“Can I get a venti chai tea?” A phrase that I’m sure everyone has heard if not utilized at least once in their life. Well, what exactly is “chai tea”. According to a simple google search it is nothing more than just “a spiced tea beverage that typically includes…” and the boring but flavorful list of ingredients begins.

Now my definition of Chai tea is one that is much more complex than the boring google definition. To understand my definition, we must first understand the phrase “Chai tea” itself. Now the word “chai” is a word in Hindi and Urdu that simply means tea. So, the phrase “chai tea” simply translates to “tea tea”. Doesn’t that sound a bit flawed? Since the phrase itself is flawed the meaning behind it must be flawed! Or does it?

Well, this definition is perfectly fine on paper, but the beverage chai holds much more meaning behind it. The true significance of chai comes from the process of making but more so drinking it. Since we are discussing the process of making chai you must be wondering what ingredients we need. Well for our purposes let’s keep it a simple but flavorful recipe of chai. The type of chai we will be focusing on is called “dudh pati” which translates to “milk leaf tea.” As the name suggests, the only ingredients you need it is milk and tea leaves!

Now how do we make this chai. It is quite simple so all you need to do is throw in a few teabags in boiling hot milk, stir and that’s the chai right there, enjoy! That once again is something that is simple and straight basically has no life to it. How do we bring life to this chai? Well grab a cup of milk or I’d rather say two. This will make more sense later, just trust the process. Throw the milk in a pot let it boil and once it starts boiling grab 3-4 teabags and throw it in the pot. What teabags you may be asking? Honestly it could be any company from an South Asian supermarket but personally I’d recommend “Tapal Danedar”. Why this company specifically will also make sense later. Now you let the milk with the teabags boil and keep a keen eye on it. If you happen to look away now you have a boiling hot mess rather than a nice hot cup of chai. Let the milk boil while stirring. If the milk begins to rise don’t worry this is a part of the process keep calm and follow my instructions.

When the milk begins to boil just take a spoon or honestly anything to scoop the milk up with while being able to stir. So, with this instrument of choice scoop up some of the milk and pour it back in this way the milk doesn’t boil over. Or you can move the pot away from the flame for 5 seconds or so watch the milk cool down and put it back over the flame all while stirring. Somewhere during this process, you can add sugar if desired. The amount I’d recommend is 2-3 teaspoons, but this varies on personal choice. Once the milk has reached a light milky brown pigment your chai is ready. Pour this into the two cups which originally had just the milk, and now your chai is ready to enjoy.

You may be wondering, why two cups? This is the part that nobody really mentions and honestly this is where all the meaning in this beverage comes from. So, there is a slogan from the company “Tapal Daneder” hence why I recommended this company specifically. This slogan is “tum mei aur ek cup chai” which literally translates to “you me and one cup tea.” The significance behind this slogan is that it refers to the deeper meaning behind chai. Chai isn’t meant to be enjoyed alone but it is rather meant to be enjoyed with someone and that someone can be anyone you love spending time with whether that is a family member, a neighbor, a friend, or a very close friend. Now you grab a person of your choice offer them a cup of chai and enjoy it but further enjoy the conversation and quality time this chai has provided you with!