chai ...

Anyone travelled to India.. fortunately by train have heard this word like hundred times the chai wallas calling every next station even when you open your eyes ealy in the morning on long train journies, these are the vendors provide the local knowledge of where train is now and how much time it will take to reach its destination.
I encountered with them many times of my life and enjoy drinking the hot sip of Indian tea prepared tolerating hygiene care ..but i dont mind in the journey cause everything in the train smells the same.
now they are providing better teas in india while providing the indian tea decoction they also provide the tea with tea bags ...as per apporach by the Indian Railway Minister now tea is given in earthern pots which are enviornemnt friendly.
Tea begun to be in Indian homes around 1903.but took time to indian kitchen rack until mid of the last century when it became a common drink, all credit goes to the british raj and indian tea association, both who tried all the way to establish tea culture into indian population for their trade to sell the tea produced in tea gardens of assam and northern india. the word chai is derived from the word 'cha'(茶) in chinese. but at present chai deontes indian way of preparing the thick milky decoction of tea with spices such as ginger cardamom and cloves with plenty of milk and gracious amount of sugar. today india produces worlds second largest tea after china also worlds best selling teas from the gardens of darjeeling and assam.
tea is growing in india and foothills of himalaya since 1000 of years near the borders of china, burma and tibet scientifically named camellica assamica. a 10th century sanskrit medical text 'Nidan' recorded about a shampatra from which loacal people and tribes use to make shampani.now the scholars and historians are trying to find out whether it is a first reord of tea. tea in china begun since 4th century still in some indian parts tribals of tibet use to make tea lilke soup adding butter into it. some northeastern people use to chew the leaves fresh or fermented. desite of its trade relation with china india missed the charm of tea drinking until british arrived in india. instead of tea indian drunk milk, buttermilk or sherbets the latter introduced in india after moghul rule for more strong people use to drink toddy arrack botht are intoxicating drinks.
even after tea introduced in india mainly it was known for its medicinal properties. so usually it is given on colds and coughs chest pain and headache. even it was a luxury to common man until end of 19th century. still much of indian population drinks tea cure on cough and cold strongly flavoured with ginger and lemon grass.
indian tea association a bard set by british after observation and several british officers complaints, that it is very much difficult to find out tea in remote parts of india where they had postings. so british developed this board to provide tea to the british officers and developement of tea flavour alos to produce tea for export. but eventually they found the biggest market lying beneath is unknown to this drink.
indian tea association majorly developed to produce tea for british as their sole trade and imort from china was tea. as tea was more fashinable and famous drink in britain. Since 1838 to 1870 was a trila and error period for the assam tea association. cj grdon who brought tea sampling and two tea growers from china in early 1904.
the tea became famous in first world war when british supplied tea to the troops in the war outside of india. evne back in india many mill owners adn factory employers gave te break to keep their employee happy. this effect made a ositive response the troops coming back from warfront started to drink tea as it was provided under rationing to them. secondly tea became famous when they opened tea shops on railway station where a common man use to travel majorly use to transport the goods. but soon tea hawkers called as chai wallahs took the place as they use to prepare this british drink indian style...as indian tendency to accept any foregin food with spices even tea wasnt spared fro this and gone under indian treatment came out with a milky frink flavoured with ginger cardamom and lots of milk with plenty amount of sugar some tea hawkers even use to sell masala tea adding strong flavour of ginger. soon the tea shops closed as their tea was watery to the indian population who were used to drink milk liked this 'chai'.
today in modern india still sells the best teas in the world and its largest selling drink in india. still the indian tea hawkers sell the tea in trains and on train stations. even the tea stalls opened in cities and towns who sell tea with minium equipement. mostly their stall consist of a table a gas and burner a tea pot milk pot and half cup size glasses to sell tea. even the indian restaurants sell this typical in tea to their patronise guest on their special request world over. the flights take off from indian airorts also now selling this masala tea keeping in mind their western guests taste make less flavoured.
some gujarathi community(business men community of india from western part of india) sell the specially blended spices to add into tea. usually includes cinnamon cardamon cloves.
tea cultivation india begun under british as they developed tea gardens in north eastern parts of india where they found suitable temparature
tea forms as darjeeling tea, assam tea and some parts of tea comes from southern india from nilgiri.
darjeeling tea: tea produced in darjeeling tea gardens produced processed and packaged in gardens.
assam tea: english tea or breakfast tea known for its body malty briskness strong flavour and bright flavour.
nilgiri tea: intensely aromatic fragrant and flavourful grown in southern india this produces a uniqe tea known as ctc (crush tear curl). this is made after th hand sorted first class tea is separated and sold to western markets.

recipe for chai:

11/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
3 tea spoon sugar
2 tea spoon tea powder
1/2 inch crushed ginger
2 cardamom pounded

boil water add sugar and add crushed gigner and cardamom.
add tea powder and simmer let it boil.
add milk and boil it.
strain and serve.