Masala chai is a flavored tea beverage made by brewing black tea with a mixture of aromatic Indian spices and herbs. Originating in South Asia, the beverage has gained worldwide popularity, becoming a feature in many coffee and tea houses. Since I find myself drinking more chai lattes I decided to know more about the tea. Bear with me is I bore you for a minute.

So, what sort of spices and herbs are used. The spice mixture uses a base of ground ginger and green cardamom pods. Other spices include cinnamon, star anise and/or fennel seeds, peppercorn, and cloves. Allspice is sometimes used to replace or complement the cinnamon and clove. They top off the drink with nice foam. Sorry but they do not normally serve them with whip cream. I’ve seen some coffee shops sprinkle cinnamon powder on top which adds a bit color and personality.

In many Eurasian languages, chai or cha is the word for tea. This comes from the Persian chay, which originated from the Mandarin word for tea chá. Despite this, in many Western languages this spiced tea is commonly referred to as simply chai, which can lead to conflation. For this reason, the term chai tea, although redundant (as all masala chai is tea), is sometimes used to indicate spiced milk tea as distinct from other types of tea.

Numerous coffee houses use the term chai latte or chai tea latte for their version to indicate that the steamed milk of a normal latte is being flavored with a spiced tea concentrate instead of with espresso. By 1994 the term had become commonplace. This is the type of chai I prefer to have: the concentrate with steamed milk.

I admit I do not go to coffee houses just for the drinks. But, I do go for the ambiance and community that evolves in and around them. Each is unique, taking on the personality of the owners, the baristas and the customers. That means I also bring my own gifts into the scheme of it all.