Coffee 2 Tea

While many people might only be familiar with chai by virtue of Starbucks, actual masala chai has been around a lot longer than that global institution. The word chai simply means tea, and this verbiage is used in many areas of the world. Masala chai, therefore, can be roughly translated as spiced tea. Chai tea had its origins in India, and it can be understood as a mixture of brewed tea and aromatic herbs and spices.

In the western world, chai most often comes in the form of a chai latte. This indicates that steamed milk has been flavored with concentrated chai rather than the typical espresso that flavors lattes. Alternate names for this type of beverage also include chai tea latte. While this tea today is viewed entirely as a treat on cold, rainy days, the original use was actually more medicinal. To that end, this and other teas were used to treat and prevent various remedies in many places of South Asia.

There is a lot to learn about coffee.  The terms Robusta and Arabica for instance, which are often mentioned in the same breath as coffee, cannot be defined by many coffee drinkers.  The two are actually the foremost varieties of coffee being grown today. Robusta, which contains more caffeine than Arabica coffee beans, ranks lower in quality and comprises about a fifth of the coffee produced worldwide.  Arabica coffee is more prevalent, accounting for more than 70% of the world’s coffee business.  It is also more superior in taste and aroma. These days most people consider Arabica a gourmet coffee.

Green beans and organic beans are two more terms associated with coffee.  Simply put, green beans are coffee beans that have yet to be roasted.  In contrast, organic coffee beans come from coffee plants grown naturally and sans the use of pesticides. Coffee retailers purchase them raw then have them roasted and packed just before transport and delivery for maximum freshness.