Chai, rhyming with "sky" is a generic word for tea in many parts of the world. Popular forms of chai claim Indian roots and is known as a sweet, wonderful mixture of milk, strong black tea and spices with flavors such as ginger, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. Chai can be enjoyed hot or cold and is becoming an increasingly favoured alternative to coffee.

Here's how Chai Tea is Made:

The roots of chai can be traced to India and Siam, where the story tells it to be invented by a royal king, who protected the recipe as one of his treasures. To this day it is the everyday beverage in India and other parts of Asia. Recipes vary by their region or even by household, where days are started by serving a cup of chai taken from a steaming kettle. Traditional chai is a mix of sweet and piquant spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, peppercorn, cloves and star anise ground together and boiled in water. The mixture is then added to black tea, strained and then combined with heavy milk. Honey is added to bring out the robust flavour of spices. The chai we are familiar with in the Western cultures if often made from liquid concentrate and served as a latter style drink. we prefer using quality loose leaf chai; exotic blend of spices mixed with black tea or Rooibos tea.  

Chai Tea and Health:

Just as coffee is a morning ritual for many people, chai is considered a social drink in India. Serving a cup of family's chai is considered a welcoming gesture to your home. Chai is also known for it's health benefits. The combination of spices, herbs and tea is known to work as a great relaxation aid and help with digestion. Based on tea, chai also contains the health benefits that camellia sinensis plant has to offer. Naturally tea and chai has a lower caffeine content than coffee and is a healthier alternative stimulant. Rooibos Chai, however, is completely caffeine free and is therefore the ultimate in Chai tea for the health conscious connoisseur.

How to Make a Perfect Cup:

Here's how you can make Chai at home:
Add 1 tablespoon of chai mix to 6oz boiling water. Sweeten with honey or sugar. Let the leaves steep for 2 minutes, or in the case of rooibos chai, boil for 2-3 minutes.  Add 4oz milk to the Chai tea and bring to boil. Separate leaves from the tea by pouring the Chai through strainer. To enhance the taste of Chai add a touch of cinnamon