The Art of Masala Chai

Spices should be steeped in boiling water for 10+ minutes, whereas teas should be steeped for 1-5 minutes, in hot to boiling water, depending on the type of tea. The chaiwallahs on the streets of India (remember Slumdog Millionaire?) make their chai by boiling water, adding the spice, then adding the tea later so it is extracted for a shorter time. They then add the milk and sugar before serving it to you for 2 rupees (4-5 cents). You can and should try making chai like this. However, realize that if you steep the spice in hot water for 5 minutes, then add the tea, the water may have dropped below the desired tea steeping temperature, unless you are preparing it on the stove top.

Element Spice has come up with a chai kit that allows you to make chai in a fun and ideal way. The spice and the tea come in separate containers. You steep the spice in one pot at the right time and temperature and at the same time steep the tea in another container at its right time and temperature. Then you mix the two liquids to achieve your ideal pot of chai.

The Art of Masala Chai

They'll be a lot of posts on this subject, focusing on my idea for Mix 'n Match Chai.

Why Mix 'n Match Chai?
In most coffee shops, even the ones that pride themselves on gourmet coffee and food, the teas, and in particular the chai teas, are largely an afterthought. Even on the rare occasion when the chai doesn’t come from a liquid concentrate or powder mix, there are problems with the way chai is made.
Chai literally means tea in Hindi, but in the rest of the world the term chai generally connotes tea plus spice, which is reasonable, since this is the way Indians almost always take their tea (plus milk and sugar or jaggery). Sometimes, in India, the term “masala” (spice mix) chai is used to specifically distinguish spicy tea from just plain tea, chai.

There are higher-quality chai mixes sold by gourmet purveyors available in the West. These mixes are significant improvements on the liquid concentrates and powders, in that they are whole leaf teas mixed with ground spices. They are still far from an ideal mode by which to make masala chai, however, because spices and teas have different extraction profiles, and so should not be extracted together, or at the very least not for the same amount of time.

Chai Extracts

Can liquid chai extracts, basically, brewed chai (spice plus tea), typically at a concentrated level, be good chai? I mean, if this works, then why don't we see gourmet liquid tea extracts?

http://www.harmonychai.com/
http://oregonchai.com/

More on My Chai Idea

16 Chai Combination Kit, $47
4 spice compounds x 4 teas
spice compounds: spark, cozy, balance, nirvana
teas: earl grey black, assam black, tung ting oolong, lemongrass tulsi tisane
makes about 44 cups
net weight approx 8 oz (226g)

36 Chai Combination Kit, $57
6 spice compounds x 6 teas
spice compounds: spark, cozy, balance, nirvana, quaint, savory
teas: earl grey black, assam black, tung ting oolong, genmaicha green, lemongrass tulsi tisane, rooibos tisane
makes about 66 cups
net weight approx 12 oz (340g)

Steeping Spice

Steeping Spice
Steep for 10+ minutes in boiling water. The spice compound comes in a coarse grind. If you use a tea ball or strainer, you will get some spice floating in your chai (all the more authentic). If you don’t want these floaties, try a muslin bag.

General Chai Directions

Directions
Makes two 8 oz cups of chai tea.
Steep using a tea pot, tea ball, strainer or French press. Note that a French press may not stop extraction when you press the plunger down, so you may want to decant the liquid right after plunging.
(1) Choose one chai spice compound and one tea from your chai kit.
(2) If using two separate pots:
Steep 2 tsp (10 ml) of chai spice compound in 8 oz (1 cup) boiling water for 10+ mins. Steep 2 tsp of tea in 8 oz (1 cup) hot to boiling water for 1-5 mins. Mix the liquids 1:1.
If using one pot:
Steep 2 tsp (10 ml) of chai spice compound in 16 oz (2 cups) of boiling water for 5+ minutes. Add 2 tsp (10 ml) of tea and steep for another 1-5 minutes.
(3) For traditional chai, add milk and sugar. For a refreshing change, try without the milk or sugar. You can even try the spice compound water without the tea!

Element Spice takes this gourmet concept even further by providing you with several spices compounds and several teas to choose from. If you have the 4 spice compounds x 4 teas kit, you have 4 x 4 = 16 chai combinations to choose from. If you have the 6 x 6 kit, you have 36 chai combinations.

Note that the term “herbal tea” as applied to chamomile or lemon grass, among others, means a non-caffeinated tea substitute, i.e., not tea at all. To avoid confusion, we prefer to use the term “tisane.”

#C2 Pan-Asian Masala Chai recipe

Here is a set of instructions for making chai. Since spice can steep for longer than tea, the preferred approach is to steep the spice first, for 3-5 mins, then steep the spice and tea together, for another 3-5 mins. Therefore, your ELEMENT SPICE chai compound does not have the tea mixed in, as many chai mixes do, which prevents proper steeping. A basic black tea like Assam or Nilgiri would work well. I recommend that you add boiling water in two stages so that the water is still properly hot (near boiling) when it comes time to steep the tea. The cups in the photo, by the way, are small, thin clay cups that are treated as disposable in India, and are commonly used by the vendors selling chai on the railways.

ELEMENT SPICE COMPOUND #C2
Pan-Asian Masala Chai (spice only)
Inspiration: South India

There is no one Masala Chai (Hindi for “spice mix tea”) recipe, but cloves, cardamom and cassia cinnamon are almost universal. Because spices take longer to extract than tea does, the best way to prepare your chai is to first steep the spices for about 5 minutes, then add the black tea and steep for another 3-5 minutes. The standard price for a glass of Masala Chai from the chai-wallahs on the streets of India, whether in rural areas or the cosmopolitan cities, is 2 rupees (5 cents). Our pan-Asian version adds star anise (used in India, but more common in Southeast and East Asian cooking (e.g., Chinese five-spice) and ginger. A tea ball, strainer, or other tea-making device can be used to make your chai. A French press can also work, though we recommend decanting your chai immediately after it steeps, because French presses usually do not stop extraction of tea.

(1) Shake or mix Pan-Asian Masala Chai spice. Optional: toast the spice, just to the point of smoking.

(2) Measure out one heaping teapoon (7 ml) of Masala Chai spice and one heaping teaspoon of loose black tea for each cup of water, 8 fl oz (120 ml).

(3) Steep the Masala Chai spice for 5 minutes, then add the loose black tea for another 3-5 minutes. Ideally, the water should be near boiling at both stages, so boil water and half the needed amount for the spices, then reboil the water while waiting for the spices to steep and add boiling water again at the tea stage.

(4) Decant the liquid or strain out the spice and tea leaves. Add milk and sugar to taste (to do it in true Desi style, add a lot of both). For a refreshing change, try it without the milk and sugar, or even without the tea!

INGREDIENTS: Cardamom, cassia cinnamon, cloves, star anise, ginger, black pepper.

Information on tea and tea plantations:
The Republic of Tea
Meghma Tea Estate