How to Make an Indian Tea

Co-authored by Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: August 25, 2024 Tested

If you love fragrant tea that's heavily spiced, you'll enjoy most Indian teas. Try making masala chai at home using ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, sugar, and black tea. You could also make a creamy Indian tea that's served in the Himalayas. This buttery tea is traditionally made with yak milk and butter, but you could use cow or goat products. For a specially spiced Indian tea from the Kashmir region, steep green tea with saffron, rose petals, and cinnamon.

Ingredients

Masala Chai

A 1 ¹ ⁄ ₂ in (3.8 cm) piece of fresh ginger
3 in (7.6 cm) cinnamon stick
3 ¹ ⁄ ₂ cups (830 ml) of water
6 teaspoons (4 g) of strong loose leaf black tea or 6 tea bags
14 green cardamom pods or 3/4 teaspoon (1.5 g) of ground cardamom
2 ³ ⁄ ₄ cups (650 ml) of milk
¼ cup (50 g) of sugar or pure maple syrup

Makes 4 servings

Butter Tea

1 cup (240 ml) of milk, such as whole milk or goat's milk
1 tablespoon (12 g) of sugar
2 pinches of baking soda
1 teaspoon (5 g) of butter
1 teaspoon (2 g) of black tea powder

Makes 1 serving

Kashmiri Kahwa

1 teaspoon (2 g) of green tea
3 cups (710 ml) of water
10 to 12 strands of saffron
¹ ⁄ ₂ inch (1.3 cm) stick of cinnamon
1 clove
1 cardamom pod, crushed
1/2 teaspoon (6 g) of slivered almonds
Honey, optional

Makes 3 servings

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Masala Chai

1
Coarsely grate the ginger and lightly crush the cinnamon stick. Take a 1 ¹ ⁄ ₂ in (3.8 cm) piece of fresh ginger that hasn't been peeled and grate it against the coarsest side of a box grater. Then, hit a 3 in (7.6 cm) cinnamon stick lightly with a rolling pin to crush it. Since ginger is an underground produce, you might want to scrape off any soil on it. Put the ginger and cinnamon into a medium-sized pot. ^{[1]
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- Crushing the cinnamon will release more flavor than if you leave the stick whole. There's no need to peel the ginger because you'll be straining the solids out of the chai.
2
Bring the water, ginger, and cinnamon to a boil. Pour 3 ¹ ⁄ ₂ cups (830 ml) of water into the pot with the crushed cinnamon and grated ginger. Turn the burner to medium-high heat and heat the mixture until it starts to bubble vigorously. ^{[2]
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- If you are not using a teapot which is set aside only for tea making, use a clean vessel without any oil or tangy residue left on it because it might lead to the curdling of milk while boiling.
- Keep the lid off of the pot so the water doesn't boil over and you can see when to reduce the temperature.
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3
Turn the burner to medium and simmer the liquid for about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat so the water simmers and keep the lid off of the pot so liquid can evaporate. You'll need to stir the liquid occasionally and keep simmering until 1/3 of the liquid has evaporated. ^{[3]
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- The simmering water should smell very fragrant once it's finished heating.
4
Stir in the tea with the cardamom and steep it for 2 minutes off the heat. Carefully move the pot to a cool burner and stir in 6 teaspoons (4 g) of strong loose leaf black tea or 6 tea bags. Then, lightly crush 14 green cardamom pods to add to the mixture or stir in 3/4 teaspoon (1.5 g) of ground cardamom. Leave the tea to steep for 2 minutes.
- There's no need to use very expensive, high-quality tea for chai. Masala chai is frequently made with strong, inexpensive black tea that you can find at the grocery store or Indian market.
- For a stronger tea, steep it for an extra 1 to 2 minutes. Keep in mind that the tea may become bitter the longer you steep it.
Tip: Play around with adding other spices to create a unique masala. For example, add ground nutmeg, ground black pepper, or fennel, according to your taste.
5
Stir in the milk with the sugar and boil the chai for 5 minutes. Move the pot back to the warm burner and turn it on to medium-high. Slowly pour in 2 ³ ⁄ ₄ cups (650 ml) of milk and ¼ cup (50 g) of sugar or pure maple syrup. Then, stir the tea occasionally as it comes to a boil. Let the tea boil for 5 minutes so it foams up. ^{[4]
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- You can use your choice of sweetener instead of sugar or maple syrup. Try using honey, agave, or demerara sugar, for instance.
6
Cool the chai for 5 minutes and strain it into a serving jug. Turn off the burner and let the chai steep for another 5 minutes. Then, set a fine mesh strainer over a serving pitcher or teapot and pour the chai through it. Pour the chai into small serving cups and sip it while it's hot.
- Discard the solids that are left in the fine mesh strainer.
- If you'd like to store leftover chai, put it in an airtight container within 2 hours and refrigerate it for up to 3 to 4 days.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Butter Tea

1
Bring the milk, sugar, and baking soda to a boil. Pour 1 cup (240 ml) of whole milk or goat's milk into a pot and stir in 1 tablespoon (12 g) of sugar along with 2 pinches of baking soda. Turn the burner to medium and heat the liquid until it begins to boil. ^{[5]
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- For extremely rich and creamy butter tea, try it with half-and-half.
Did You Know? Butter tea is traditionally made with yak milk and butter, but you can use your favorite type of milk.
2
Stir in the tea powder and boil it for 30 to 60 seconds. Add 1 teaspoon (2 g) of black tea powder to the pot and stir it until it dissolves in the hot milk. Then, keep the lid off of the pot and gently boil the tea over medium heat for up to 1 minute. ^{[6]
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- The longer you boil the tea, the stronger the tea flavor will be.
- Some of the milk will evaporate as it boils, which will make the tea thick.
3
Strain the tea into a serving cup. Turn off the burner and set a small fine mesh strainer over a serving cup. Slowly pour the tea into the cup and discard the solids that are left in the strainer. ^{[7]
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- If you'd like thinner tea, you can top off the tea in your cup with warm or cold milk.
4
Stir in the butter and serve the tea. Add 1 teaspoon (5 g) of butter and slowly stir it until it dissolves. If you'd like slightly foamy butter tea, use a whisk to carefully blend the butter into the tea. Then, sip the tea while it's hot. ^{[8]
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- If you'd like to make a larger batch of butter tea, you can double or triple the amount and make it in a large pot.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Kashmiri Kahwa

1
Combine the water, saffron, cinnamon, clove, rose, and cardamom in a pot. Pour 3 cups (710 ml) of water into a medium-sized pot and add 10 to 12 strands of saffron, a ¹ ⁄ ₂ inch (1.3 cm) stick of cinnamon, and 1 clove. Then crush 1 cardamom pod and add it to the pot. ^{[9]
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- If you can't afford very much saffron, use as few strands as you like.
2
Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer it for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the burner to medium-high and heat the liquid until it bubbles vigorously. Then, turn the burner down until the liquid gently simmers. ^{[10]
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- Keep the lid off of the pot as it simmers.
3
Add the green tea and steep it for 1 minute. Turn off the burner and stir in 1 teaspoon (2 g) of green tea. Leave the pot uncovered and let the tea steep so the flavor can develop. ^{[11]
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- For stronger kahwa, add an extra 1 to 2 teaspoons (2 to 4 g) of green tea.
Tip: You can use plain green tea or specially blended Kashmiri green tea, which contains spices.
Set a fine mesh strainer over a serving jug or teapot and slowly pour the hot kahwa through it. Discard the solids and then pour the kahwa into individual serving cups. ^{[12]
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5
Stir in honey and slivered almonds before serving the kahwa. To sweeten the kahwa, you can mix in a little honey until it dissolves. Then, sprinkle a few slivered almonds into each cup.
- If you'd like to garnish the drink even more, add a saffron thread to each cup or sprinkle extra dried rose petals on top. ^{[13]
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- Refrigerate leftover kahwa in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days.
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Community Q&A

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Question

Where is a good place to buy Indian tea leaves?

Community Answer

You could go to a Indian store near you, or search online for a retailer who sells it.

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Where can I find the best tea leaves?

Community Answer

You can find the best tea high up in the mountains where volcanic rock creates the most fertile and suitable soil for growing tea leaves. Some places are Cameron Highlands, Malaysia, Indonesia, and China.

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How to make butter tea without baking soda or powder?

Community Answer

Baking soda is not necessary. You can always avoid it while making butter tea.

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Tips

If you prefer a cup of classic black tea, brew a pot of assam, darjeeling, or nilgiri. These regional teas of India are great on their own or lightly sweetened. ^{[14]
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Make sure your hands and all the utensils used are nicely washed and dried. Otherwise it might curdle the milk.

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Things You'll Need

Masala Chai

Measuring cups and spoons
Medium-sized pot
Box grater
Rolling pin
Spoon
Fine mesh strainer
Serving pitcher or teapot
Serving cups

Butter Tea

Small pot
Measuring cups and spoons
Spoon
Small fine mesh strainer
Serving cup
Whisk, optional

Kashmiri Kahwa

Measuring cups and spoons
Spoon
Medium-sized pot
Fine mesh strainer
Serving pitcher or teapot
Serving cups

extra sugar if needed

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How to Make an Indian Tea

Ingredients

Masala Chai

Butter Tea

Kashmiri Kahwa

Steps

Masala Chai

Butter Tea

Kashmiri Kahwa

Community Q&A

Video

Tips

Things You'll Need

Masala Chai

Butter Tea

Kashmiri Kahwa

You Might Also Like

References

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