# Is There Any Special Way To Serving Chai Tea? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [December 31, 2021, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-special-way-to-serving-chai-tea/957018 "2021-12-31T23:40:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2021, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-special-way-to-serving-chai-tea/957018/1 "2021-12-31T23:40:50Z")
As I have said before, I have to be sipping something all day long. Anyway, my doctor says _no more soda pop!_ So I have switched to tea. It does sometimes stimulate my colon, and I do have colitis too (under remission). But that is another story. Anyway, I just steep the bag for a few minutes (I like it strong), and then I add coffee cream. Is that all that’s to it? The reason why I ask, is because at the convenience store they do have chai tea as a selection at their cappuccino machine. But it dispenses something that looks a lot more like cappuccino. So I am confused. Thank you in advance for your helpful replies 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2022, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-special-way-to-serving-chai-tea/957018/2 "2022-01-01T00:19:46Z")
You are talking about those bags with cardamom and stuff pre-mixed in? You could brew it in diluted milk, or else add milk and/or sugar later; never tried cream. If you want it to look like a cappuccino, foam up the milk before adding it or foam up the entire mixture. Btw, use 2–4 bags, not only one 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2022, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-special-way-to-serving-chai-tea/957018/3 "2022-01-01T00:46:50Z")
If you’re concerned about your colon being stimulated, you might consider switching from chai to one of the herbal teas that don’t contain anything to stimulate. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2022, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-special-way-to-serving-chai-tea/957018/4 "2022-01-01T01:08:28Z")
I know that “chai tea” has come to mean a certain preparation of tea, but as someone who grew up surrounded by Indian culture, it still rankles. “Chai” means “tea” so “chai tea” is “tea tea.” In my view, a better term for this preparation is “masala chai” or “spice(d) tea.” Anyway, the way it’s made authentically is by steeping spices and sugar in _hot whole milk_ not boiling water. If you’re going the water route, I’d recommend filling less than half of your mug with boiling water and then after steeping top off with hot whole milk. The latte you get at the coffee shop is also made with whole milk, not cream (half and half). ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-special-way-to-serving-chai-tea/957018/6 "2022-01-03T10:26:52Z")
Exactly. And in Russian tea is called Chai too (and chá in Portuguese). And tea is actually just made with [_Camellia sinensis_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea), whatever else you put into it makes it to an infusion: herbs, cardamon, [bergamot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergamot_orange#Tea_and_other_uses), rum, sugar, milk, whatever you fancy, but then it is not really just tea anymore. It is tea with X. Which is perfectly OK, of course. I personally like green tea, specially Japanese green tea, with no sugar or milk added. I drink it all day long, every day another type, there are hundreds, thousands even. I usually have about a dozen different sorts and switch randomly between them. I believe my body likes that. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-special-way-to-serving-chai-tea/957018/7 "2022-01-03T10:40:40Z")
Well, if you _have_ to know about the name… > **[Etymology of tea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etymology_of_tea)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > The etymology of the various words for tea reflects the history of transmission of tea drinking culture and trade from China to countries around the world. Nearly all of the words for tea worldwide fall into three broad groups: te, cha and chai, present in English as tea, cha or char, and chai. The earliest of the three to enter English is cha, which came in the 1590s via the Portuguese, who traded in Macao and picked up the Cantonese pronuncia... ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-special-way-to-serving-chai-tea/957018/8 "2022-01-03T15:02:57Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Exactly. And in Russian tea is called Chai too (and chá in Portuguese). And tea is actually just made with [_Camellia sinensis_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea)… As @GreenWyvern explains, in English, too, cha(r) and chai are synonyms of “tea”. In this thread, I made the (possibly incorrect) assumption, based on the OP’s description of convenience store cappuccinos, that the OP was talking about those teabags for sale labelled “masala chai”, “Yogi Tea”, etc that include cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, pepper or similar. Don’t be surprised that ordering a “coffee” or a “chai” at a chain store like Starbucks nets you something almost, but not quite, entirely unlike the real thing 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-special-way-to-serving-chai-tea/957018/9 "2022-01-03T17:55:23Z")
Chapter 17, if my memory serves me well? 🍵 (⬅ _that_ is never the colour of tea. Not even matcha, but hey…) [![](https://i.redd.it/ixbyagj74bi41.jpg) ](https://i.redd.it/ixbyagj74bi41.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-special-way-to-serving-chai-tea/957018/10 "2022-02-13T15:52:03Z")
Now maybe this is a little too obvious, but I just tried brewing up using “masala chai” bags, and noticed they look like normal tea bags, so they contain, let’s say, 2g each, but in this case only about half of that is tea, and the rest is spices. So make sure you use double the usual number of bags!