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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Chai - which is simply the Hindi word for <keyword id="11988809" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tea" source="Orion">tea</keyword> - holds great social and cultural significance in India.</li><li>The main ingredients in chai are tea leaves, spices, sugar, and milk.</li><li>Chai lattes are a popular, milkier take on traditional chai.</li></ul><p>While you may be most familiar with the chai tea at your local Starbucks, chai is and has been a lifestyle in India for generations. Whether it's a grand ceremony like a traditional Indian wedding or a small neighborhood get-together, drinking chai with your loved ones is a symbol of respect and togetherness in India. But its history is quite complex.</p><p>"Chai started out as a colonial conquest by the British, as they needed a place to grow tea outside of China since China held a monopoly on tea production," says Ayan Sanyal, a first-generation Indian American who co-founded the <a href="https://kolkatachai.co/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kolkata Chai Co.</a>, a cafe in New York City. "In the early 20th century, the British started a huge campaign to make tea popular amongst Indians. Tea vendors soon started adding their own ayurvedic spice blends to the tea and heavily mixing it with milk, inventing masala chai [a spice-added version of chai] as we know it."</p><p>The British import mixed with local flavors became a smash hit and an Indian cultural export in its own right. Now, you can pick up a chai at nearly any coffee shop. But if you want to make your own at home, there are a few things to know first.</p><h2><strong>The basics of chai</strong></h2><p>While chai varies wildly from culture to culture, it breaks down into four main components: tea, spices, sweetener, and milk. You can customize each element to get the flavors, spice level, and sweetness you prefer.</p><h3>Tea</h3><p>Masala chai traditionally uses black tea, but you can use green tea, black tea, or whatever variety of tea leaves you have at home. You can also purchase special chai blends available online and at specialty grocery stores. There's no "standard" flavor palate for chai, because it will differ significantly based on the tea blend you use to prepare it. </p><h3>Spices</h3><p>The taste of your chai is also heavily determined by the type and amount of spices you use, and what combination of spices you include. Spices are what will help give it that unique woodsy and invigorating flavor and separate it from other tea preparations.</p><p>According to Sanyal, some of the most common spices used in masala chai include cardamom, black pepper, ginger, lemongrass, mint, fennel, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Each of these spices has different health benefits. For example, cardamom can <a href="http://www.discoveryjournals.org/medicalscience/current_issue/v23/n97/A23.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">improve digestion</a>, ginger <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25912592/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reduces nausea</a>, and cinnamon is <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16190627/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filled with antioxidants</a>.</p><h3>Milk</h3><p>"Whole milk is the best for hot chai, as it contains a lot of natural fats that create a really creamy taste," Sanyal says. While whole milk is traditional for chai, you can really use any milk you like. Switch it up with non-dairy milk like almond, oat, or soy, or make your chai a little lighter with skim. A very traditional variation of chai even uses buffalo milk. </p><h3>Sugar</h3><p>How much and what kind of sugar you use is entirely up to you and how sweet you want your chai.</p><p>Start with 1 or 2 teaspoons of plain sugar - remember, chai is supposed to be sweet - and you adjust to your desired taste from there. Sanyal suggests experimenting with demerara or brown sugar, maple syrup, or honey if you're looking to try something new.</p><p><strong>Quick tip:</strong> One 8-ounce serving of chai contains about 25 milligrams of caffeine. For comparison, a similarly sized cup of coffee has around 95 milligrams of caffeine.</p><h2>What you need</h2><h3>For your spice blend</h3><ul><li>1 to 2 crushed cardamom pods</li><li>1 2-inch piece of ginger (grated)</li><li>1/2 to 1 small cinnamon stick( crushed)</li><li>1 to 3 black pepper kernels (crushed)</li><li>1 to 2 crushed cloves</li></ul><h3><strong>For your tea<br /></strong></h3><ul><li>1 cup of water</li><li>1 cup of milk</li><li>2 to 3 tablespoons of tea leaves</li><li>1 to 2 teaspoons of sugar or sweetener</li></ul><h2><strong>How to prepare chai (makes two cups)</strong></h2><div type="image" title="Two cups of masala chai" height="1414" width="1885" msid="86247471" hostid="261"></div><p>The process of preparing chai looks different from culture to culture, but the basic premise remains the same. Sanyal offers his technique for preparing chai below. <br /><br /></p><ol><li><strong>Gather key ingredients.</strong> This includes your tea leaves, milk, your spice blend, your sweetener of choice, and water. You can also choose herbs like mint for a cooling effect and added flavor. </li><li><strong>Simmer two cups of water on a stove or in a kettle.</strong> Wait for the water to boil.</li><li><strong>Add your ingredients. </strong>Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of tea leaves, 3 teaspoons of your spice blend, and other desired ingredients to the warm water.</li><li><strong>Brew for 3 to 5 minutes with the heat still on.</strong> Two minutes is the ideal length but you can continue brewing until you find your ideal flavor. Generally, it takes 2 minutes for black tea and 3 minutes or more for milky tea to brew.</li><li><strong>Add sweeteners and milk to taste.</strong> You can use whole milk, oat milk, almond milk, soy milk, or any kind you prefer. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of sugar or sweeteners based on how sweet you want your tea to be.</li><li><strong>Let it boil and maintain a steady temperature.</strong> Most tea varieties will be ready within 2 to 4 minutes. You'll know the chai is ready based on the color. Masala chai will become brownish, while green tea may become golden or slightly green. You can also watch out for the aroma - once you start smelling the ingredients, it's ready.</li></ol><p><strong>Quick tip:</strong> In some regions, chai tea and chai latte can mean the same thing. But as the popularity of chai has grown, people have come up with variations of the recipe. Now, a chai latte is typically a milkier version of the traditional masala chai. Top with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-milk-frother" target="_blank" rel="noopener">frothed milk</a> for a coffee shop feel.</p><h2><strong>Other interpretations of chai to try</strong></h2><p>"One of the best parts about working with chai is how versatile it is," Sanyal says. You can switch or skip some ingredients and get a completely different flavor, or even emulate the taste in baked goods.</p><ul><li>Add ice to make iced tea, and give it even more of a refreshing taste.</li><li>Remove spices for a plain, more subdued flavor for your chai.</li><li>Make chai-spiced rice pudding (Kheer) to eat with "puri" or rice during festivals and holidays.</li><li>Bake cookies with chai concentrate for a unique woodsy flavor.</li><li>Add spices and herbs like black pepper and lavender to create a nutritious variation for chai.</li></ul><h2><strong>Insider's takeaway</strong></h2><p>Chai is a popular drink that is not only easy to make, but it also serves a social and cultural function in India. Western adaptations of chai offer more variety and space for exploration. You can pick and choose your spices, switch the type of milk you use, tweak the recipe slightly, and get a fresh drink with a unique flavor within minutes. </p><a data-type="60f1f64afdabbb0f78426645">5 different ways to make a refreshing cup of iced coffee</a><a data-type="60e8aeba654b027d825da61d">How to make cold brew coffee, no special equipment required</a><a data-type="5fe89bdac28b6d292b0e8ff5">The many different ingredients in tea that help boost immunity</a><a data-type="60ba8c207c964f377345be47">How to use a French press to make a great cup of coffee</a>

How to make chai that rivals your favorite coffee shop

<ul><li><strong>A 4-year old from Andhra gives his piggy bank money to CM Relief Fund. <br /></strong></li><li><strong>In Patna, a thank you message for Bihar Police appeared on the streets <br /></strong></li><li><strong>In Hyderabad, a single-seater corona-shaped car is raising awareness <br /></strong></li><li><strong>In Kolkata, a sweet shop creates ‘Corona Sandesh’ <br /></strong></li><li><strong>In Chennai, police officials wear Corona-shaped helmets<br /></strong></li></ul>The deadly <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> has brought life to a standstill. India’s busiest roads wear deserted looks during the rush hour because of the lockdown. But staying home is not all that Indians are doing. Some are coming up with various ways to cheer others. <br /><br /><strong>A 4-year old from Andhra gives his piggy bank money to CM Relief Fund <br />  <div type="image" title="Capture" msid="75080983" hostid="261"></div></strong><br />A four-year boy Hemanth, from Vijayawada, donated all his savings worth ₹971 from his piggy bank to CM’s relief fund. Hemanth was saving to buy a bicycle but he decided that fighting COVID-19 is the need of the hour. <br /><br /><strong>In Patna, a thank you message for Bihar Police appeared on the streets<br />  <div type="image" title="d708b80089dda5c0926912f6225dabb4" msid="75080943" hostid="261"></div></strong><br />A message thanking the Bihar police for its services during the COVID-19 pandemic came up at a Patna street during the lockdown. <br /><strong><br />In Hyderabad, a single-seater corona-shaped car is raising awareness<br />  <div type="image" title="dc53518ae104f9577659d7ae9452b04a" msid="75080880" hostid="261"></div></strong><br />A corona-themed car with a special message caught everyone’s attention in Hyderabad. The single-seater car, with a 100cc engine, has six wheels, and a fiber body. <br /><br />K Sudhakar, known for making whacky cars in unimaginable shapes and forms, came up with the idea to spread awareness. He plans to donate the car to Hyderabad police. <br /><br /><strong>In Kolkata, a sweet shop creates ‘Corona Sandesh’ <br /></strong><div type="twitter" handle="SSanyal" handlename="Sourav Sanyal" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1246396662186033152/UxtTmRHZ_normal.jpg" favoritecount="5" retweetcount="1" status="As the world grapples with #COVID, look what makes a debut at a sweet shop in #Kolkata: the #Corona Sandesh!… https://t.co/qbpTMnYpIF" createdat="1586166949000" id="1247100691711066113"></div><br />A renowned chain of sweet maker in Kolkata came up with a 'Sandesh' shaped in the form of novel Coronavirus with a red-colored spherical body covered with spikes.<br /><br />'Sandesh' is a popular sweetmeat of Bengal. The sweet shop also decided to offer one Corona Sandesh for free to each customer visiting the shop. <br /><strong><br />In Chennai, police officials wear were wearing a Corona-shaped helmets<br /><div type="twitter" handle="srini091" handlename="🇮🇳 Srini Swaminathan🇮🇳" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1148269564540538880/-M54uQD5_normal.jpg" favoritecount="164" retweetcount="58" status="Chennai Cop wears a corona like helmet and stop motor bike riders and ask them to stay home. 🦠😄😭 (recd as a fed) To… https://t.co/3IpAz3Ot8z" createdat="1585324783000" id="1243568392356978695"></div></strong><br />A police officer in Chennai was seen wearing a coronavirus shaped helmet to prevent people from coming out of their homes. According to the police officer, it will help them understand the seriousness of the outbreak. <br /><br />“When I wear this, the thought of coronavirus comes into the minds of the commuters,” he told ANI. <br />

Corona sweets, cars, helmets, and generous 4-year-olds — and other stories of how Indians are trying to keep spirits high

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Most of you reading this must be a fascinated fan of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/topic/Kolkata">Kolkata</a>’s reputed rosogolla. The spongy feel that evolves from the syrupy sweet often been defined as an elevator (not stairway) to heaven. Bengalis having a sweet tooth as a matter of heredity, syrupy sweets have evolved in the eastern part of the country. However, the 200 years old rosogolla, that has given Kolkata an identity across the globe was waiting to be deconstructed.<br />
Thanks to Sudip Mullick, who has not only brought a welcome change to the rosogolla, but has also made it to the list of six most promising entrepreneurs in the country selected by Forbes India Magazine. <br />
During his job stint with <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/What-its-like-to-stay-in-the-worlds-best-hotel-where-guests-are-treated-like-Indian-royalty/articleshow/47995091.cms">the Oberoi</a> Grand kitchen, the 33 year old director of Balaram Mullick and Radharaman Mullick Sweets had picked up a European taste for desserts and dreamt of fusing them with the typical Bengali sweets their family shop was famous for. <br />
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Being a part of the reputed list of business innovators by an esteemed business publication, Sudip is more than happy.<br />
Desserts like strudles, pudding, truffles and souffles are now common on the Balaram Mullick racks and though they are mostly variants of the traditional sandesh and Bengali ‘rosh er mishti’ (syrup filled sweets) in their myriad forms, one can’t really decide if he is tasting a European delicacy or a Bengali favourite. <br />
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Sudip has mechanized the entire process by using machines he imported from Denmark, Taiwan, Japan and Italy, and fused various processes to churn out his own delicacies. <br />
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The Japanese machine used to make rice dust desserts there, is used to make the jol bhora sandesh with a Japanese twist, the machine from Denmark that is used to churn out pure chocolate truffles, is used to make chocolate-coated sandesh and rossogolla truffle and the Italian machines designed to make cookies are making golapi pera sandesh. There is a type of singara being made by a German machine originally used to bake patties. <br />
<br />
Other promising entrepreneurs on the Forbes list are Rahul Gonzalvez of Bangalore, for his digital design agency, Ashoke Thakur, for churning out vada paos by thousands in Mumbai's Dadar, Sirish Duttatreya who is a third-generation second-hand book shop owner with over 9,00,000 titles in Pune and Parvatlal Kanhaiyalal Dubey who is the country's biggest wedding planner.<br />

The re-invention of the famed Rosogolla is why this guy is on Forbes’ promising entrepreneurs list

Storm in the tea cup is something you have heard. But will you laugh if you hear that a storm is brewing in the coffee cup? Not if you belong to the southern part of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place> where coffee is more than a mere beverage. Drinking coffee in the South is a ritual of sorts that sets the tone for the day. Therefore, when the first cup of coffee arrives, it better be caramel-hued, piping hot, steamy, frothy and appropriately sweet. Because when the first cuppa is downed and the taste reaches its crescendo, the day pans out well, in fact, very well.
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	A few years ago, coffee was a drink that was predominantly South Indian and came in steel cups, both at home and outside. And each cup cost around Rs 5. But this was before the 1,500-outlets-strong Café Coffee Day started its operations in 1996. Prices at the CCD were then considered insane and experts had even written off the chain as an experiment that hadn’t got its facts right. After all, who would want to pay Rs 50 for a coffee variety, no matter how exotic it is, when normal coffee is available for a fraction of that amount?<o:p></o:p></p>
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	But very soon, the patrons, especially the young people who had arrived fresh as the benefactors of the IT industry, embraced the fashionable coffee shops (they had delightful ambience) as their new socialising hubs that spoke of their status symbol. After all, coffee is all about class, isn’t it?<o:p></o:p></p>
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	The coffee clubs in every city worth their salt will vouch for it. <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Bangalore</st1:city></st1:place> had some; Kolkata had its charming old coffee houses, some of which date back to the Colonial Era, and many cities came up with their own versions of coffee culture that integrated with their respective cultures. In other words, coffee did form a lifeline for many. What’s more, coffee was the essential part of Indian literature as well, especially in the early 1970s, since coffee clubs hosted numerous poetry sessions, literary discussions and socio-political debates over endless cuppas, shaping the Indian sensibility!<o:p></o:p></p>
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	Indian coffee, which has a comparatively recent origin and is mostly grown in the South, entered the country in the 15th century as a Sufi saint brought the beans back when he returned from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on"><keyword id="6364756" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Mecca">Mecca</keyword></st1:city></st1:place>. The seeds sown at that time have been bearing fruits ever since.<o:p></o:p></p>
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	The production of coffee beans in the country and the ever expanding café markets are interrelated in some ways, but the growth of the Indian coffee industry and the fast-paced development of the consumer market for coffee are not totally interdependent.<o:p></o:p></p>
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	While <st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region>’s Arabica and Robusta are known for their distinct aroma and stimulant properties, we must remember that <st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region> exports nearly 80% of its total coffee produce to <st1:country-region w:st="on">Russia</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Germany</st1:country-region>, the <st1:country-region w:st="on">US</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Spain</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Belgium</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Slovenia</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Greece</st1:country-region>, the <st1:country-region w:st="on">Netherlands</st1:country-region> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region></st1:place>, among others. The country grows nearly 800,000 tonnes of coffee across the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Orissa</st1:place>, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><keyword id="6354915" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Assam">Assam</keyword></st1:country-region></st1:city>, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, <keyword id="46408" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Arunachal-Pradesh">Arunachal Pradesh</keyword> and so on. With the majority of the coffee growers being unorganised farmers, coffee as a cash crop does not have the negotiating power to dictate its procurement prices.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="ecxmsonormal"> Although there is a <keyword id="2239954" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="Coffee-Board-in-India">Coffee Board in India</keyword> that essentially deals with the welfare of the coffee growers, underdeveloped socio-economic conditions, perpetual labour shortage and absence of government assistance in 98% cases make it more of a traditional crop that has been grown through generations, rather than a cash crop with great profit potential.<o:p></o:p></p>
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	On the other hand, what’s been thriving is the processed coffee business, which is more like a hospitality industry, with customer service and profit-making being its chief objectives. Café Coffee Day has already posted an impressive growth chart of 1,500 outlets in less than two decades and other cafés, which are opening to brisk business, are present across almost all highways, metros and tier II cities. It seems that the market for coffee as a consumer product has been resurrected in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="ecxmsonormal"> Consequently, when the world’s largest coffee chain <keyword id="6377922" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Starbucks">Starbucks</keyword> entered the Indian market through a joint venture with the industry biggie <keyword id="6355725" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Tata-Group">TATA Group</keyword> (Tata Starbucks Ltd), the market was warm and more than welcoming. The well-travelled Indian took to Starbucks as the fish takes to water. The brand, which entered the Indian market in October 2012, has been on a roll ever since, opening outlets in all major cities. The company is currently catering to a market worth $300 million and hopes to achieve an impressive 20% annual growth.<o:p></o:p></p>
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	Curiously, the Indian coffee market, in spite of having enough growth potential, has not looked beyond CCD. Other brands such as Barista, ow­ned by Lavazza Spa, had a tough time staying afloat in this volatile market.<o:p></o:p></p>
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	In a largely tea-obsessed nation, coffee feels like an aberration. But brands such as CCD and Starbucks are positioning themselves as lifestyle choices and aspirational names in order to serve more than just coffee. But here is a hitch. In spite of pushing a lot of money into branding, will Indian consumers cold-shoulder these companies after experiencing the initial euphoria of having an international coffee brand in the neighbourhood? In such a case, only constant innovation can save the cup of coffee!<o:p></o:p></p>

You Searched For "Sweets shop in Kolkata" and got 4 results

How to make chai that rivals your favorite coffee shop

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The re-invention of the famed Rosogolla is why this guy is on Forbes’ promising entrepreneurs list

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