Masala Chai

In India chai is not something you order now and then, it is the shape of the day: a cup before anything else in the morning, another the moment someone walks in, another at four. Masala chai is the blend at the center of all of it, and it is the cup children grow up on, poured milkier and weaker until they are old enough to take it full strength. Black tea simmered with ginger, green cardamom, cloves, and Ceylon cinnamon until the whole kitchen smells of it.

Brew it on the stovetop with milk and a sweetener for a full, punchy cup, the kind of strong tea-stall pour some drinkers call cutting chai. Pour it hot on a grey afternoon, or brew it double-strength and froth the milk for a chai latte. Getting it right is the ratio, and that is the part that takes years. This is our own family's chai recipe, blended fresh in small batches in Portland so the spice oils stay bright in the tin.

Blend: black tea, ginger, green cardamom, cloves, Ceylon cinnamon. No sugar, no preservatives. Vegan. The black-tea base carries caffeine.

How do I brew it?
Use one teaspoon per eight ounces of water in a pan. Bring it to a rolling boil for two to three minutes. Add milk at a ratio of one part milk to three parts water, then boil for another two minutes. Strain, sweeten to taste, and serve.

All milk, or milk with water?
Milk and water together, at one part milk to three parts water, following the brew steps above. Too much milk mutes the spice and the tea struggles to rise in the pan. This ratio keeps the cup bright and full-bodied rather than flat.

Is masala chai caffeinated?
Yes. The base is black tea, so the cup carries a moderate lift, close to a strong cup of tea.

What is "cutting chai"?
A small, strong glass of chai served at Indian tea stalls, named for the way one pour is cut and shared between two people. It is the punchy, spice-forward benchmark this blend is built to hit at home.