Friday TeaDay 6/19/09 Masala Chai, fringe tea part III?

[Chip]

I have had it on occasion, and I totally get why some people really like it. To me it is more of a very rare type of thing. I currently have some samples from fellow TCers.

Began the TD with Kirameki from O-Cha. I am quite liking asamushi this shincha and have been alternating between asa and fuka steamed sencha. SweeTea did not miss morning tea while TEAh, Pyrit, Gandalf, and even Katie made appearances to the morning TeaTable.

Enjoy the tea ... and the day.

[Victoria]

Rarely for me - it's ok on occasion, but I prefer tea. I doubt I would ever make it at home. But i have been out on a cool evening with no tea, and it was a welcomed warmth.

In my cup this morning my favorite '09 if the season, a beautifully crafted Oolong Darjeeling from Camellia Sinensis.

Have a nice day everyone!

[olivierco]

I had some last January (thanks to GeekgirlUnveiled and Chamekke ) but I prefer tea.

Ippodo shincha this afternoon.

[gingkoseto]

I always run away fast from any tea or alcohol that has spices in it.

Once I *bravely* tried some masala chai just for the sake of trying it, and that was the only time.

[Aphroditea]

I have to admit to some confusion. I see people say they prefer "tea" to "chai". Now, the word chai=tea, so as far as the Indians are concerned they ARE drinking tea. Also, the way I make it contains black tea (darjeeling usually). So, it seems to me that Masala chai, or any chai, IS tea - simply flavored tea that is prepared in a certain way. Much like Tibetan butter tea is still 'tea' because it contains tea leaves.

I believe I understand folks to be saying that they prefer their tea to be unadulterated? So, would they consider Jasmine pearls to not be tea? Or osmanthus oolong? I am just confused by the way the terminology is being used.

[geeber1]

I love it but avoid the boxed stuff at the grocery store, and any blend that has black pepper. Adagio sells a nice Masala Chai blend but the best that I've tried so far is from Yogic Chai. Their "basic" Masala Chai is excellent. They also sell different blends with non-black teas and for different health needs.

Nilgiri Glendale Handmade in my cup this morning.

It's raining and I'm hoping we don't have field full of split cherries tomorrow.

[Intuit]

Authentic Masala Chai is made with South Indian teas grown along the Western Ghats mountain range. I've bought Masala chai mixture to prepare at home with honey or Stevia, for I care not for the overly sweetened chai prepared in Indian restaurants.

Sencha in my cup.

[geeber1]

Authentic Masala Chai is made with South Indian teas grown along the Western Ghats mountain range. I've bought Masala chai mixture to prepare at home with honey or Stevia, for I care not for the overly sweetened chai prepared in Indian restaurants.

Intuit, have you tried condensed milk in Chai? I like it because it adds the milk and sugar at the same time without diluting the Chai. I use less sugar that way. (but not very useful if you're trying to avoid processed sugar!)

[MASALACHAAAAIIIIII]

MASAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaLLAAAAAAAAAA CHAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Peeta hai hamesha chai!!

Я люблю масала чай!!!!

I FREAKING LOVE MASALA CHAI OMG OMG!

I feel as if it was Allah's gift to meee! I am so obsessed with masala chai, I have it basically everyday multiple times depending on my budget. Some of the premade stuff is OK, BUTT your own blends and family recipes are SOO much better. I am spoiled at my local indian restaurant, they make pretty good masala chai, plus friends have given me some "family secrets". Balance is key unless your like me and others and love really spicy stuff. This TEA brought me into the world of tea, so it will always be my favorite. Any one ever wants to share a blend gimme gimme gimme! haha. I will spread all the chai knowledge I can.

No tea yet today, my gut says masala chai! Still need to finish up some other teas, tried a mystery tea sample that came with my zencha order yesterday though, pretty good green.

[kymidwife]

I only drink masala chai occasionally because I am a bit lactose-intolerant. I love the flavor, and it sort of replaces hot cocoa for me... but the milk/sugar combo can be really tough on my tummy. So I partake sparingly.

I also usually don't make it the traditional way... I brew a strong cup of masala chai and add milk after the fact. I've tried Adagio, Tazo, Upton's, and I have mixed my own from scratch (was really good!).

I've been intending for some time now to try making some masala chai with almond milk to see if I like it and if my tummy likes it. So, there's some on my stovetop simmering as we speak... I used vanilla almond milk, a bit of sweet Italian cream non-dairy coffee creamer, a sprinkle of rock sugar, and added some black pepper as I like it peppery. Thanks for the inspiration and I'll let you know how it turns out!

Castleton Moonlight 2nd Flush in my cup so far today... and chai coming right up.

Sarah

[brad4419]

Sadly Ive never tried Masala Tea but I do love chai teas though. One of the chai mixes I bought on ebay a while ago just had too much cinnamon for me. I couldn't see the bottom of the cup due to the cinnamon.

Finished up a long jing session from yesterday.

[kymidwife]

Wow that's strong and peppery

but the almond milk tastes reasonably ok.

I'm gonna sip some hot and then frappa the rest after it cools.


Sarah

[MASALACHAAAAIIIIII]

I only drink masala chai occasionally because I am a bit lactose-intolerant. I love the flavor, and it sort of replaces hot cocoa for me... but the milk/sugar combo can be really tough on my tummy. So I partake sparingly.

I also usually don't make it the traditional way... I brew a strong cup of masala chai and add milk after the fact. I've tried Adagio, Tazo, Upton's, and I have mixed my own from scratch (was really good!).

I've been intending for some time now to try making some masala chai with almond milk to see if I like it and if my tummy likes it. So, there's some on my stovetop simmering as we speak... I used vanilla almond milk, a bit of sweet Italian cream non-dairy coffee creamer, a sprinkle of rock sugar, and added some black pepper as I like it peppery. Thanks for the inspiration and I'll let you know how it turns out!

Castleton Moonlight 2nd Flush in my cup so far today... and chai coming right up.

Sarah

I wish almond milk was available here, I've heard its good in chai. I usually have condensed milk/whole milk/half and half around instead.

I am also a pretty good bit lactose-intolerant (Cherokee blood...), I feel sick nearly anytime I have dairy. But its not as bad as it used to be, if I had more than a cup of milk when I was around 10 or so I would throw up, I guess I have built up some tolerance? haha Spice choice evens it out though, cardamom, licorice root, nutmeg, even ginger is good for digestion. Ayurveda is so interesting, I suggest reading about it.

This is good for anyone who doesn't know much about making masala chai http://www.veetea.com/site/articles/Mas ... i-Recipes/
many other places out there, better to bother friends on how to make it haha

[kymidwife]

I got my almond milk in a regular grocery store (Kroger) in the organic/diet food section. It's in a box on the shelf... not in the refrigerated section with other milk. They have it in our WalMart too. So... check around. I live in the backwoods in a small country town of 20,000... if they have it here, they may have it where you are too!

Sarah

[geeber1]

At my local Safeway store, it's in the cereal aisle with the soy and rice milks.