The Origins of Chai 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.