Masala Chai Secrets of India – Black Tea

Brew & Taste

Secret of India Chai gives the infusion a dark mahogany color. It smells of cloves and star anise, and the flavor has both the sweetness of oranges and the pepperiness of all the spices we have added. Overall, the tea is refreshing, balanced and very attractive. You can sweeten it, but tradition says that you should balance it out with some milk. There are also areas where they add a pinch of salt to masala chai.

Origins

When you say Assam, any true tea lover will think of the Indian region famous for growing top-quality teas. Located in the northeast of the country, it has grown Chinese tea trees (Camellia sinensis) since about the mid-19th century. Farmers originally tried to grow Chinese hybrid varieties, but were not very successful. So, they replaced them with the local Assamica variety. And it thrived in the unique conditions. In addition to good soil and ideal amounts of light, the plant enjoy regular monsoons, cool mornings, and foggy nights. Tea is still mostly harvested manually in Assam. It allows the workers to reach the less accessible parts of the plantations, and they can only pick the perfect leaves. Once they've wilted a little, they are thrown onto plates and left to ferment naturally, during which the green tea is ''transformed'' into black tea. It then needs to be dried, sorted and packaged.

When one says masala chai, experienced tea lovers think of the absolute classic – a black tea with a blend of spices whose recipe originated in India and which is one of the treasures of ancient Ayurveda. The ancient recipe has evolved and changed over thousands of years, including countless variations. According to a legend, it was first created in the royal court unbelievable 9,000 years ago. However, information varies on which court it was. Some say it must have been in India, others believe it was in Thailand. Either way, the blend was created as an Ayurvedic drink to cleanse and invigorate the drinker. It was originally made with only a variety of spices, so it was caffeine-free. Tea leaves were introduced in the first half of the 19th century by the British colonizers of India. But the locals did not accept this change, as Masala Chai with tea was too expensive for them.

It was not until the early 20th century that the British-owned Indian Tea Association focused on promoting Indian tea in India. Vendors began adding milk and sugar to masala chai with tea leaves, keeping their drinks tasty while reducing the cost of making a single cup. Today, you will see masala chai in Indian markets, on trains (where chai wallahs sell it), and when you visit any Indian's home.

Ginger, the rootstalk of the eponymous plant, plays a prominent role in Masala Chai Secrets of India tea, with a distinctive aromatic flavor that is sweet and spicy. Ginger is a very popular ingredient in Chinese and Indian cuisine in particular, and is also valued in folk medicine. It contains essential oils with aromatic compounds such as zingiberene and bisabolene, and gingerol is behind the pungent taste.

Another important ingredient is the star anise, sometimes called Chinese anise, which is harvested from the star anise tree. It is a tree mainly found in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Star anise tastes sweet and slightly spicy and contains anethole, an interesting compound that is incidentally 13 times sweeter than sugar. Like ginger, star anise is widely used to support the body's natural processes and is used to make the anti-viral drug Tamiflu.

Orange needs no introduction. The fruit of the orange tree is well known to people all over the world. Today, orange trees are grown almost everywhere in the subtropics. Oranges are particularly rich in vitamin C, the peels contain pectin and essential oils. They give the Secret of India Chai tea its wonderful aroma.

Tea packaging preview

We pack our teas in a strong, zip-lock aluminum packet which allows you to easily re-seal its contents. This container protects the quality of the tea against humidity, light or foreign odors, all of which could noticeably affect the quality of the brew.