Masala chai is spicy and aromatic, it’s the perfect pick-me-up for a tough day or to end a delicious meal.

At every coffee shop you go to, you will find “chai tea” (BTW, if you’re still calling it “chai tea,” you’re really just saying “tea tea.” Just chai!) on the menu and you can customize it in all kinds of ways, add syrups and espresso and whatever your heart desires. As yummy as that may be, none of these hold a torch to real, homemade masala (spice in Hindi) chai. Masala chai is spicy and aromatic, it’s the perfect pick-me-up for a tough day or to end a delicious meal. 

Every family has their own special recipe for how they make their chai. It’s something people hold very dear to their hearts as tea time often serves as a social hour as well. One of my uncles is so meticulous with how he times out the boiling stages that our family has a running joke that if he’s the one making tea, we’re going to be waiting until the next day for it to be ready. My mom boils the milk over exactly three times before deciding that it’s done. You get my point, everyone’s chai has its “quirks.” What I’m about to share with you all is something sacred, something I’ve spent years of my life trying to perfect (okay, maybe a slight exaggeration but you get it). I present to you: masala chai. 

Milk, water, sugar, cardamom and cinnamon sticks. (not pictured: ginger)

Masala chai

Yield: 2 servings

Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients: 

• About 1-1.5 tablespoons of chai powder (depending on how strong you want your chai to be)
• About 1 tablespoon sugar (to taste)
• 1-2 cardamom pods 
• ½ inch ginger 
• ½ inch cinnamon stick (or ½ teaspoon powder, a little goes a long way with cinnamon)
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup milk

Instructions: 

• Start heating a sauce pan, wait until it is thoroughly warmed up. 
• Crush your cardamom pods and add to the pot along with the cinnamon stick. Let it toast. 
• Once the ingredients start to become aromatic, add sugar to the pot. Ensure the stove is on low heat so the sugar doesn’t immediately burn. 
• Once the sugar has begun caramelizing and melting, add water, ginger and chai powder (if using powdered cinnamon, add here). Let this boil for at least five minutes (or as long as your patience lets you). 
• Add milk and continue to let this boil for at least another five minutes. 
• Strain and enjoy!  

You’re going to want to get a good chai powder, I recommend the brands Red Label and Taj Mahal. You can find authentic chai powder at the Pennywise Market in downtown Santa Barbara (1121 E Montecito St.) or find the brands I mentioned on Amazon. The key to this recipe is allowing the sugar to caramelize and temper with the cardamom, which makes the end color of the tea even more appealing and adds a new level of depth to the flavor. Be careful though, it’s so easy to burn sugar. Just ask the fire alarm at my last apartment … To simplify this recipe even more, the measurements do not matter as long as you have a 1:1 ratio of water to milk, everything else is totally adjustable. If you don’t have cardamom, ginger or cinnamon, go ahead and try making chai anyway, it just won’t be masala chai.