the classic cha recipe

1. Boil 1 cup water

2. Add:

   1. 2 crushed cardamom pods

   2. 2 tsp grated ginger (personal preference on amount)

   3. 2 black tea bags/1 spoonful of loose black tea

3. Simmer for 5 minutes

4. Add 1 cup oat milk/reg milk and cover

5. Simmer for 5-7 min but watch it carefully because the milk WILL boil over and then you WILL have a mess to clean up

6. Add sugar as preferred and strain into your cups. This guides makes two cups.

FYI: Adding an inch of a cinnamon stick and 2-3 cloves would make this a complete masala chai, but I personally don’t make masala chai at home.

8th century: tea was exclusively grown in China and the British were making it at the top of their list to mass purchase and commercialize Chinese products like silk, porcelain, and of course, tea.

Despite protest and aggression from China,  the British East India Tea company set up tea farms in Assam, India.  Because of the climate, the tea leaves grew well, but the work of harvest was done by indentured workers who binded their time for a set period to the bosses. The British propagated drinking chai has a luxurious pastiime, yet the tea was too expensive for the average Indian to consume. So, Indians followed the British in adding milk and sugar but in a much heftier quantity along with spice to reduce costs while keeping the chai flavorful. 

Now,  we drink on average of 3-4 cups of tea a day. Whenever a friend comes over, they will expect chai and we expect to make them some. If this happens 3x a day, then we will make cha 3x a day. 

Did you know? The word chai/cha comes from the Mandarin word for tea –  cha.