Indian Tea & How to Brew It

Tea is a very important industry in India and it also plays an important role in the culture. Aside from China, India produces and consumes more tea than any other country. Two of the world’s most famous types of tea are Indian tea: Darjeeling and Assam. India consumes around 30% of the world’s tea output.

#Indian Tea & Culture

Indian tea plays a historic role in culture having long been used in traditional Indian medicine. You may have heard of a practice called Ayurveda which involves using teas brewed with different herbs and spices believed to have medicinal benefits. This remains a long-standing tradition in Indian homes. There is documentation to suggest that Indians have been drinking tea since 750 to 500 BC. However, the commercial production of Indian tea did not begin until the arrival of the British East Indian Company in around 1826.

#Modern Indian Tea

As noted above, India is the world’s second-largest producer of tea. It is estimated that about 70% of the tea produced is actually consumed within India. In fact, there are Indian tea stalls on practically every street in Indian cities. Indian tea is prepared by boiling tea and addition spices for flavoring in water and then adding milk and sweetener before boiling it again. Indian teas has a number of regional variations just like Indian food.

#How to Brew Indian Tea

Brewing Indian tea is a little different from other teas. To give you an idea of how to go about it, using just one of the many regional variations. This particular recipe contains cardamom and basil.

*Place 20ml of water, sugar and Indian tea in a pan and heat on a low flame until it turns red/brown in color.
*Add crushed basil leaves and ginger flakes to the mixture.
*Add 250ml of milk and crushed cardamom.
*Increase the heat and allow to boil.
*When the milk rises to the top of the pan turn off the burner.
*Strain the tea to remove the solids leaving you with only the infused Indian tea.
Serve hot.

#What is The Difference Between Chai Tea & Indian Tea?

You may be familiar with Chai tea. If so then you may be wondering what the difference between chai and Indian tea is. The answer is – nothing! Chai is a word used for traditional spiced milk tea from India. In India, you are more likely to hear the drink referred to as Chai rather than Indian tea. There has been a huge amount of interest in Chai in recent years with many coffee chains like Starbucks offering commercial versions of this traditionally medicinal beverage. Since Chai is simply part of day to day life in India, many Indian people find it hard to understand the fuss made over this Indian tea is Western countries!