Spring is the perfect time of year to sit in a coffee shop, read a good book and slowly sip a steaming beverage. For those days that call for a special treat, nothing is better than a cup of chai.
While chai is a fairly new drink in this country, it’s history is thousands of years old. Drinking chai is a part of life in India, and many families have a recipe that is passed down through generations. In the United States, chai refers to a latte style drink made with black tea, spices, milk and a sweetener. Original chai recipes use a blend, or masala, of spices that are ground, boiled and steeped in with black tea. The most common spices used in this masala are cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, peppercorn and ginger. The mixture is then strained, combined with milk and sweetened.
Two things are important when choosing a chai product to serve at your coffee shop or restaurant. The first is the flavor profile. Original chai recipes are a delicate blend of sweet and spice. In this United States, chai recipes are often very sweet and don’t include a lot of spice.
A quality chai has balanced flavors of sweetness, spice, and a pleasant aftertaste. Once you find a flavor that you enjoy, decide which method of preparation makes the most sense for your location. Because original chai recipes are labor intensive, concentrates or powders are often used in this country.
There are two types of concentrate, a 1:1 or a 7-9:1. A 1:1 uses equal parts of milk and chai. The concentrate needs to be refrigerated and steamed with the milk. The 7-9:1 concentrates are becoming increasingly popular because they are shelf stable, easy to measure, don’t need to be steamed with the milk and cost less per serving.
The final type of chai is a powdered chai, which has the lowest cost per serving. These are convenient for locations that don’t have access to milk because they can be made with hot water, although milk still gives the drink a richer taste. Powders are also good in blended drinks. If you decide to use a powder, choose one that still has a nice texture and be sure to mix it well.
If you would like samples of our chai products or have questions regarding them, please give us a call or post on this article.
