In short: Masala chai is tea brewed in milk, not tea with milk added.
For two cups, boil 200 ml water with crushed cardamom and fresh ginger, add 2 heaped teaspoons of CTC tea, then 200 ml whole milk, let it rise twice and strain.
Making two cups takes about 9 minutes, including preparation; longer boiling makes chai bitter, not stronger.

Most chai made outside India goes wrong at the same step.

A teabag is steeped in hot water, milk is poured in afterwards, and a pinch of spice goes on top.

That is milky tea, and it tastes thin.

Proper chai is made in a pan, with the tea and spices boiled together and the milk cooked in, so the flavour runs all the way through.

Once you have done it this way, it is hard to go back.

Which tea to buy

Use CTC tea.

CTC stands for crush, tear, curl, a way of processing black tea, usually Assam, into small, hard granules instead of long leaves.

Those granules release colour and flavour fast and strongly, which is exactly what you need when the tea has to stand up to boiling milk and spices.

Long-leaf tea, the kind sold for brewing in a pot, does not work as well here.

It infuses slowly and delicately, and by the time it has enough strength the milk has boiled too long.

Fine teabag dust goes the other way and turns bitter quickly.

CTC granules sit in between, which is why almost every Indian household brand is CTC.

Look for packs labelled CTC or “leaf tea” from Indian brands, in the shop’s range of CTC tea and chai blends.

Some are sold already blended with cardamom or masala, which is a good start while you find your own balance.

The spices

Two spices are the core of masala chai: green cardamom and ginger.

Everything else is regional or family preference.

• Green cardamom: 2 or 3 pods per two cups, lightly crushed so the seeds show.
  Whole pods ground fresh are far more fragrant than ready-ground cardamom, which is why whole cardamom beats ground on any spice rack.
• Fresh ginger: a piece about 1 cm long, crushed or grated.
  Fresh ginger gives a bright, peppery heat.
  Dried ginger powder works but tastes duller.
• Optional extras: a clove, a small piece of cinnamon, a few black peppercorns, a pinch of fennel seed, or a few fresh mint or tulsi leaves.
  Add one at a time until you find what you like.

Keep cardamom, ginger and chai masala together near the kettle, so a pan of chai takes no planning.

The method (makes 2 cups)

• 200 ml water
• 200 ml whole milk
• 2 heaped teaspoons of CTC tea, about 6 g
• 2 or 3 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1 cm fresh ginger, crushed or grated
• 2 teaspoons of sugar, or to taste

1. Put the water, cardamom and ginger in a small pan and bring it to the boil.
   Let it bubble for 1 minute so the spices open up.
2. Add the tea and boil for 1 minute more.
   The water should turn a deep reddish-brown.
3. Pour in the milk and bring it back up to the boil.
   When it foams up towards the rim, lower the heat and let it settle, then let it rise once more.
   This takes about 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Stir in the sugar.
5. Strain into cups through a fine tea strainer and serve straight away.

From cold pan to cup it takes about 6 to 7 minutes.

Equal parts water and milk give a balanced cup.

For a creamier chai, use 150 ml water and 250 ml milk.

Whole milk matters: skimmed milk makes thin, watery chai.

Why over-boiling ruins it

This is the single most useful thing to know about chai.

Boiling it longer does not make it stronger.

It makes it bitter.

After the first few minutes, the tea has given up most of its flavour and colour.

Keep boiling and what comes out next is mostly tannin, the harsh, drying, astringent edge that makes a cup taste stewed.

The milk also starts to catch and taste cooked.

So a chai boiled for fifteen minutes is not a strong chai, just a bitter one.

If you want your chai stronger, use more tea, not more time.

Add an extra half teaspoon of tea granules and keep the boiling time the same.

That gives you a deeper, maltier cup without the bitterness.

Regional variations

• Kadak chai: “strong” chai, made with more tea and a little less milk for a dark, robust cup.
  Popular across North India.
• Cutting chai: Mumbai’s half-glass chai from street stalls, small, sweet and strong, drunk quickly standing up.
• Irani chai: from the Irani cafes of Hyderabad and Mumbai.
  The tea is brewed separately and slowly, then mixed with milk thickened by long simmering, often with condensed milk.
  Rich and sweet.
• Kashmiri noon chai: a complete contrast.
  Made from green tea leaves with a pinch of baking soda, which turns it pink, then served salted with milk and often nuts.
  Savoury rather than sweet.

Chai masala: buy or make

A chai masala is a ready blend of the warm spices, ground fine, so you add a pinch instead of crushing pods and grating ginger each time.

Making your own is easy:

• 2 tablespoons of ground dried ginger
• 1 tablespoon of ground green cardamom
• 1 teaspoon each of ground cinnamon, ground cloves and ground black pepper

Mix well and keep it in a small airtight jar.

Use about a quarter teaspoon per cup, added with the tea.

A ready-made chai masala is the smarter choice if you make chai only now and then, because ground spices fade within months and a small bought pack gets used before it goes flat.

If you drink chai every day, making your own lets you set the balance exactly.

Buying

For a first batch, you need CTC tea, whole cardamom, fresh ginger and whole milk.

Chai is also only half the ritual.

Add biscuits and rusks to dunk to the same order, because a crisp rusk dipped in hot chai is the classic Indian tea break.

We deliver same-day across Nieuwegein, Utrecht, Leidsche Rijn, Vleuten, Maarssen, Zeist, Bunnik, IJsselstein, Vianen and Culemborg.

Delivery is a flat 2.49 euros and free on orders over 49 euros.

Two practical questions

Can I make masala chai with oat or soya milk?

Yes, but do not boil it as hard.

Plant milks can split or turn grainy with long boiling, so brew the tea and spices in the water first, then add the plant milk and heat it just until steaming.

Barista versions hold up better than standard ones.

Can I make a big batch and reheat it?

It is better to keep the spiced tea concentrate than finished chai.

Boil the water, spices and tea, strain, and keep that in the fridge for up to two days.

Heat it with fresh milk when you want a cup.

Reheated finished chai tends to taste stewed.

Make it once by the method, then adjust the spices until it tastes like yours.