If you’ve ever visited India, you may have come across Chai, and enjoyed a cup brewed up at a street stall. But what’s the story behind this enduring spicy favourite?
Whether it’s the chai wallahs (tea hawkers) yelling “Garam Chai!” or the smell of the sweet blend of spices, it is nearly impossible to stroll down a street in India without stopping for a cup of chai. While each preparation depends on the region, family and person, a chai dukan (tea shop) will almost always have a pot of tea leaves boiling with spices over a fire stovetop. Unlike the English way of adding milk and sugar after brewing a pot of tea, the mixture is boiled again after adding milk and sugar to make sure everything is blended thoroughly.
[caption id="attachment_1453" align="aligncenter" width="943"]
Chai Wallah[/caption]
Finally, the steaming liquid is poured and served in a clay cup. The taste will be of something incomparable. Fortunately, this spiced milky drink has made its way to the West, allowing avid tea drinkers to easily order their chai tea or chai latte. Although India’s national drink is now found in nearly every corner of India, tea was hardly consumed in India before the 1850s.
As legend has it, chai in India dates back 5,000 years when a king ordered for a healing Ayurvedic drink to be concocted. The result contained a blend of spices, but no actual Camellia sinensis tea leaves. The common spices included cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and black peppercorn which relieve digestive problems and sore throats. The addition of tea, milk and sugar was not popularised until the British found the famous tea-growing region of Assam, introducing tea into India in 1834.
The British were in great need of a new supply source for tea as China at this time monopolised its cultivation. This posed several difficulties such as steep prices, as well as a long shipping route from China to England (often resulting in the tea spoiling while aboard ship). In 1823, Major Robert Bruce of the East India Company discovered wild tea trees growing in Assam and noticed native tribes chewing its leaves. Unaware, he did not believe there were enough of these trees to produce a significant harvest, however, the British were desperate.
[caption id="attachment_1468" align="alignnone" width="768"]
Typical Chai clay cups[/caption]
Several attempts had been made (even prior to Bruce’s discovery) to grow tea trees in India, but it was not until 1834 that Robert Bruce’s brother, Charles Alexander Bruce, succeeded in creating India’s first plantation. The first delivery shipped to England four years later. Unfortunately, the taste did not live up to British expectations who were accustomed to expertly produced Chinese teas.
The British sent Botanist Robert Fortune as a spy to discover the Chinese secrets of growing and preparing this desired plant. Disguised as a tea merchant, he succeeded by returning to London in 1848 with 20,000 plants, essential information on the cultivation process (such as oxidation), and a Chinese labour force of 80 workers dedicated to the creation of new plantations.
Through a deforestation program and learned management skills, an industrial method of production was adopted, allowing Indian production to meet British demands by the 1860s. Darjeeling and Nilgiri were established for cultivation and black tea production exploded from a few hundred tons in the early 1860s to more than 198,400 tons in 1914.
Tea is now the most affordable and available beverage in India. While chai has only recently made its way to the Western market, Indians have been enjoying it for 100 years and will probably continue to do so for at least 100 more. For those who have not yet dared try it, we can guarantee that once you taste the unique blend of flavours you will be craving another cup.
Chai Wallah[/caption]
Finally, the steaming liquid is poured and served in a clay cup. The taste will be of something incomparable. Fortunately, this spiced milky drink has made its way to the West, allowing avid tea drinkers to easily order their chai tea or chai latte. Although India’s national drink is now found in nearly every corner of India, tea was hardly consumed in India before the 1850s.
As legend has it, chai in India dates back 5,000 years when a king ordered for a healing Ayurvedic drink to be concocted. The result contained a blend of spices, but no actual Camellia sinensis tea leaves. The common spices included cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and black peppercorn which relieve digestive problems and sore throats. The addition of tea, milk and sugar was not popularised until the British found the famous tea-growing region of Assam, introducing tea into India in 1834.
The British were in great need of a new supply source for tea as China at this time monopolised its cultivation. This posed several difficulties such as steep prices, as well as a long shipping route from China to England (often resulting in the tea spoiling while aboard ship). In 1823, Major Robert Bruce of the East India Company discovered wild tea trees growing in Assam and noticed native tribes chewing its leaves. Unaware, he did not believe there were enough of these trees to produce a significant harvest, however, the British were desperate.
[caption id="attachment_1468" align="alignnone" width="768"] Typical Chai clay cups[/caption]
Several attempts had been made (even prior to Bruce’s discovery) to grow tea trees in India, but it was not until 1834 that Robert Bruce’s brother, Charles Alexander Bruce, succeeded in creating India’s first plantation. The first delivery shipped to England four years later. Unfortunately, the taste did not live up to British expectations who were accustomed to expertly produced Chinese teas.
The British sent Botanist Robert Fortune as a spy to discover the Chinese secrets of growing and preparing this desired plant. Disguised as a tea merchant, he succeeded by returning to London in 1848 with 20,000 plants, essential information on the cultivation process (such as oxidation), and a Chinese labour force of 80 workers dedicated to the creation of new plantations.
Through a deforestation program and learned management skills, an industrial method of production was adopted, allowing Indian production to meet British demands by the 1860s. Darjeeling and Nilgiri were established for cultivation and black tea production exploded from a few hundred tons in the early 1860s to more than 198,400 tons in 1914.
Tea is now the most affordable and available beverage in India. While chai has only recently made its way to the Western market, Indians have been enjoying it for 100 years and will probably continue to do so for at least 100 more. For those who have not yet dared try it, we can guarantee that once you taste the unique blend of flavours you will be craving another cup.
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