Masala Chai
Spicy Masala Chai
The full spice box — cardamom, ginger, black pepper, cinnamon and clove over strong Assam. This is the chai that gave the whole category its name.
Masala simply means spice mix, and this is the version that earns the word. It comes out of Gujarat and the north-west, where the blend runs deeper and hotter than elsewhere, with black pepper doing work that surprises people used to sweeter café versions.
The five spices
| Spice | Role in the cup | Per 2 cups |
|---|---|---|
| Green cardamom | Sweet floral top note | 3–4 pods, cracked |
| Fresh ginger | Heat and length | Thumb-sized, crushed |
| Black pepper | Sharp bite behind the ginger | 3–4 corns, cracked |
| Cinnamon | Sweet depth, body | Small piece of bark |
| Clove | Dark aromatic base | 1–2, no more |
Clove is the spice that ruins cups. It is powerful and it keeps extracting for as long as the pan is hot — one or two is the whole allowance, and a third will take over everything.
How to brew it
Crack all the whole spices — do not grind them. Bring two parts water to one part milk to the boil with the spices in from cold, so they extract gradually.
Add 1 teaspoon of strong black tea per cup and sugar to taste. Simmer 3 minutes, strain, serve hot.
If it comes out bitter: the usual causes are ground spice instead of whole, too much clove, or a hard rolling boil rather than a simmer.
Masala chai in stock
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85 chai blends in stock across 20 brands. Sold and shipped by Taste of Tea.
Browse the shopMaking a batch
The spice mix keeps well on its own. Crack a larger quantity in the proportions above, store it in a sealed jar away from light, and use a teaspoon of the mix per two cups. It will hold its aroma for a couple of months — after that the cardamom fades first and the clove starts to dominate, so mix small and often.