Does chai tea have caffeine

In English, this spiced tea is commonly referred to as masala chai, or simply chai, even though the term refers to tea in general in the original language. The recipe or preparation method for does chai tea have caffeine chai is not fixed, and many families have their own versions of the tea. The tea leaves steep in the hot water long enough to extract intense flavour, ideally without releasing the bitter tannins.

The base tea is usually a strong black tea such as Assam, so the spices and sweeteners do not overpower it. Usually, a specific type of Assam is used called mamri. Mamri tea has been cured in a special way that creates granules as opposed to “leaf” tea. It is inexpensive and the tea most often used in India.

However, a wide variety of teas is used to make chai. The traditional masala chai is a spiced beverage brewed with different proportions of warming spices. The spice mixture, called karha, uses a base of ground ginger and green cardamom pods. The traditional composition of spices often differs by climate and region in Southern and Southwestern Asia. For example, in Western India, cloves and black pepper are expressly avoided, and lemongrass is also often included. Traditionally in India, water buffalo milk is used to make chai. Plain white sugar, Demerara sugar, other brown sugars, palm or coconut sugars, syrup, or honey are used.

Sugar is typically added to suit the drinker. A boy in Mysore preparing masala chai: As it is prepared by decoction, preparation usually includes straining tea from the solids. The simplest traditional method of preparing masala chai is through decoction, by actively simmering or boiling a mixture of milk and water with loose-leaf tea, sweeteners, and whole spices. A common Maharashtrian practice for preparation of one cup of chai is to first combine one half cup of water with one-half cup of milk in a pot over heat.