Chai Tea: Middle East Magic Sweeps America

Have you had chai yet? Most westerners serving in Middle East combat theaters have.

Images of chai courtesy: mooji.org, javaestate.com, yogitea.com, planetchai.com, sugarandspices.info and ashtangi.net

(SALEM, Ore.) - The first Chai Tea that I remember trying was at the Sikh Temple in Salem, Oregon. I was there for a news story, and in their infinite politeness, they made the most wonderful cup of tea that I had ever tasted.

As I noted the multi-step process involved in brewing chai, I had no idea that what I was watching would quickly become one of my favorite beverages, both in taste and creation, as the variety of ingredients allow chai to be served in infinite ways.

The first thing to learn is that saying ‘chai tea’ is really the same as saying “tea tea” because chai is indeed the word for tea in many parts of the world like Northern India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and other countries in the Middle East. In Bengali, the word for tea is chā and in Marathi it is called chahā.

So, a starting point is learning to just call it chai, and a good way to continue that education is to learn about all of the different types that are available throughout the world, and the most important part of course… try as many as possible.

I fell hopelessly for chai in Afghanistan, where drinking this sweet tea appears to be one of the nation’s favorite pastimes. Chai is typically brewed with water and milk and black tea and many spices. In Afghanistan they tend to use loose tea leaves, I just use regular black tea bags that can be found anywhere. In India, most chai is brewed with strong black tea, but Kashmiri chai is brewed with gunpowder tea.

Many families have their own recipes, and no list could hold the possible ingredients that people add to make their own version of the best chai.

When I’m ready for chai, I usually prepare a teapot that fills about four good sized coffee cups. I use even parts of water and milk, and then I get out a bowl to mix the spices. If you ensure that each is finely ground and well mixed then the final product will be better. In any case, do not take the last drink and you will always enjoy a cup of chai.

I'll admit that my preference is a very sweet cup of chai, but then I don't exactly recall having one that was not sweet. But what really sets a good cup of chai apart from other drinks is the bite, the pepper and the ginger work together to remind you that you are drinking something that is prepared with a number of ingredients that work very well in the right proportions.

To make my brew I add 8 black teabags, 6 tablespoons of sugar, ¾ of a teaspoon of ginger, 1/3 teaspoon of nutmeg, half a teaspoon of cinnamon, half of a teaspoon of freshly ground peppercorn, a good shot of vanilla and about two teaspoonfuls of honey.

This is only one way to make chai, and you may want to experiment with other ingredients. In Afghanistan, I had spiced chai in a variety of places. In Kyrgyzstan, I often ordered a chai latte with two shots of espresso.

It wasn’t until after spending two months in Asia that I discovered chai back in the states.

One of the easiest methods in discovering chai can be found at any local espresso house. You can almost always order it hot or cold, blended or on ice, you can have a chai shake, smoothie, and chai lattes are probably the single most popular. There are many ways to customize a chai at a good coffee house’s spice bar, so you get it just the way you want it.

You can also buy chai powder, I have not tasted one yet that I didn’t like, though I definitely lean toward the spiced chai mixes. These are reminiscent of hot chocolate in that you do not have to avoid the last drink and risk a mouthful of non blended spices. Sorry Maxwell House, but this is good to the last drop.

Another way to have a great cup of chai is by purchasing chai concentrate. This is simply mixed 50/50 with milk and heated on the stove or in the microwave. Again, this is good to the last drop. There are many varieties, look at your local supermarket but also check Trader Joe’s and other specialty import stores.

In the end there seem as many options with chai as any drink ever imagined and for some people that will be the addiction. Chai can be very fattened by nature, so people who are weight conscious should limit their intake and anyone with questions about their diet should consult with a doctor.

Kabul, Afghanistan '06 by: Tim King

No doubt the single best way to discover chai is to go to the Middle East and get right to the heart of it. It is one of several amazing and memorable things that I discovered while covering military operations in a faraway land called Afghanistan, and chai is one of the most revealing insights and tastes when it comes to sampling the exotic mysteries of the Middle and Far East from a safer location.

I see a future of chai tea houses in the United States and attribute that in part to a certain relaxing and healing quality that seems to go with this special drink. In Afghanistan, men will gather around a small fire and drink chai for hours on end. In fact this is one of the few visible pastimes that Afghan people seem to have and enjoy.

Of course I have been told that they often have very interesting ingredients in their chai, I suppose there is no imagining what a country that specializes in growing opium and marijuana could do with tea ingredients, I'm personally glad to have one more interesting drink out there for those who like to imbibe without worries about driving home later.

I may be a latecomer personally, but what a marvelous discovery; chai powder, chai tea bags, chai liquid that you mix with milk, chai at every espresso house I’ve visited on the west coast, and my very favorite is the one I make for myself at home; I think that its popularity in the United States is just getting traction.