When the British brought the concept of Tea drinking in India in the early part of the 20th Century, the consumption was essentially confined to the Indian “Anglophiles” or “Bhadralok” of Kolkata who worked closely with their British masters.

At that time Tea was an elitist drink prepared by brewing tea leaves in a teapot and serving with sugar and a dash of milk. Advertisements in those days featured fashionable Indian people drinking tea after a game of tennis or clad in western attire to attract the affluent and English-speaking Indians to imbibe this habit. It was also marketed as a sweetened product having “vital energy enhancing carbs” that could immediately energize a person after a tiring game or after a hard day’s work at office.

Accordingly, wherever the British went, they carried this tea drinking practice and brewing format to various parts of the globe where it is adopted even today during Tea breaks in office or during time out with friends.

As the consumption of Tea in India started growing and expanding to all classes, many Indian consumers were not happy with the brewing format passed on down to them. They wanted a thicker and much stronger drink than what the existing tea drink was providing. So, Indians started adding more milk to make the Tea more viscous or having “more mouthfeel”. As a result, today we are seeing in many parts of India, consumers use between 50 to 80 % milk in their cup of tea.

As Indians were already using spices such as Cardamom, cinnamon, clove and ginger in their daily cooking, they decided to try putting these spices in their “milky Teas”. This is how the ubiquitous “Masala Chai” was born.

At Taj Mahal Tea House, we are happy to show case our Masala chai with a unique twist called “Bold Spice Tea” that is available to liven up your tea drinking experience from our website: tajmahalteahouse.com.

This is an Assam CTC Tea mixture having cardamom, cinnamon, clove, ginger and nutmeg and, believe it or not, a red chili!

The best way to prepare this tea is to boil with equal parts of water and milk for 5 to 6 minutes. While boiling please inhale the complex aromas of all the tea and spices and observe the evolution of the bright golden-brown concoction.

On tasting the tea, savour the strength and astringency of the Assam CTC tea that integrates so completely with milk and spices without having its trademark tea taste diminished. The combination of spices not only accentuates the taste of the tea but also brings an additional “warming effect” with every sip. Shortly after, you will experience the fiery chilli after-taste that will linger on for some moments that is sure to pleasantly surprise and invigorate you!

The Bold Spices tea will pair favourably with popular Indian snack delicacies such as Namak Pare, Salted cashews, almonds and pistas, samosas, Naan Khatai and Paneer Tikkas.

If you visit us at Taj Mahal Tea House in Bandra, we recommend you try this tea with Lamb Keema, Fluffy Masala Omelette or Ragi Masala Dhokla to make your dining experience most memorable.