Chai Latte: The Popular Spiced Tea Drink

If, in recent years, you haven't just placed your usual order in a modern coffee shop but have taken the time to study the café's menu, you will surely have noticed the drink "Chai Latte." This trendy beverage, sworn to by Hollywood stars, is almost impossible to imagine without in coffee house culture, especially not on dreary autumn or cold winter days. Where does this aromatic drink come from, and why all the hype around it? How do I prepare it at home, and is it even good for my health to try it? We delve into the phenomenon of Chai Latte!

What exactly is Chai Latte?

The word "Chai" is used in many parts of the world for tea beverages. If you order a "Chai" in Russia, Turkey, or Asian countries, you will be served black tea. The Dutch brought tea leaves from their colonies to Europe and coined the term "Tee" there. In the Indian linguistic area, Chai is more specifically referred to as "Masala Chai." Masala here stands for a spice mixture that is added to black tea, similar to spice mixtures for cooking and flavoring chili.

Masala Chai is a kind of national drink in India. You can buy it on every street corner, and most families have a secret family recipe for their special Masala Chai. Typically, black tea is mixed with cardamom, cinnamon, fennel, cloves, or anise. Unlike in our culture, the tea is brewed in a pot with the spices and then refined with honey and milk.

Is chai with spices healthy?

Whether coffee is healthy or unhealthy, we have already discussed in more detail in a video with Professor Yeretzian. But the question also arises for black tea and Masala Chai: "Does the enjoyment of this drink have health benefits?"

This depends on which spices your chai contains and how you prepare it. Many of the spices mentioned above, however, clearly have a positive effect on our body:

• Black tea: The caffeine in black tea invigorates us. It makes us mentally more alert and physically more efficient.
• Cardamom: Has a calming effect on our digestion and can help against colds.
• Cinnamon: Stimulates blood circulation and lifts the mood!
• Ginger: Considered a superfood. It strengthens our immune system, has antibacterial properties, and stimulates our appetite.
• Anise and Fennel: Calm the stomach and can have antispasmodic effects.
• Cloves: Can have anti-inflammatory effects and are a source of antioxidants.

So there are certainly good reasons to try a chai with spices. The health effect, however, varies depending on the method of preparation. The fresher you prepare the drink, the more health-promoting ingredients it contains. But more on that later.

Where does the hype come from?

Even though we know that Chai Latte is good for our mood and health, the question still remains why this drink has experienced such a hype.

In the 90s, the coffee chain giant Starbucks added the drink to its repertoire. In addition, several TV stars and celebrities promoted the drink and raved about it publicly. Since the general interest in Far Eastern culture, philosophy, and spirituality seems to have exploded in recent decades, Chai Latte appeals precisely to this growing target group. Anyone who enjoys yoga, Ayurvedic nutrition, and meditation will also be attracted to Chai Latte. Especially in the colder months and around Christmas, many coffee shop goers opt for the trendy drink.

Preparation

There are three different ways to prepare a Chai Latte. If you make it yourself at home, you can either create your own spice blend, use a pre-made chai tea mix, or work with instant powder or syrup.

Making your own Chai Tea

This method of preparation is by far the most elaborate, and you should take some time to create your own Chai Latte. You will need:

• 1 tbsp black tea (Assam, Darjeeling, or Earl Grey, depending on taste)
• 2 star anise
• 2 cloves
• 1-2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tsp cardamom
• about 1 cm fresh ginger
• 2 tbsp honey, alternatively brown sugar or another sweetener
• 250 ml water
• 250 ml whole milk or a milk alternative

First, briefly roast the spices in a pan. This activates the essential oils in the spices and extracts even more aroma from them. Pour hot water over them in the pan and let the spice mixture steep for a few minutes. Then add the honey and your black tea. It's best to time it now and let the tea steep for about 4 minutes. The water should be about 90°C at this time, so not vigorously boiling anymore. Afterwards, strain the mixture through a sieve to stop the steeping process of the tea. Then, heat the milk with an espresso steam wand or on the stove and froth it. Finally, fill a large cup or glass halfway with your tea and pour the frothed milk over it.

Ready-made Chai Tea Blends

If you don't have a fully stocked spice rack and don't want to buy all the spices, you can also use ready-made chai tea blends. In almost every supermarket, and especially online, there is a wide selection of various ready-made chai tea blends. There is loose tea as well as ready-made tea bags, organic or non-organic. You can choose between "Chai Black Tea," "Choco Chai," "Sweet Chai," or even "Pumpkin Chai" with dried pumpkin. The selection is truly vast, and it's worth checking the description or the back of the package when searching. Here you can see the exact composition of the ready-made mixture. Although the spices are not freshly roasted before preparation, these ready-made mixtures are definitely suitable for beginners.

Preparation is then incredibly simple. Pour hot, but not boiling, water over the ready-made tea mixture. Let it steep for a few minutes according to the package directions. Then add the desired amount of frothed milk to the tea, and your comforting drink is ready!

Instant Powder

For those who want it very easy and uncomplicated, the market offers a lot of instant alternatives to freshly brewed tea. There are instant powders that are fortified with milk powder and only need to be topped with hot water. However, the texture and mouthfeel of these drinks are by no means as creamy and velvety as with freshly frothed milk. Therefore, there are also instant powders without milk powder, which you pour hot water over, but then crown with freshly frothed milk.

Undoubtedly, instant powders are an incredible convenience, but they also influence our drinking habits. Anyone who wants to take time and leisure for their Chai Latte will certainly also plan time and care for the preparation of their tea. It's not for nothing that there is a centuries-old tradition of tea ceremonies in Asian countries that guarantee the comforting drink a permanent place in everyday life. This break and time for enjoyment is certainly diminished by the idea of an instant powder that promises chai tea in 30 seconds.

The positive health aspects of Masala Chai described above are also not as pronounced in instant powders. The fresh spices have previously been processed into powder in elaborate processes and lose much of their essential oils and flavorings. Biting into a fresh apple is, after all, different from chewing apple-flavored chewing gum. In low-quality instant teas, artificial flavorings are even added.

For a first encounter with Chai Latte, we would therefore most likely recommend the first two variants or a visit to your trusted café.

Chai Latte in Coffee Shops

In most coffee shops and also in our Kaffeemacher:innen cafés, you can order a Chai Latte. The peace and leisure you can take at home to prepare Chai Latte cannot logically be taken by the barista in a café. After all, it would be strange if you ordered a Chai Latte and only had your drink in your hands half an hour later because the barista first had to weigh, roast, pour, strain, and mix spices.

In many coffee shops, the barista therefore resorts to a syrup solution. These either self-prepared syrups or solutions offered by companies greatly simplify the workflow in the café and still offer an aromatic taste experience.

The barista only has to put a few pumps of syrup into a glass and froth the milk with the steam wand, and the guest immediately receives an aromatic drink with a pleasant mouthfeel, without having to wait long for it.

Another advantage is that the easy-to-use syrup invites experimentation. The syrup also dissolves in cold milk. So why not an Iced Chai Latte? A combination with a well-extracted espresso is also possible. For this so-called Dirty Chai Latte, a few pumps of syrup are added to a single or double espresso and poured over with frothed milk. Certainly worth a try.

Even if this coffee shop solution looks different from a multi-hour Japanese tea ceremony, this practice has proven itself in many cafés and is a modern development of the Indian national drink for a growing chai tea fan base.