Masala chai
Masala chai is a South Asian drink made by brewing black tea with milk, sugar, and spices. Its flavor varies with the spice blend and preparation.
Black tea: Tea made from fully oxidized leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. It supplies masala chai’s tea base and tannic flavor.
Decoction: A preparation method that extracts substances by boiling plant material in liquid. Boiling spices in water or milk draws flavor into the chai.
Tea in India: The cultivation, trade, and consumption of tea across the Indian subcontinent. Masala chai grew within India’s varied tea-drinking traditions.
Doodh patti: A South Asian milk tea in which tea is brewed directly in milk, often with sugar and cardamom. It shares chai’s milk-and-tea base but usually uses fewer spices.
Chai culture: The social practices and meanings associated with preparing, serving, and drinking chai, especially in South Asia. Masala chai is a familiar expression of hospitality and daily social exchange.
Milk tea: Tea prepared or served with milk, a practice found in many regional traditions. Masala chai belongs to the broad family of teas prepared with milk.
Extraction (chemistry): The transfer of soluble compounds from one material into a solvent. Chai brewing extracts aromatic and bitter compounds from tea and spices.
Assam tea: A robust black tea grown in the Assam region of northeastern India. Its strong flavor stands up to milk, sugar, and spices.
Karak tea: A strong, sweet milk tea popular in the Gulf, commonly flavored with cardamom. Its concentrated, often cardamom-forward preparation offers a regional comparison.
Indian diaspora: Communities of Indian origin living outside India and their cultural connections across countries. Diaspora cafés and households have carried chai into new settings.