Fragrant Spice Chai Latte – a Drink For All Occasions
Chai is probably one of the world’s oldest tea-based drinks. It originated in India thousands of years ago, and has spread throughout the world over the past two centuries. The spiced chai latte is hot, milky, fragrant, gently spicy, and popular in cafés all over the world. However, despite the fact that it’s served in coffee shops and named after the latte, the standard chai latte contains no coffee whatsoever.
Chai tea usually contains a strong black tea mixed with various Indian spices and herbs. The mix of spice and proportions of flavours can vary but the key ingredients are cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, clove, and on occasion black peppercorns. There is no set recipe for chai nor a specific blend. The ingredients can differ from city to city and country to country. The black tea base is most often a black tea called Mamiri tea, a type of Assam. The process of curing the tea forms it into granules rather than flat leaf.
Spice Chai lattes are often made with either a soluble powder imitating a chai flavour. These are a lot sweeter than brewed chai tea. Chai lattes are made by dissolving a small amount of powder in a small amount of hot water and then steamed milk is added to form a latte. The CoffeeTec coffee machines with the chai option do this process automatically.
Chai can be enjoyed at any time of the day. Thanks to the much lower caffeine content (about 1/3 of a small coffee) Chai is an all-day drink! And if you still need that extra shot of caffeine? The Franke coffee machines from CoffeeTec can be set up to offer a Dirty Chai. The flavour of the coffee and chai combined will definitely surprise you and may even convert the most hardened coffee lover!
Will the chai latte remain popular on coffee machine menus in a world where health and wellbeing are a consumer priority? That remains to be seen. Either way, the spice chai latte has a rich history and a flavour that will often vary from café to automatic coffee machine. If you haven’t tried one and are curious about the flavour, maybe it’s time to press the chai button, or if you have a Franke coffee machine try the dirty chai as well.
