From the royal courts of India where chai is supposed to have originated to the modern-day cafes on every street corner, chai is a unique flavour that has swept the world over. Long regarded as an important part of Eastern medicine, a cup of chai will delight the senses.

What makes great chai?

Traditionally, Masala Chai consists of a black tea base and a few core spices such as fresh ginger, green cardamon pods, cinnamon, fennel seeds, peppercorn or black pepper, and cloves. Cardamon is typically the dominant flavour throughout, and heating the spices before you blend them with your tea releases the oils and flavour. A closer look at each of the ingredients lets us in on what each one brings to the pot.

• Cardamon is an ancient herb that’s seriously fragrant with sharp vegetal notes of green spice and pepper, providing the perfect base for any chai to build on. Native to India, cardamon can also be found in Sri Lanka, Guatemala, Indochina and Tanzania, and can be used whole or split, bruised and fried, or pounded with other spices.
• Cinnamon gives chai its sweetness and warmth, with its naturally sweet flavours providing a robust full-body taste without any bitterness or astringency. Ginger brings a strong, perky tone to any chai mix. Hailing from the same family as turmeric and cardamon, it’s also known to be a great digestive aid.
• Cloves leverage even more aromatic flavour into chai. It’s also said that for over 2000 years, cloves helped to fight bad breath when chewed on. Perfect for date night. Star Anise not only looks like it was made for chai, but also brings a dark liquorice and sweetness to the mix. It can be quite overpowering if too much is added, so usually a small amount will suffice.
• Milk and sweetener help to bring out spice’s natural flavour. Simmering highlights the milk’s inherent sweetness, while honey is often used to make the brew a little more palatable, according to your taste.

The perfect cup of chai

A traditional cup of chai involves more than just an infuser or a pot like most teas. There is an art to brewing chai that is best mastered using only the finest, purposefully designed tools and equipment. Chai was traditionally made over a stove using a copper pot meant specifically to extract the best flavours from the tea itself. These days, there is a wonderful range of chai tea bags that have been created to recreate traditional methods of making this spicy and delicious beverage for those on the go.

Find your chai style

If you’re a traditionalist and enjoy the process of brewing tea, loose leaf chai will be the right choice for you. If you’re in a hurry or want to experience the more modern variations of the beverage, you may be better off with a chai tea bag or a powder to create a decadent chai latte.

Consider the creaminess

One of the first decisions you need to make in the brewing process is just how creamy you like your tea to be. For the full flavour experience, you can use all milk to create your brew. If you prefer a more delicate balance, brewing your chai using half milk and half water is also perfectly acceptable.

Take it slow

Chai benefits from a slow and methodical brewing process. Simmering a stovetop pot at medium-high heat will release more intricate flavours from its mix of spices.

Let it simmer

Whether you’re using all milk or a mix of milk and water to blend your chai, it is important to let it simmer gently over mild heat. With a little patience, you can extract the most flavour and be rewarded with a warm biscuit-like colour that signals its time to remove it from the stove.

Shop online with T2 today

Experience the benefits of chai and all the spices contained within each herbal blend when you shop online with T2. Our broad collection will allow you to try and taste a different Chai variety every time you shop — so you can always enjoy a rejuvenating and refreshing drinking experience.