Chai!!!

A good cup of authentic chai hits the spot almost every time. Whether it's cardamom, ginger, black pepper, or a combination of seasonings, or none at all, it's my favorite drink.

What, exactly, is Chai? Chai is the term used in India to refer to tea made a certain way. It is not simply a tea bag placed into a cup of hot water. It is much more than that... It is a blend of milk, water, sugar, tea, and spices to create a scrumptuous drink. The process is so easy, anyone can do it, if they know how. The perfect blend of spices, however, is completely up to the person drinking it.

I've made between 200 and 300 cups of chai, I'd estimate, within the past 2 years, since I visited India my first time. After a great deal of experimenting, and confirming with people who make it daily in India, I have come up with my favorite blend. And now I will teach anyone who wants to know, how to make it.

First of all, the list of ingredients. It's quite varied in the spices, but otherwise it's quite simple.
1) Loose Leaf Tea. Preferably from the province of Assam, India. "Taj Mahal" or "Red Label" are the recommended brands.
2) Milk
3) Water
4) Sugar
5) Masala, or seasoning. This is optional. It can contain anything from no seasoning, to a delicate blend of cinnamon, cardamom, clove, ginger, and even black pepper! You can get something called "Tea Masala" at any Indian Grocery Store. "Tea Masala" is a blend of ground up spices often containing all of those mentioned above.

In addition to these ingredients, you'll need...
6) A pot (not a teapot with spout)
7) A tea strainer, usually the size of the inside of a cup
8) A ladle (optional, but helpful for serving instead of pouring from the pot)

Don't worry, it's not that hard...
For making four cups of chai....
Put 3 cups (mugs) of water into the pot, and turn it on medium to high heat as you add...
4 heaping teaspoons of loose leaf tea.
6 or 7 heaping teaspoons of sugar, add to taste.
1/3 teaspoon of "tea masala," which is generally quite potent stuff.
Stir occasionally, if not often.
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Allow this to heat up until it starts to boil.
Add 1 mug of milk.*
Keep a close eye on the pot as the chai will eventually start to bubble and foam, at which point you turn down the heat to allow it to settle down. Then you can do this 2 or 3 more times, playing with the heat, or consider it finished. It should look a bit like hot chocolate. It could also have a thin film, or "skin" on top. That's normal, it's just what happens to the milk when it boils up like that.

Now turn off the heat, place the strainer on top of a cup, and ladle the chai through the strainer.
Yeah, it's hot. Some people learn to drink it at that temperature, while others wait awhile for it to cool.

So there you have it. Chai is EASY to make.

*The amount of milk and water is variable. You can even reverse the proportions if you want it very milky, or do half and half if you want a medium amount of creaminess to it.

Let me know how it works! And feel free to play with all of the proportions. For example, you may want to add less masala, if you want a plain chai flavor, or more if you want it spicy. Try adding ginger to help cure a sore throat. Or buy whole cardamom seeds, cut them up, and add one or two to the pot instead of the powdered masala.

If you want to learn more about chai, try visiting http://chai.com/
Better yet, go visit India. Each person, and each region, will have their own specific blend of spices, or masala.

Special thanks to Ram, from "Bombay Groceries," for the advice on which brand of tea leaf to buy. If you're a Biola student, try going to his store at the Northeast corner of Beach Blvd. and Rosecrans Ave., at 14766 Beach Blvd. La Mirada, CA 90638. Phone number 714-522-7666.

Oh, and let me know how your chai works out!