Chai Tea Latte

Masala Chai "spiced tea" is a beverage made by brewing tea with a mixture of aromatic spices.

In much of South Asia, Chai is more popular than coffee, and street vendors called "chai wallahs" are a common sight in many South Asian neighbourhoods. Chai tea has about the same amount of caffeine as coffee.

Chai, pronounced with a long "i" as in the word tie, is the actual word for Tea in many countries. The term Chai tea is sometimes used to indicate spiced milky tea as distinct from other types of tea. Numerous coffee houses use the term Chai latte for their version to indicate that the steamed milk of a normal cafe latte is being flavoured with a spiced tea concentrate instead of with espresso.

Chai tea has quickly become extremely popular in the western world as people are becoming exposed to it as Chai latte in coffee shops.

Chai latte is a rich and complex beverage that has been savoured for centuries in many parts of the world, especially India. In its most basic form, Chai is black tea that is brewed strong with a combination of spices and is diluted with milk and sugar. The spices vary from recipe to recipe, but usually consist of cinnamon, cloves and ginger. Chai latte is traditionally consumed hot and sweet. The sweetness is needed to bring out the full flavours of the spices.