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Can I also use samovar to make chai tea?

Yes, you can use samovar to make chai tea because it is a dual teapot as well. To do so, use a samovar instead of a double tea kettle and follow the directions above.

You can visit our related blog to learn more about samovar following this link.

Should I use loose tea leaves or tea bags to make chai tea?

It is always better to use loose tea leaves to make tea since the flavor of the bag will also infuse into the water and spoil the taste of the final beverage.

Which black tea should I use to make chai tea?

You can use any black tea bread to make chai tea, but stronger ones such as Assam, Darjeeling, and Ceylon are better to release distant flavor in milk.

Does chai tea have caffeine?

Yes, chai tea has caffeine because it has black tea. It contains moderate amounts of caffeine that is less than coffee.

black teas

chai tea recipe

Emine Aslan January 25, 2024
Chai Tea Recipe

Summary: Here is the recipe for Indian masala chai tea, a perfect choice to get warm on winter days. You'll love it!

Tags: Chai tea

Category:Beverage
Cuisine:Indian
Serving:4 cups
Cook Time:20 minutes
Prep Time:5 minutes
Author:Emine Aslan
Calories: 122

Chai tea is an Indian tea beverage made by boiling black tea in milk and water with a mixture of warming spices. It is called masala chai, chai tea, and masala tea. Chai means “tea” and masala means “spices” in the Indian language. So, it is a little weird to call this beverage “chai tea” which means “tea tea” but it is the most common name in the United States used for this delicious Indian beverage. But its original name in India is masala chai, which means spices tea.

Masala chai is traditionally made in a pot on the stove. First, water, milk, and spices are boiled, then the heat is lowered to avoid boiling and black tea leaves are added. Black tea leaves are not wanted to boil since they release too much tannin at boiling temperature. Too much tannin is not healthy, especially bothers the stomach, and makes the tea taste bitter.

On the other hand, in order to have a perfect masala chai, it is important to brew black tea leaves sufficiently to have a strong tea flavor. The water, milk, and spices mixture should not boil while steeping black tea leaves to avoid too much tannin but it should also be hot enough for black tea leaves to release all their flavor sufficiently to have a strong tea.

The need to brew a strong tea while avoiding over-steeping makes the double tea kettle the perfect choice for making masala chai because it is not easy to adjust the proper heat when you make it in a single pot in the traditional way. The recipe below is to make chai tea using a double tea kettle like a Turkish tea kettle and samovar.

We should mention one last point before moving on to the chai tea recipe below. You should pay close attention to the quality of tea leaves and water to experience a pleasant tea journey. So, you should use quality loose tea leaves, not tea bags if possible, and bottled or filtered water if tap water is low quality. Fatty milk also enhances the taste and texture.

Now, let’s move on to the chai tea recipe below and enjoy the process of making it in a double tea kettle!

Ingredients

  • Main ingredients for masala chai:
  • 4 cups water, filtered or bottled if tap water is of poor quality

  • 2 cups whole milk

  • 4 tablespoons loose black tea leaves

  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar (optional to taste)

  • Spices for masala chai:
  • 12 cardamom pods, gently crushed

  • 4 cinnamon sticks

  • 8 whole black peppercorns

  • 8 whole cloves

  • 4-inch knob of fresh ginger, sliced

  • 3 whole allspice

  • 2 whole star anise

  • 1 vanilla bean

  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

  • 4 teaspoons fennel seeds

Directions

  1. Add some water to the lower kettle of your double tea kettle, and put it on the stove or you can turn on your tea maker by adding some water to the bottom.

  2. Add water, milk, and spices to a pot, and put them on the stove to boil.

  3. Reduce the heat as soon as the pot boils and leave it to simmer for 5 minutes, and turn off the stove thereafter. The water in the kettle should also boil in the meantime.

  4. Add tea leaves to the upper teapot of your double tea kettle or tea maker.

  5. Add the water, milk, and spices mixture to the tea leaves, and put the teapot on to the tea kettle for steeping. The water below should continue to boil during steeping.

  6. The teapot should stay over the kettle with boiling water for 15 minutes for perfect brewing.

  7. Once the brewing is done, pour the chai tea into the teacups. You should pour it from a distance to make it froth for a perfect texture.

  8. Traditional masala chai is very sugary and made by adding sugar to the pot while making the water, milk, and spices mixture. So, you can prefer to do so or you can add sugar to the teacups as much as desired at the end.

  9. Here is the chai tea for you and your loved ones to get warm and relax.

  10. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 cup
Amount/​Serving
% Daily Value
Calories per serving
122
Carbs
15.4 grams
6
Fat
4.8 grams
6
Protein
4.7 grams
9
Cholesterol
12 milligrams
4
Sodium
62 milligrams
3
Fiber
2.7 grams
10
Extras
  • RECIPE NOTES FOR CHAI TEA:

    The most common spices to make chai tea are cinnamon sticks, ginger, clove, cardamom, nutmeg, black peppercorn, star anise, fennel, vanilla, and allspice. However, you are free to use all or some of these spices or add some additional spices to the recipe. It is better to use spices as a whole for the most flavor, but, if you do not have them whole, you can use ground versions.

    Please keep in mind that you can change the amounts of ingredients mentioned above according to your preference. The more tea leaves and spices you add, the stronger the taste of tea becomes, and vice versa. On the other hand, you can also adjust the hardness of your tea by adding some hot water from the lower kettle to the cups. However, you should keep in mind that additional water in the cups will increase the water-to-milk ratio and make the taste more watery.