Chai - at home or easily available

[SpaceOP]

I recently went to Dishoom and had chai for the first time. Loved it. Dh got me one at a market a few weeks ago and it was also lovely, but not as good. If I want to treat myself locally I most likely need a chain that does good ones or a good (easy) option at home. Please recommend?

We live in Surreyn near Epsom, so in unlikely event anyone has local recommendations I am open to that too!

I always go for the unsweetened option with Royal Chai, the high milk content makes it sweet enough for me. The sweetened version is seriously sweet.

I have a cafe and we use sweet bird chai syrup which is very popular with the chai latte lovers

I buy a bag of mixed chai spice from my local Asian shop and make on the hob with half milk and water, a tea bag and some sugar. Just chuck all in the pan and simmer for a few minutes then job done.

@Yuckyyuckyuckity
How long will it keep tasting fresh for if you make a large amount?

The chai from Starbucks etal are revolting. They are far too sweet and just taste like chemicals. If you are close to epsom then the dosa shops in tolworth do lovely chai. I am Indian and even I approve of theirs!

Teabag, cinnamon sticks, cardamom, 1 teaspoon ginger, pinch of chai masala (from Indian shop) equal parts water and milk (let the water simmer first for a bit) then add milk and let the milk cup up then strain.

The instant stuff just won't do it -it's awful

Nothing beats properly made chai ideally from a clay cup in India but you can buy chai teabags you just add milk and sugar to, though a tip given to me was to add cream instead of milk, it's yummy! Best chai I've had in the U.K. was from a newsagent who sold home made samosas and back in Leicester

Definitely tastes best when drunk ASAP but if you pour it into a good thermos flask it tastes good enough for 2-3 hours. I wouldn't reheat cold chai!

We get Masala Chai from Amazon and Asian supermarkets.

You can get various Chai teabags and the "Drink Me" brand of powdered chai from Tesco online/big branches.

I have a Tassimo and you can get Chai Latte pods but I have no idea how good / bad they are.

Have you tried ordinary tea with a cardamom pod? Just buy green cardamom and split with your thumbnail (I shared a house with an Indian woman).

Get the powder for Chai guys or Amala chai to make life easier. Amala chai also sells a fab ceramic pan, obviously not really required but do enjoy making my chai in that.

@SpaceOP this is delicious. So are all her recipes.(I have such a girl-crush on Chetna!) =_

Just to add that if you want to make something quick the M&S chai teabags are pretty good!

Try bird and blend they do a range of chai's!

Slight diversion but I ordered a chai latte from a local garden centre recently, and it was fucking coffee with chai syrup in it. I detest coffee and they couldn't understand what was wrong. Chai means tea!

I love chai and the instant ones from Sainsburys are great, I think its Royal Tea. I do like the Asda own brand chai teabags too, but can never get the taste right as we only have semi skimmed at home!

@CurlewKate thanks for that. am watching and it looks similar to the dishoom (although they provide the spices). I might try it.

@Karmakamelion will check Tolworth, thank you!

The tea - can I just use PG Tips!?

I also like the Tesco chai teabags worth a try for a quick option

Did it! Used pg tips which I think isn't quite right but had added assam tea to my shopping order. Used cloves, cardamon, ginger and cinnamon! Am v happy. Not quite up to dishoom but I am sure I will figure out how to adapt.

I love chai, though I only ever use instant at home, I am ashamed to say.
I have been drinking Plum Chai from Lidl, which is probably an abomination but I have been poorly and it's a little glimmer of comfort.
(I have a really sweet tooth which I am trying not to listen to, I'm drinking instant coffee with no sugar as I write, I'm a lost cause! I don't like it!)

This thread has inspired me to try making my own chai, though it doesn't sound as though it will help with the cutting down on sugar. ☺️

The best chai I have had was at a little cafe in the park opposite the Museum of Wales in Cardiff. 😉

Well done OP!!

I am chai obsessed. Its made up 99% of my tea consumption for years. I take chai teabags on holiday with me.
While I love a good proper chai - like Dishooms and that you get in India - I don't have the time or inclination to make it daily. And I like it without sugar/sweetener. So I get by with chai teabags - usually using 2 teabags to make it strong enough. There are several OK options, though none have enough spice in them for my taste. It helps to take time to let it brew a bit longer. I even bought more expensive brands like Tea Pigs etc but they don't improve on the Tesco own brand one which is disappointing.

I day dream about developing the perfect strong spicy chai tea bags.

"Chai lattes" etc you buy in shops are usually made with that very sweet sickly powder - my kids love it but I can't stand all the sweetness.
My kids also like to make chai using "chai latte" powder at home - but its not for me.

It's a pity that I'm fasting in the mornings because I'm usualy in the kitchen making packed lunches and, annoyingly often, some form of cooked breakfast, so it would be so easy to just add this and do it at the same time rather than making a special kitchen trip to make it later in the day.

Also, as I finally ditched sugar in regular tea about 3 years ago, I think maybe I should avoid chai teawith sugar (which is how i like it) on a daily basis! But I'm glad I've got the basics down. And I think I might add more cinnamon to help me need less sugar - I had that mug plus another half mug and it was almost 3 teaspoons of sugar!!!

@SpaceOP Glad you like Chetna's chai! I like it a little stronger than she does, I think. But it'easy to adjust.

You mean stronger spices? I did think it needed a bit MORe. But I also thought it might be because I was using PG tips which might have slightly over-powered the flavour a bit! Plus I do LOVE cloves so it's not uncommon for me to think that more cloves are necessary the moment they make an appearance in a recipe. You should see how much I use in my lamb and aubergine curry!

I buy the tea India masala chai teabags and just make a cuppa adding a couple of cardamom pods for a quick brew.

When I have more time and want a special brew I’ll make it similar to Chetna - cloves, cardamom, ginger and will also add a cinnamon stick and one or two star anise. I use dairy milk but will add a tablespoon or two of condensed milk if I have it.

The whole thing takes about 10 mins and is seriously delicious and warming. I tend to make a pot for at least 4 cups. Any leftover just stays in the pot steeping and when I do get back to it, usually after a couple of hours, the flavours are very intense.

Home made chai is one of life’s pleasures!