About Indian Masala Tea
Indian masala tea is a popular black tea beverage that is served hot. Traditionally, additives like milk and sugar are used to balance the strong black tea and the mixture of aromatic spices and herbs infused in it. This full-bodied black tea has a spicy and sweet taste, depending on the mix of ingredients, strong earthy aroma, and a creamy texture from the added milk.
The words "masala" and "chai" directly translate to "spice" and "tea," respectively, which makes Indian masala chai Indian spiced tea. This direct translation is also why most Indian locals are confused when westerners call a tea beverage "chai tea" because that translates to "tea tea."
Indian masala chai is widely consumed in every Indian household, and every family uses their own blend of spices and herbs to create their iteration of the tea. While a wide range of spices can be used to make masala tea, typically these iterations contain a unique mix of cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and black pepper.
Kadak Chai, which translates to "strong tea," is perhaps the most widely consumed Indian masala chai in India.
Types of Indian Spiced Tea
There are many types of Indian spiced teas or masala chais, including:
- Strong Indian Spiced Tea (or "Kadak Chai")
- Ginger Spiced Tea (or "Adrak Chai")
- Cardamom Spiced Tea (or "Elaichi Chai")
- Kashmiri Kahwa (made with a blend of cinnamon, cardamom, and saffron)
- Indian (Holy) Basil Tea (or "Tulsi Chai")
- Malabar Spiced Tea (or "Sulaimani Chai")
- Bombay Cutting Chai (a blend of cardamom and ginger tea, popularized from the streets of Mumbai)
- Lemongrass Spiced Tea
- Turmeric Spiced Tea (or "Haldi Chai")
- Jasmine Spiced Tea (or "Chamelee Chai")
- Earl Grey Spice Black Tea
- Many more
Benefits of Masala Chai
There are numerous benefits of Indian masala chai, but they largely depend on the spice blend or ingredients being used. Here are just a few key benefits of masala chai to give you some idea.
- Prevent Cold and Nasal Congestion,
- Antioxidant-rich helps prevent cell damage,
- Clove contains compounds that help in improving the immune system.
- Cardamom has been used as a digestive which improves circulatory and digestive systems.
- Cinnamon has anti-inflammatory properties which help the body fight infections.
ALSO READ TOP 6 HEALTH BENEFITS OF MASALA TEA
Buy Masala Chai Online
Tea lovers and enthusiasts can now buy the most authentic Indian Masala Chais online from the exclusive Indian Spiced Tea Collection at Golden Tips Tea. With a wide range of masala chai blends, you can get some of the most exquisite and aromatic spiced teas in the world.
Golden Tips Tea is the most trusted seller of authentic Indian Spiced Teas, made from loose-leaf black teas, spices, and herbs sourced directly from the best tea plantations and spice farms in India.
Masala Chai Recipe
To get you started on your Indian masala chai journey, here is our favorite masala chai recipe that you can try at home today!
Standard preparation without milk
- Take 1 teaspoon of Golden Tips Masala Chai in a cup.
- Pour 200 ml of freshly boiled water over the tea leaves.
- Steep for 3-5 minutes as the leaves unfurled fully.
- Strain the tea leaves using a strainer
- Add sugar or honey as a sweetener.
Standard preparation with milk
- In a saucepan take two-third of water and one-third of milk and boil it.
- When it reaches boiling point add 1-2 teaspoons of Golden Tips Masala Chai and keep boiling for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add sugar as per your taste.
Frequently asked questions
Is Masala Chai (Spiced Tea) Good for Health?
Yes, like most authentic Indian teas, Indian Masala Chai is good for your health. Of course, like any healthy beverage, you must drink Indian Masala Chai in moderation.
The various aromatic spices and herbs used in Indian spiced tea have been known to improve health in many ways. They have been used in traditional herbal medicine for centuries, whereas modern research provides more insight into their health benefits.
What Are the Benefits of Indian Masala Tea?
Apart from the delicious flavor, creamy texture, and strong aroma, the health benefit of Indian Masala Tea can vary depending on the specific masala chai you drink because of the difference in the ingredients.
For example, ginger masala chai is great for oral health, immunity, controlling diabetes, reducing period pains, soothing muscles, etc.
Whereas cardamom helps reduce inflammations, improve digestion, and fight diseases such as certain cancers. Typically, you can expect all these health benefits from masala chai and more, like reduced fatigue, good brain health, heart health, improved sleep, improved metabolism, etc.
Which One Is Healthier, Masala Tea or Coffee?
Masala Tea is far healthier than coffee. This is simply because the latter has high caffeine content, which can lead to anxiety, insomnia, digestive problems, muscle breakdown, high blood pressure, addiction, stress, and many other health issues.
On the other hand, masala tea is packed with healthy antioxidants and organic ingredients like aromatic spices and herbs that improve health in various ways.
What Are the Different Types of Indian Chai?
There are many different types of Indian Chai, including Strong Indian Spiced Tea (or "Kadak Chai"), Ginger Spiced Tea or "Adrak Chai,"Cardamom Spiced Tea or "Elaichi Chai," Kashmiri Kahwa made with a blend of cinnamon, cardamom, and saffron, Indian (Holy) Basil Tea or "Tulsi Chai, "Malabar Spiced Tea or "Sulaimani Chai,"Lemongrass Spiced Tea, Turmeric Spiced Tea (or "Haldi Chai"), and many more.
Which One Is Good for Health, Masala Tea or Green Tea?
Both masala tea and green tea are healthy in moderation. However, green tea lacks the additives used in masala tea, which may make it ahealthier option. If you drink masala tea without any additives, an argument could be made that the additional spices and herbs make it a healthier option.
However, masala tea without additives like sugar and milk may taste tart, bitter, spicy, or exceptionally strong for the average tea drinker. Moreover, since green tea is far more popular, there is volume of research on its benefits. On the other hand, there is less research on the benefits of masala tea to conclusively deduce which tea is healthier.
What Are CTC Teas?
CTC stands for "crush, tear, curl" or "cut, tear, curl,"and it is a popular end-stage processing method for black tea leaves. Unlike traditional tea processing, the leaves are put through cylindrical rollers that crush, tear, and curl them into small pellets of black tea, hence the name CTC.
What Are the Different Types of CTC Teas in India?
There are many types of CTC teas in India with different grades, making it impractical to list them all. However, the most popular types include broken orange pekoe, broken pekoe souchong, broken souchong, golden broken orange pekoe, dust, and fanning.
How Is CTC Tea Made?
Normal black tea is made by rolling the tea leaves into strips. However, CTC tea is made using a series of cylindrical rollers that crush, tear, and curl the black tea leaves into tiny hard pellets of black tea before they are oxidized.
This popular method offers a convenient and cost-effective tea processing solution that can be used for tea bags, and it also produces teas with stronger liquor and milder bitterness.