Kolkata Chai

After Assam tea was popularized and spread throughout India by the British, Indians began developing their own methods of brewing black tea. This became necessary because much of the tea available within India was of relatively poor quality, with the finest teas being exported overseas, particularly to Britain. To make the tea more palatable, spices were added before milk, producing a beautiful cacophony of flavors.

Traditionally, these spices include cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, and ginger, while star anise is used in some regional variations. (I personally prefer it without ginger.) This specific masala chai blend originates in Kolkata, India, although there are companies in New York that produce Kolkata-style chai mixes based on family recipes. It is traditionally made using CTC (Crush, Tear, Curl) Assam tea.

This particular mix is somewhat underwhelming, although it is inexpensive. The signature blend features green cardamom (which I personally find less flavorful than black cardamom) and, in my opinion, not enough spices overall. It is essentially strong CTC Assam with a modest spice blend, so I prefer adding additional spices myself.

If you make your own supplemental spice blend as I do, you can produce a delicious cup of tea with this mix. However, the best masala chai will always come from a chaiwala or from someone who has spent years perfecting their own homemade recipe.

Before you begin brewing, it is important to know that masala chai is best made by taste and intuition rather than by strict measurements. For that reason, I recommend adding only small amounts of each ingredient at a time (with the exception of the tea leaves, in my opinion). Everyone enjoys their chai a little differently, so make it to your own taste.

Start by adding one cup of water per serving to a pot along with cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, cloves, star anise, and optionally ginger. Bring the water to a boil, then add about one tablespoon of tea leaves (or Kolkata Mix) per cup and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.

After about three minutes—or whenever the tea reaches your preferred strength—taste it and adjust the spice blend if necessary. Once you're happy with the flavor, add sugar to taste.

Next, pour in whole milk and increase the heat. The instructions on my blend recommend a 1:1 ratio of water to milk, but I personally find that to be too much milk. Add however much you prefer, then bring the mixture back to a boil. As the tea begins to rise in the pot, quickly turn off the heat and stir to prevent it from boiling over. Taste once more, adjust the sugar if needed, strain the tea, and enjoy.