Masala Chai: How did India’s favourite beverage come into being?

India and its affinity with chai is something that the whole world is aware of. This hot and surprisingly tasty beverage has the entire country drooling over day and night. From being served piping hot as a welcome drink to being a medium of friendly discussion by the roadside vendor, masala chai has a diverse role in an equally diverse country of art, culture and colour. So, how did it all start? How did masala chai, or spiced tea as the western world knows, gain such a huge cult status?
Time to find out!

Where did it start?

The true origin of chai is highly debated, with several stories doing the round. One such story is of an Indian monk called Bodhidharma who travelled from India to China during the late-5th and early-6th century. He is said to be the founder of Zen Buddhism and Shaolin Kung Fu, who entered into a nine-year meditation in a cave. However, seven years into his meditation, the monk fell asleep.
Bodhidharma was so infuriated at himself that he cut off his eyelid to prevent falling asleep again. His eyelids fell to the ground, and the first tea plant emerged and; later on, tea would be a source of a stimulant for his students to stay awake during zazen (meditation).
Another popular legend is that King Harshvardhana in India developed a herbal drink using tea leaves that he sipped through long court affairs to stay awake.
Despite several tales that are often contradictory, one thing remains the same: the mention of a shrub that matches Camellia sinensis, a tea shrub that Robert Bruce and his brother Charles discovered in Assam in 1823.

When chai met milk!

While chai was a popular beverage, complete with its aromatic mix of water, herbs, spices and tea leaves, milk came in much later. According to some tea experts and historians, it was the traders and travellers from Gujarat and Bengal with better access to spices and quality milk that started it all. They added spices to milk to make it more flavourful. While the people preferred the brew as an after-breakfast brink, the British made their efforts to give the tea a “drink-anytime” status. And quite frankly, they succeeded!
During the early 1900s, the British-run Indian Tea Association tried desperately to introduce tea among the general public. They wanted to popularise tea at railway stations and gave out recipe booklets, tea packets and kettles to local tea vendors. Unfortunately for them, tea leaves were expensive for vendors. In fact, while other ingredients were quickly and cheaply available, tea leaf prices made it difficult for tea to become an average Indian’s drink.
As a way out of this trouble, vendors used the leftover tea leaves while adding milk, sugar and spices to give it a strong flavour. The trick worked: it gave birth to the masala chai as we know, and while it kept the chai prices low, the popularity went soaring high.
The next push for masala chai and tea popularity in India came in the 1960s when Crush, Tear, Curl (CTC) tea production took form. To date, CTC remains a popular tea choice of the average Indian household.

A flavourful conclusion

Over the years, masala chai has turned generations into serious tea aficionados in India. Outside India, it became a signature of culture with a rich heritage. Today, you will find cafes and restaurants creating their version of masala chai. So, the next time you grab your cup of favourite masala chai latte, ponder upon its fascinating tale!