Here's an anwser doggo...

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You Call This Chai?
Fast-food versons of the Indian tea connoisseur's art

Chai is that rich Indian drink made from fine tea, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, cardamom and milk, all carefully blended and boiled down in a process that might take half-an-hour. It is the latest Indian delicacy to enter mass production, reported on here

by Lavina Melwani, a very serious chai fancier.

According to Joseph P. Simrany, President of the Tea Association of the US, "The tea industry in the United States is undergoing a period of rebirth the likes of which are seen rarely, if ever, in the food and beverage industry." Brian Keating of the Sage Group says tea sales, which were us$3.9 billion of wholesale in 1995, are expected to be $4.8 billion in the year 2000.

Indian chai is part of this boom, but in its passage to America, it has received quite a makeover. While some companies do cater to the high-end serious tea market, many have created American versions that tastes nothing like the chai Indians drink on family verandahs or at roadside stops during long car journeys.

Raphael Reuben first encountered chai at various Hindu ashrams in the Catskill Mountains of New York. In 1980, he established the Masala Chai Company and was one of the first to offer bottled or packaged Masala Chai. Over the years, about a dozen chai manufacturers have come up. Reuben and his partner Susan Beardsley have gone on several chai pilgrimages to India, and they say people love their blend there, thinking it to be an old family recipe.

The Republic of Tea offers condensed chai packaged in ten-ounce bottles which produce two-and-a-half gallons of chai. Their Republic Chai and Decafe Chai Latte are more or less traditional recipes, while their Mate Latte Chai is an herb tea blended with Belgian chocolate and almonds and "Chai of Many Virtues" is made from green tea (not favored for chai) with echinacea, ginkgo biloba, goldenseal, ginseng, cinnamon, honey and ginger. Says spokesperson Julie Matter, "Though chai is a drink that is hundreds of years old, our intent is to assimilate this captivating brew into American culture."

Then there's Oregon Chai, which promises you "Nirvana in a cup." Its promotional material tells the tale of Heather who accidentally spilled chai into a nearby bowl of strawberries. "Not one to cry over spilled chai, she sampled a chai-soaked berry--it was divine!" The moral of the tale, says Oregon Chai, is experiment. The company starts the tea drinker off with recipes for Strawberry Chai Pie, Nirvana Sorbet, and--get ready for this--Chai Chicken Drumette, in which chicken drumsticks are basted in a cup of chai concentrate and other spices. The chai-wallas of India would shake their heads sadly at this corruption of their heavenly brew.

Dev Menon represents the East India Company, a modern-day distributor of fine teas with an old name. What does he think of this Americanization of chai? "It has been altered to suit the American palate. It's like a tea-flavored milk shake. This all may or may not be a fad. My view is that the more hype about tea, the better. Ultimately, it will wean more people to the tea fold, and that's good."

Indeed, even in ancient days there was fusion and innovation and a transfer of foods. Though it is hard to believe it today, but tea is not indigenous to India, and even chai, the word beloved by Indians, is derived from the Chinese word cha, for China is the original home of tea.

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My preferences..

Various English brands "imported" via friends from across the pond.
"Tea, Earl Grey, hot."
Green Tea.

Ah! Premature posting.. that's never happened before, I swear! Must be because I'm tired..

Now if I may continue..

Orange Pekoe,
Oolong,
Darjerling,
Jasmine,
Ginger,
the occasional ginseng blend,
Irish Breakfast,
(so far) anything with the word "Chai" on the label
various unknown others purchased from the Asian market up the street; chosen at random because I can't read the package.

I was raised on Constant Comment. It seems to be a pretty common specialty tea, not really specialty by the standards of true afficianados, I suppose.

But it is flavored with orange and some spice, exactly what I can't recall, but I always liked it, and now it's also a nice little reminder of childhood. Also made a nice sun tea from it.

Silver Tips Tea

The woman who owns the place is also one of the largest manufacturers in India of tea. This is right around the corner from my chill spot Coffee Labs Roasters.

I drink a *lot* of black tea. English breakfast, victorian, darjeeling, earl grey. It's tough to recommend types, though. If I'm out, I tend to order earl grey. It tends to be a generic enough type that even idiot places stock something worth drinking. It's sort of like beer. I drink many different types of beer, but if I'm in a local tonk and all they have is american brands on the tap, I drink corona, because it's a decent beer and fairly safe.

Anyway. Enjoy your tea!

Well, hell. I had no idea this many suggestions would come down the pike. Looks like I'll be awake for 14 days trying these out.

My inclination is black tea, though I've had gunpowder green and liked it. Guess I'll just start working my way through the list...

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F:.R:.

Being a coffee-slave, have tried to expand into tea-slavery too. Used to drink herbal, cinnamon, lemon, etc., but the lack of kick just brought me back to the black.
And from all I've read and told by tea addicts, green tea is supposed to be the best, isn't it? I've tried it in different situations, from store-bought sachets to the most elaborate concoction in some restaurant and no, it just doesn't do it for me. What is the proper kind of green tea, or way to appreciate it?

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green tea is supposed to be the best, isn't it? I've tried it in different situations, from store-bought sachets to the most elaborate concoction in some restaurant and no, it just doesn't do it for me. What is the proper kind of green tea, or way to appreciate it?

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If you all will indulge a brief translation.

I believe what fuldog wants to know is, "What kinda green tea do I gotta drink to get fucked up?"

i guess i have to post in this thread, being a total tea junky. i'll put myself down for some chai and earl grey as well, though i've not been a satisfied with those as much recently. though assam is a current favourite.

I am more of a coffee person, but I also enjoy my teas. After getting a copy of "The time of tea" I could not enjoy Lapsang Souchon again, and I had to investigate Taiwan's Blue-green teas.

I am personally partial to Japanese green teas, specially sencha. Although macha has a great appeareance when properly frothed, I do not like the taste much.

Other tea variations I enjoy are green tea ice cream, and tea sabayon. The last one is great for winter nights when hot.

I do not like black teas much, although they pass with milk. I have been trying to try the true tibetan tea, but yak butter is not so easy to find.

José

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Originally posted by fuldog:
What is the proper kind of green tea, or way to appreciate it?

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As to proper kind, I'm not sure I can answer that.
I like the Republic of Tea green teas. My favorite
is the Chop Wood/Carry Water one. I forget what
it's called.

The proper way to appreciate it (at least
according to the directions that came with my tea
pot) is to use hot, but not boiling water.
Boiling water will make the tea taste bitter.
Also, only let it steep for a minute or two, not
the 5 minutes or so that people usually let
roasted teas steep.

I also like the Tazo green tea/ginger tea. It's
tasty, but hard to find around here.

Hmm. I'm partial to Earl Grey and variations on that theme. Republic of Tea has some nice flavored teas, vanilla, blackberry and sage, stuff like that. I also like the various "chai spice" tea bags, with a little bit of milk and sugar.


This little pot works very nicely for two medium-large mugs of tea, and you can check out their web site.Bodum
(It's a little bit weird about pouring down the side sometimes, rather than into the cup. Go slow.)

i second belham on constant comment. it also has (or did have) a childhood kind of flavor. not so much anymore as it's now too ubiquitous since we started always keeping ice tea in the fridge made from the stuff. this has also cut down massively on the amount of sodas and bottled fruit drinks consumed in my house.

i like the chai they serve at the restaurant nan and curry. you serve yourself all you want which means i usually overdo it and get a creepy caffeine buzz going. i drink chai at home too but haven't come up with a brand i really like yet.

anyone drink the argentine addiction mate here?

oh, i'm a diehard tea addict & i'm fortunate enough to live near a few asian grocery stores that sell excellent loose leaf tea & cheap tea bags. i recently discovered that it's ridiculously easy to concoct your own herbal tea blends, & u have more control over the potency if u do it yourself (which i prefer to do because i find many pre-blends either to bland, strong, or overly sweet). here's a couple of my favorites.

for a ginger green tea: a slice of raw ginger in a cup of hot water w/green tea bag (terrific for colds and an upset stomach--add a bit of honey to soothe a sore throat).

cinnamon orange tea: a few orange rinds & a cinnamon stick in a cup of hot water w/a bag of tea (black or green). seep for a few minutes before drinking. u may sweeten w/some honey.

indian chai: 2 cinnamon sticks, half a teaspoon of whole cloves, a teaspoon of cardamon pods, 1/4 teas. anise seeds, a little bit of grated nutmeg. place all the ingredients (except for the cinnamon sticks) in a large tea ball or a bit of cheese cloth, securely tied. simmer in a pot of about 2 quarts of water for 20 min. turn off heat & add a few tea bags, black or green tea, depending on how strong u want it (i generally use 5 bags or 2 tea balls). add milk (i use soy) & honey to taste. store unused portions in fridge.

I've had mate once or twice at a small Arg cafe in Ventura,CA. Anyone had Mauby? Had it once in Barbados

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When i makes water, i makes water, and when i makes tea, i makes tea.

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-James Joyce/Ulysses

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Other tea variations I enjoy are green tea ice cream, and tea sabayon. The last one is great for winter nights when hot.

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oh, i love green tea ice cream--particularly yummy with a few pieces of honey & cantalope melons. tea sabayon...hmm, is that a type of dessert? i've never heard of it. i have tried green tea leaves in a salad at a burmese restaurant in san francisco. it was a little spicy, but very tasty.

Tea Sabayon, JRE's variant. (itself a variant on Italian Zabaglione sauce).

Take your black tea of choice. Earl Grey is a good starting point.

Make a strong liter of tea. Again, depending on preferences, if using bags, from 5 to 10 bags.

While it cools, beat up four eggs to uniform, foamy consistency. If you use yolks only, you can make all the mixture at a higher temperature, but I just prefer to wait.

Once the tea is only warm, beat all together with 100 grams (or more) of brown sugar and a glass of brown rhum (size again depending on preferences).

Can be had either warm or cooled in the fridge. Remember that fresh eggs should be consumed in the same day.

Dinner for two!

José

I too prefer Earl Grey. ( What a suprise, do you think a tea company actually paied Gene Roddenberry for this?)

Every second weekend we sleep in long and have a big English breakfast at noon ... usually with Ham & Eggs, Bakedbeans and Breakfast Tea with milk. (Again pretty common.)

However, Earl Grey is just a flavor for the tea it is based on, mostly "asam broken".
So I once decided to buy some Asam Broken and flavors to mix it myself. 2 tea-spoons of Asam Broken with 1 tea-spoon Vanila cream or Cherry cream fit's just fine.


And! Never underestimate the effects of green gunpoweder tea on your System!


And sometimes, usually during the winter mounths, I also enjoy some fruit tea blends with orange and cinnamon. Not really that this effects your system in any kind, but it tastes great!