Month: December 2015

In a lot of countries, chai is the word they use to refer to tea. Chai has certainly been around for many centuries and has always been the drink of choice in some countries. To some people, chai is a part of culture, tradition and celebration.

In India, chai is a tea drink mixed with milk that has gained a good following in other parts of the world. There are four major ingredients in making chai tea drink. These are: a strong freshly brewed black tea, buffalo’s milk, a spice mix and a strong sweetener.

The spice mixture usually differentiates from one house to another and from one city to another. However the basic combination of cardamom pods and ginger are ground with the addition of other spices like cinnamon, cloves and black peppercorns. Other spices can be added to the ginger and cardamom combination for a unique tea blend. This drink gives off a relaxing and healing effect on the drinker. It helps people digest their food easier and provides a holistic feeling. The thing with chai tea is that sometimes it can be addicting.

Indians prepare chai tea as a way of life. However today, this Indian drink is experiencing a popularity boom in other countries and has caused quite a stir. Tourists who go to India and have experienced drinking authentic chai tea have only good things to say about this robust and wonderful drink.

In recent years, the popularity of chai tea drinks have grown by leaps and bounds. There is more interest in chai drinks compared to any other tea drink the last couple of years. Because of this popularity, a lot of over the counter drink shops have come up with their own special recipes for this drink. Some of them are even selling pre-mixed spiced mix for chai tea. Some experts on tea have said that the next big thing in beverages is the chai tea from India. In fact some of them even expect it to become as popular as Taiwan’s boba tea and Italy’s caffe cappuccino.

The best chai drinks are found in Indian restaurants and are served alongside savory dishes. However there is nothing more satisfying to the chai lover at heart than to make his or her own concoction in the comfort of his home.

Although new recipes have become popular, most of the purists still go back to the traditional chai recipes of old.

 

There’s nothing more comforting than knowing that a warm cup of coffee or tea within reach whenever you feel like you need one. Maybe it is its warmth but a cup of your favorite drink really goes a long way, especially if you’re the type who is constantly stuck in the everyday busy schedules of work. It somehow signifies taking a much-needed break. Not all are coffee drinkers though. Some would rather enjoy a cup of hot tea to help them get by.

There are so many kinds of tea available today. But one variant that stands out for me is the Chai tea. It is a rich black tea concocted using milk, some sweetener, and various spices. This type of tea originated from India and there are several versions of it from different parts of India, depending on the kind of spices they include in the recipe. The most common spices used are cinnamon, pepper, ginger, cardamom, and cloves. Many prefer this kind of tea because of its fragrance and creamy taste. It’s very soothing, too! Chai tea increasingly became popular over the years and the demand for it rose in many countries across the world.

That is why it is a good thing that Chai tea can easily be bought from local stores and groceries. Enjoying it in the privacy of your home is not a problem. It’s also great that when single-serve coffee machines made their way to a lot of homes and office pantries, Chai tea manufacturers followed suit and created Chai tea k-cups. These are the little cups that are sold in box packages that conveniently serve one per k-cup. Now, making a cup of Chai tea is even made easier since you only need to place one k-cup inside the machine’s cup slot and push a button. Isn’t that sweet?

The single-serve coffee machine is a great choice for offices, in particular, because people in the office do not like the same kind of coffee and tea. The coffee and tea k-cups quickly solved this problem because the machine dispenses single servings, making everyone happy with their preferred drinks. As for me, I stopped complaining about being forced to drink from a single pot of coffee that everybody needs to share. I just need to keep my Chai tea k-cups secured and ready to be brewed anytime I want. Now, that’s happiness in a cup.

-Mike (Chai enthusiast)

It was only recent when I started to develop an interest in tea. I used to always drink the Earl Grey variant and it is only now that I am exploring the different kinds of tea available now. The list is extensive! It is fun to sample the different kinds and learn more about the flavors. The basic tea types are black, white, green, oolong, and Pu’erh. I have been reading about it as well and it’s interesting to know about its origin. One particular kind that I love is the Chai tea. It is a creamy, spiced concoction made up of black tea and milk. Several spices are used but the most popular and widely used ones are cinnamon, ginger, pepper, cardamom, and cloves. Traditionally, Chai tea is an after-meal drink because it aids in digestion due to the medicinal properties of the spices. It is truly a soothing drink!

Chai tea has been around for centuries and its popularity reached the Western shores over the years. And since it is my favorite drink now, I made an effort to know more about it. I found out that you have the option to buy organic Chai tea instead of the regular ones. Much like how organic food stuff works, organic tea is definitely a healthier choice. In a world where almost everything is made by hugh technology and chemicals, it is nice to know that there are manufacturers that continue to offer us products that safe for consumption.

What’s even better is the fair trade Chai kind. Now, this is not a kind tea. It actually speaks of a Fair Trade Movement that pushes for fair pricing among producers of various goods around the world. Its focus is on the developing countries that export coffee, tea, cocoa, and sugar among others. It doesn’t only touch on fair pricing but also the sustainability of the producers and environmental conditions. When you purchase fair trade Chai, you are also guaranteed that the manufacturers of the product followed the rules in not using child labor, in upholding a safe working location, and conservation of the environment. It actually promotes ethical purchasing and I am proud to say that I support these products.

If you are on the lookout for some fair trade Chai, just check the product label if it is certified or not. It’s nice to know that you get to enjoy a good cup of Chai tea and at the same time, support a worthy cause.

-Mike (Chai enthusiast)

Chai is a tea drink that has a number of spices in it. It is basically consumed in India. There are five basic components in making the best Chai tea.

The first component is the tea base. Black tea, usually Assam acts as the base of this popular tea drink because it is strong enough to hold up to the milk and the sweetener. However, there is one specific kind of Assam tea that best suits this drink. This is called ‘mamri’. ‘Mamri’ are tea leaves that cured for a time that eventually breaks into tiny particles.

The next important component is the spices. The spices is what makes masala chai a distinct drink from any other tea beverage. The spices are combined to make a mixture which is called ‘Karha’. This mixture has a ginger and pods of cardamom as its basic ingredients. From here, other spices can be added to achieve more flavor. The most common spices added to this are cloves, nutmeg, peppercorn, fennel seeds, star anise and cinnamon. Western countries usually take out some spices and add their own.

The next important component is the milk. Buffalo milk is the most common milk used in India. However, in countries where buffalo milk is rare, cow’s milk is substituted. However, there are some people who also like to use condensed milk which adds creaminess and sweetness to the tea drink. However, Chai tea can also be consumed without any kind of milk. For this water is substituted in the same proportion.

The next important component is the sweetener. For this, there is a wide choice of sweetener that can be used to sweeten the chai tea drink. The most popular being white sugar and brown sugar. Palm sugar, Muscovado sugar and coco sugar are also popular choices. Then there are those who prefer honey as a natural sweetener. For those who like it really sweet, jiggery is their choice of sweetener. Jiggery is a compact form of cane sugar.

Masala Chai is really sweet because of the presence of a good portion of sweetener. The reason for this is that the amount of spices involved can be overwhelming and the sweetener balances it out.

The last important component in making masala chai is the preparation. There are several ways of preparing masala chai but the most popular of all is the decoction method. In this method, all of the ingredients are simmered then strained into a cup.

 

 

A home and office almost always has a coffee machine. Back in the days when traditional coffee brewing is done at home or in the office, one will make a pot of coffee and everyone has no choice as to what kind of coffee they will drink. Sometimes, pots of coffee are put to waste when people don’t drink as much. Not everyone are coffee drinkers though and some prefer tea. These people are left with the option of just using tea bags and hot water, while others go through the hassle of boiling water for their loose leaf tea.

When single-serve coffee machines became all the rage, people are given more liberty to make the kind of coffee they really want – in single, waste-proof batches. It was not long after that tea drinkers are given the option to make their preferred drink using the same machine. Some people thought that it would be impossible to brew tea in seconds, just how the single-serve coffee machines do with their coffee k-cups. But there are kinds of machines that are capable of heating water very quickly and it is this kind that is perfect for brewing loose leaf tea.

Loose Leaf Tea K-Cups are very easy and convenient to use. It is similar to how you would brew coffee using coffee k-cups which means you just have to dunk the cup in the coffee maker slot, press the button, and wait for it to extract the loose leaf tea goodness. This alternative is your best bet if you’re a person who is constantly on the go but you wouldn’t want something as comforting as hot tea to be impossible. Many loose leaf tea k-cup manufacturers are able to come up with a wide variety of flavors that tea lovers will surely enjoy.

There is an extensive list of tea variants that people can choose from. Some of the most popular tea flavors are lavender, jasmine, peach, peppermint, gunpowder, rose, earl grey, darjeeling, and green tea. Some prefer tea bags and others go for loose leaf tea. It is great to know that there is another way to prepare tea at home or in the office with the introduction of loose leaf tea k-cups. It’s always a good idea to have a heartwarming cup of tea whenever you feel like having one. Loose leaf tea k-cups make this possible and easy every single time.

 

I have always been a coffee drinker and I preferred the strong, black kind without any sugar and cream. There was a time when I was drinking too much coffee, maybe four to five cups a day. People always say that too much of something is bad and I would have to agree with them now. When I was drinking too much coffee, I had problems sleeping at night. I was also having palpitations. I was advised to cut back on my intake or switch to drinking hot tea instead. I wasn’t very fond of tea but when a good friend of mine introduced Chai tea to me, I suddenly had a change of heart.

Chai tea is a kind of tea that originated from India. Chai actually translates to tea in many places around the world. It is made up of black tea, milk, spices, and sweetener. It has a full-bodied flavor and the spices used provide a nice layer to its taste. The spices that are commonly used by Chai tea manufacturers are cardamom, cloves, pepper, cinnamon, and ginger. It is a creamy, heartwarming drink that is best served hot. Although a lot of people also prefer the iced variety. Chai tea has been around for centuries, especially in India and it eventually became a popular choice in the Western countries over the years. Most commercialized and famous coffee shops eve offer Chai tea and Chai tea lattes as part of their regular drinks.

What I particularly love right now is the organic Chai tea kind. Now that I am becoming more conscious of what I eat and drink, it’s always a good thing that you are offered healthier alternatives. Health buffs promote organic food choices and Chai tea is not to be left behind. When you say a tea is organic, that means it is processed without the use of synthetic fertilizers and conventional pesticides. The way Chai tea is made also plays a role in it being organic. Organic tea agriculture basically sustains the overall condition of not only the soil used but also the ecosystem.

I didn’t know switching to organic Chai tea will be beneficial to me and the organic tea industry. I am happy that this variant is readily available in the local market as well. I can now enjoy a cup of organic Chai tea as I kick back and relax in the comfort of my home.

-Haidy (converted Chai drinker)