good every-day tea that inexpensive for it's quality.

OregonYeti, sorry I hijacked the thread. You're right, there are many high quality Indian label teas to be found, but here in the US we tend to overlook the teas that actually come from the tea capitol of the world.

[Chef_Matt]

Originally Posted by tralfaz

Thanks for the suggestion chef_Matt, no, I haven't heard it it. I googled but couldn't find it. There's a Russian Tea Room and a Russian Spice Co. in Bellevue, is it one of those? World Spice below the Market? They do have a nice selection of teas, but not the one I'm looking for. I try teas from different shops, but I just this one it a lot. It's not a real high end darjeeling, just a good every-day tea that inexpensive for it's quality.

OregonYeti, sorry I hijacked the thread. You're right, there are many high quality Indian label teas to be found, but here in the US we tend to overlook the teas that actually come from the tea capitol of the world.

Tralfaz,

How bout uwajamia? I was thinking this might be a better choice, or how bout an asain market place? A few ideas for you for oolong tea.