I have fallen in love with Chai Tea Late, and wanted some more information.
I currently use a brand called "Oregon Chai", mix the contents 50/50 with
milk, and steam wand it to a hot perfection.

What is THE AT MOST BEST product, and direction to make it, also- what is
the best way to enjoy Chai?... and how would you make an excellent chilled
late??
Thanks Everyone!
Bradly

"BM" > wrote in message >.. .
> I have fallen in love with Chai Tea Late, and wanted some more information.
> I currently use a brand called "Oregon Chai", mix the contents 50/50 with
> milk, and steam wand it to a hot perfection.
>
> What is THE AT MOST BEST product, and direction to make it, also- what is
> the best way to enjoy Chai?... and how would you make an excellent chilled
> late??
> Thanks Everyone!
> Bradly

Dear Brad:

Chai is a wonderful spice milk from south Asia
region(Bangladesh,india,pakistan, nepal and Srilnaka). Basically you
need 4 combination of ingridents:

1)Rich black tea: Bangladeshi CTC,Assam and cylon CTC is best to use.
2)Heavy milk
3)A combination of various spices
4)A sweetner

In south Asian culture it is a curtsy to welcome your guest in you
home of office with a cup of tea and some light snacks. Here you will
find tea stalls all around the place. Chai masla is part of daily
life. But once in a while we also make chai masala with strong CTC
Bnagladeshi black tea with condensed milk. Have you ever tried this
way? It is a faster way to drink chai here sometimes. The spices used
in a Chai masla are- Ginger,Cardamom,cumin, cloves, garam
masala(Aromatic spice mix),Cinnamon etc.

Another way to have chai masala-

I don't make it often for health reason but have sometimes enjoy it in
my relatives and friends house. Instead of water they boil the full
cream milk then brew strong CTC black tea with milk. Everything add
togather in the brewing pot. The taste is very sweet, creamy, rich.

By the way, In Bangladesh insteed of chai we say- Cha and Masala cha.

Ripon.
(From Bangladesh)

On 3 Nov 2003 20:19:34 -0800, (Ripon) wrote:

>"BM" > wrote in message >.. .
>> I have fallen in love with Chai Tea Late, and wanted some more information.
>> I currently use a brand called "Oregon Chai", mix the contents 50/50 with
>> milk, and steam wand it to a hot perfection.

Which flavor of Oregon Chai? I am in love with their Chai Nog!
Unfortunately it is only available in the winter, so I am trying to
discover the extra ingredients so I can have something like it year
round. (Probably nutmeg, allspice, anise, and perhaps mace, in addition
to the vanilla, honey, ginger, and citric acid that all Oregon Chai's
products have, and the commonly used cinnamon, cardamon, cloves, and
black peppercorns.) But I think maybe it has some other flavoring also.
Any ideas what it might be?

/snip/


> The spices used
>in a Chai masla are- Ginger,Cardamom,cumin, cloves, garam
>masala(Aromatic spice mix),Cinnamon etc.

What are the spices in the garam masala?


Mary

Mary wrote:
>
> On 3 Nov 2003 20:19:34 -0800, (Ripon) wrote:
>
> >"BM" > wrote in message >.. .
> >> I have fallen in love with Chai Tea Late, and wanted some more information.
> >> I currently use a brand called "Oregon Chai", mix the contents 50/50 with
> >> milk, and steam wand it to a hot perfection.
>
> Which flavor of Oregon Chai? I am in love with their Chai Nog!

Yes, it's that time of year again! Let's all join the Hindus and toast
the spirit of the season with a glass of their traditional Christmas
drink, Chai Nog!

--crymad

On Sun, 16 Nov 2003 21:48:29 -0800, crymad >
wrote:
>Mary wrote:
/snip/
>> Which flavor of Oregon Chai? I am in love with their Chai Nog!
>
>Yes, it's that time of year again! Let's all join the Hindus and toast
>the spirit of the season with a glass of their traditional Christmas
>drink, Chai Nog!


LOL! But don't our traditional 'holiday spices' also come from the
tropics? Nutmeg, cloves, allspice, mace.... What else could Oregon Chai
be putting in it?


Mary

Mary wrote:
>
> On Sun, 16 Nov 2003 21:48:29 -0800, crymad >
> wrote:
> >Mary wrote:
> /snip/
> >> Which flavor of Oregon Chai? I am in love with their Chai Nog!
> >
> >Yes, it's that time of year again! Let's all join the Hindus and toast
> >the spirit of the season with a glass of their traditional Christmas
> >drink, Chai Nog!
>
> LOL! But don't our traditional 'holiday spices' also come from the
> tropics? Nutmeg, cloves, allspice, mace.... What else could Oregon Chai
> be putting in it?

Well, don't tell anyone, but the secret ingredient for that special
mouthfeel in authentic Hindu Chai Nog...is gelatin. Gelatin from the
bones and hides of beef. They sort of relax the rules a bit during
Christmastime.

--crymad

11/18/03

>
>
> Mary wrote:
>>
>> On Sun, 16 Nov 2003 21:48:29 -0800, crymad >
>> wrote:
>>> Mary wrote:
>> /snip/
>>>> Which flavor of Oregon Chai? I am in love with their Chai Nog!
>>>
>>> Yes, it's that time of year again! Let's all join the Hindus and toast
>>> the spirit of the season with a glass of their traditional Christmas
>>> drink, Chai Nog!
>>
>> LOL! But don't our traditional 'holiday spices' also come from the
>> tropics? Nutmeg, cloves, allspice, mace.... What else could Oregon Chai
>> be putting in it?
>
> Well, don't tell anyone, but the secret ingredient for that special
> mouthfeel in authentic Hindu Chai Nog...is gelatin. Gelatin from the
> bones and hides of beef. They sort of relax the rules a bit during
> Christmastime.
>
> --crymad

OH, SHIT. Sorry. I meant, Oh, dung.
HOLY COW. BTW, anyone hear any rumors about the creative gustatory use of
water bufalo urine?

But, from our main purpose, we digress. (At least, I hope so.)

Michael

Mary > wrote in message
> On 3 Nov 2003 20:19:34 -0800, (Ripon) wrote:

>
>
> > The spices used
> >in a Chai masla are- Ginger,Cardamom,cumin, cloves, garam
> >masala(Aromatic spice mix),Cinnamon etc.
>
> What are the spices in the garam masala?
>
>
> Mary

Mary:

Sorry somehow I skipped your question before. Around south Asia we
buy Garam masala from the market and this mix also different- time to
time and brand to brand. It is always a secret recipes. But I have
seen my mother used to say- "Garam masala" is a mix of almost all
spices. After reading your post, I talked with her and trying to
explain. It's an aromatic mix spices-

Coriander, Turmeric, chilies( Red & Green), Fennel seeds, salt,
Pepper, Ginger, Cumin, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Cloves, Nutmegs, Bay
leaves, Darchini (One type of Cinnamon), Tamarind, Peppercorns,
Saffron( If you buy your spices separately try to buy Spanish
Saffron), Poppy seeds etc. etc.

I don't know if they are all available in US market but you can try in
Indian or Bangladeshi store. There is a famous brand name "Radhuni"
means "Cook" in English. It is a famous Bangladeshi brand who sells
garam masala. You should find it in Bangladeshi store. If you are
around Washington DC area try the Bangladeshi store name- Madina Store
In Arlington. I am afraid, I don't know any other Bangladeshi store
around there. But I am quiet sure all Bangladeshi store sell this
brand. Hope this information will help you. If you have any further
question, just feel free to ask anytime. Enjoy you Chai masala or I
better say Masala Cha.

Ripon
(From Bangladesh)

(Ripon) wrote in news:40276237.0311181532.3e2224d8
@posting.google.com:

> Mary > wrote in message
>> On 3 Nov 2003 20:19:34 -0800, (Ripon) wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> > The spices used
>> >in a Chai masla are- Ginger,Cardamom,cumin, cloves, garam
>> >masala(Aromatic spice mix),Cinnamon etc.
>>
>> What are the spices in the garam masala?
>>
>>
>> Mary
>
> Mary:
>
> Sorry somehow I skipped your question before. Around south Asia we
> buy Garam masala from the market and this mix also different- time to
> time and brand to brand. It is always a secret recipes. But I have
> seen my mother used to say- "Garam masala" is a mix of almost all
> spices. After reading your post, I talked with her and trying to
> explain. It's an aromatic mix spices-
>
> Coriander, Turmeric, chilies( Red & Green), Fennel seeds, salt,
> Pepper, Ginger, Cumin, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Cloves, Nutmegs, Bay
> leaves, Darchini (One type of Cinnamon), Tamarind, Peppercorns,
> Saffron( If you buy your spices separately try to buy Spanish
> Saffron), Poppy seeds etc. etc.
>
> I don't know if they are all available in US market but you can try in
> Indian or Bangladeshi store. There is a famous brand name "Radhuni"
> means "Cook" in English. It is a famous Bangladeshi brand who sells
> garam masala. You should find it in Bangladeshi store. If you are
> around Washington DC area try the Bangladeshi store name- Madina Store
> In Arlington. I am afraid, I don't know any other Bangladeshi store
> around there. But I am quiet sure all Bangladeshi store sell this
> brand. Hope this information will help you. If you have any further
> question, just feel free to ask anytime. Enjoy you Chai masala or I
> better say Masala Cha.
>
> Ripon
> (From Bangladesh)
>

Hi Ripon,

While the Indian subcontinent is not part of my own ethnic background, I
very much enjoy cooking the foods of that region. As a result I have a
lot of cookbooks and have spent a fair amount of time at a number of
Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi grocery stores, shopping and chatting. (It
is wonderful to live in a community where one can do that.) Most garam
masala is ground (not whole spices). By the time packages of garam
masala make it to grocery shelves in the US, much time has passed. (The
packages usually have dates on them.) Ground spices lose their flavor
and aroma much faster than whole spices do. As a result, the garam
masala that one makes at home, starting with whole spices, can be much
more aromatic and flavorful than what one buys in the store. It is easy
to do the grinding in an inexpensive coffee grinder. (The only exception
is cardamon seeds, which are small and very hard.) Just don't use the
grinder for coffee - you will end of with an odd-tasting cup.

As you say, there are many different recipes for garam masala, and most
you are good number of ingredients. Happily, it is easy to find the
ingredients at an ethnic grocery such as the one you suggest near
Washington. Also, you can get anything you need online (Penzey's is
wonderful).

In the list of ingredients that you mention are two different kinds of
cinnamon and poppy seeds. I believe that at least one of the types of
cinnamon that you list is what is called "Ceylon" or "soft stick"
cinnamon here. It is also used in Mexican cooking instead of the hard
stick cinnamon used in American recipes. The type of cinnamon that
Americans use actually isn't cinnamon at all. It is from a cassia tree!
True cinnamon comes from a completely different tree, is crumbly instead
of hard, and has a somewhat different flavor (I think it is less biting).

The garam masala recipes that call for poppy seeds always specify white
poppy seeds. This ingredient is probably unfamiliar to many Americans
but it is not hard to find (see above about groceries and online). It
goes rancid very easily so I keep my supply in the freezer.

Debbie

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On Wed, 19 Nov 2003 06:35:08 -0600, Debbie Deutsch
> wrote:

(Ripon) wrote in news:40276237.0311181532.3e2224d8
:
>
>> Mary > wrote in message
>>> On 3 Nov 2003 20:19:34 -0800, (Ripon) wrote:
>>> > The spices used
>>> >in a Chai masla are- Ginger,Cardamom,cumin, cloves, garam
>>> >masala(Aromatic spice mix),Cinnamon etc.
>>>
>>> What are the spices in the garam masala?

I was interested in the sort of garam masala that would be used in chai.

I'm trying to identify the spices in Oregon Chai, especially the extra
spices they put in their Chai Nog, which they sell only at this time of
year.

/snip and save good info/

> I believe that at least one of the types of
>cinnamon that you list is what is called "Ceylon" or "soft stick"
>cinnamon here. It is also used in Mexican cooking instead of the hard
>stick cinnamon used in American recipes. The type of cinnamon that
>Americans use actually isn't cinnamon at all. It is from a cassia tree!
>True cinnamon comes from a completely different tree, is crumbly instead
>of hard, and has a somewhat different flavor (I think it is less biting).

That's interesting! I'll have to check Mexican spice sections for
cinnamon.

Mary