The Perfect Cup of Chai

For most people, a cup of chai means a kick of masala, a dash of cinnamon, and a burst of cardamom, but for me it just means a simple English Breakfast blend brewed right.

You can check my ingredients list below if you don’t believe me:

• Half cup milk (Oat milk is a great substitute!)
• Half cup water
• 2 tsp loose leaf tea — English Breakfast works great but my fav blend is Wagh Bakri’s premium loose leaf.
• Sugar to taste.

You’ll also need:

• A saucepan
• A tea strainer or small sieve

The key to the perfect cup of chai is not in the ingredients you use but in how you brew it.

You’ll need a saucepan. Literally any pot will do, and once you’ve got that on your stove, stick all of your ingredients in (yes, the milk and water go in together!) and turn on the gas/heat.

Generally a little sugar is required to take the edge off the strongly brewed chai (and we will be brewing it strong!) but you can go without, or substitute with sweeteners or honey.

It sometimes takes a while to heat up (you can put the gas on high flame to speed up the process), and I like to stir it regularly to make sure none of the sugar sticks to the bottom of the pot. But once it’s warmed up nicely, something magical happens.

You’ll very quickly notice that once the liquid is broiling nicely, it’ll start to rise to the top of the pot. Don’t panic! What’s happening is that the steam becomes trapped underneath the upper layer of foam, causing it to rise and spill 9ver if you’re not careful!

But this is the best part of the process. As the liquid mixture begins to rise, I put the gas down to its lowest setting, and then use a spoon to break up the foam, shifting it aside to allow the steam underneath to escape. It takes a few moments but you’ll eventually see the brew settling back down, and once the foam’s broken up, you can leave it to simmer at the lowest heat setting.

This is when the chai really becomes chai. The brew becomes golden-brown, becoming darker and stronger the longer you leave it to simmer. I usually let it sit like this for 5 or so minutes before turning off the gas and pouring the concoction out into my mug (using a tea strainer or sieve to catch the loose leaves!).

And that’s it! You’ve made chai!

Sure, this method take a fair bit longer than brewing a kettle, dipping in a teabag, and sloshing in some cold milk, but honestly can you say it’s better than a steaming mug of authentic, golden-brown chai?

Try it and let me know.