Picture yourself sitting at the local Starbucks, drinking a warm Chai tea, infused with spicy flavors, topped with a swirl of foam, and a dusting of cinnamon. Whether for relaxation or inspiration, Chai tea is a picker-upper for sure, but where does it come from and what is it good for?
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Chai Tea Origins
Well, for starters, when you speak about Chai tea, you are actually saying: “tea, tea” – a bit of redundancy in the name alone. The reason is that Chai is a derivation of the word for tea in Chinese, which is ‘cha’. It also happens to be called ‘cha’ in Thailand, a country that associates many of their original ‘food’ roots with their Chinese ancestors.
There is a legend that the original chai tea dates back 5000 years ago, when a king in India ordered his palace workers to create a healing, spicy, tea for use in their traditional medicine practice, Ayurveda.
The term ‘chai’ originates from the Hindustani word for tea, and is a derivation of ‘cha’. Thus, tea came to India from China and became popular in the British colonial times, as it was the drink of choice of the English.
Chai Tea Health Benefits
Chai is known for its healing properties regarding the stomach, and it is quite believable when you look at the types of spices that go into Chai tea. Spices like ginger and fennel, cloves and cinnamon have all been known through the ages as the ‘go-to’ meds to settle upset stomachs and to relieve flatulence and other gastric complaints.
Besides improving digestion, Chai also hailed for improving metabolism and strengthening the immune system.
Over and above these great attributes, chai tea is believed to help control the hormonal balance in women, and furthermore, it has been proven by Science that cinnamon has properties that may aid in balancing blood sugar, possibly even staving off type 2 Diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.
Cloves, on the other hand, has the highest antioxidant level than any other spices, and could reduce tumour growth in certain cancers, not to mention annihilating bacteria and running off viruses that invade our bodies.
Amazing Benefits of Drinking Chai Tea
- Chai has caffeine in it, so it’s perfect for the morning to wake you up
- It alleviates nausea because it contains ginger
- The combination of cloves and ginger help to relieve aches and pains
- Cinnamon in chai balances blood sugar levels and could improve heart health
- Chai can help with constipation and reduces menstrual cramping
- Chai Benefits Weight loss
Chai Benefits Weight loss
It is believed that drinking tea is one of the best ways to lose weight, especially around the stomach area.
There is something about the mix of black and green teas, along with the incredible spices that go into chai that work together, each with their own kind of ‘magic’ ingredients to boost metabolism and to burn fat. Spices like ginger, cinnamon and cloves contain polyphenol antioxidants that stimulate digestion to speed up abdominal fat loss, according to studies.
Even though those cardamom pods are extremely spicy and sharp-tasting, they are one of the key ingredients in chai that can stabilize blood sugar and because cardamom contains a low level of calories, two table spoons can stave off the hunger pangs effectively.
Chai Tea Calories
While the street-side café, or the popular brand coffee shops, might sell tasty chai lattés, they are laced with added sugars and will not do you any favours in your endeavours to lose weight.
According to Healthline.com 360ml (or 12 ounces) of chai tea made with skim milk contains approximately 60 calories, while a homemade chai latte could contain around 80 calories.
Chai Tea Side-effects
Too much caffeine is a definite side-effect, given that chai contains a high percentage, although compared to coffee, a cup of Chai contains only a third of the caffeine a cup of coffee is loaded with. Either way, if you are allergic to caffeine you may want to drink your chai sparingly.
Overall, the most harmful thing about Chai tea is that you might end up using too much milk and sugar, affecting your weight.
Spice Dragon Red Chai Benefits
Made with Rooibos tea from South Africa, this chai is caffeine-free and combined with ginger, cloves and cinnamon, makes for a refreshingly healthy drink. Rooibos is high in minerals such as small amounts of iron, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, chloride and potassium.
It does not contain tannins that are found in most other teas, and is rich in anti-oxidants, boosting not only your health but also improving things like keeping the skin younger looking. Rooibos tea also helps with hair growth, and improves the quality of sleep.
Having a Red Chai Spice Dragon before bed sounds like the right thing to do.
Chai vs. Green Tea
When considering your health you might have a toss-up between Chai and Green tea, not knowing which is better for you. Here is a simple breakdown gleaned from various sources online, highlighting the ingredients, flavonoids and benefits, per cup.
Comparison | Caffeine per cup | Flavonoids | Other Ingredients | Benefits |
Chai tea | up to 72mg | high levels of theaflavins and thearubigins | fermented and oxidized black tea leaves, spices such as cloves, cinnamon, cardamom | antioxidant, good for heart and brain, less caffeine than coffee |
Green tea | up to 50 mg | high levels of catechins | unprocessed tea leaves with minimum oxidation, possibly fruits, flowers and other flavourings. | control blood pressure, possibly control diabetes, good for weight loss |
How to Make a Cup of Chai Tea
- Step 1: Get your dried chai tea leaves ready (about 4 table spoons). You can mix two types if you like. Slice some ginger (about the size of a table spoon) into rings. Use two cinnamon sticks, 5 cloves, a cup of milk, 2 cups of water and two table spoons of brown sugar.
- Step 2: With a mortar and pestle, or the back of a strong spoon, lightly crush the spices to release their flavour. Boil the spices in the water for 2 minutes, and then let it simmer for 10 minutes on a low heat.
- Step 3: Add the dry chai leaves and let it steep for 5 minutes.
- Step 4: Add the milk and sugar and let it simmer again for a few minutes on a high heat, while whisking it to dissolve the sugar.
- Step 5: Strain into a teapot and serve it hot!
About Chai Tea Recipes
Most Chai recipes contain milk in some form. This is the traditional way of making it, but mostly you can construct the recipe to your taste, so if you don’t like milk, you don’t have to add it. The main ingredients are the tea and spices.
What goes into Masala Chai?
The basics remain the same, even though there might be some changes in ingredients in various regions of India. You’ll find cloves, cinnamon, black peppercorns, cardamom and ginger in most of the masala chai recipes, along with black tea leaves, milk and sugar.
Starbucks Chai Taste
Chai has become a working class, trendy, drink synonymous with big brand names like Starbucks. It is very sweet, somewhat artificially spicy and a far cry from home-brewed authentic chai.
How to Make an Iced Chai Latté
Prepare your chai and fill a tall glass with ice. Pour your milk up to the ¾ mark in a shaker, add sugar to taste, seal and shake the shaker, pour the chai and milk foam over the ice. Serve and enjoy.
Chai Tea for Skincare
Since Chai contains many antioxidants, you can drink it or spread it on your skin. Either way, you will definitely reap the benefits of this magic drink. Here’s a homemade chai skincare recipe.
How to Make a Chai Tea Face Mask
Finely grind black tea leaves, cinnamon, cloves and a little ginger with a mortar and pestle. Mix with honey and a teaspoon of turmeric, add a little warm water to help it spread on the skin. Allow to set for five to ten minutes before washing off. Your skin will feel fresh and supple after this great chai tea facial treatment.
Drinking Chai before Bedtime
You may think Chai makes a warm bedtime drink, but think again. Remembering that it contains caffeine, you’ll be counting sheep until the morning, and this could adversely affect your daytime activities or work.
Chai Latté, Caffeine and Sleep
Caffeine-free teas such as chamomile or ginger tea would be a better option at bedtime…and you can perk up your day in the morning with a delicious, spicy, Chai Latté down at the coffee shop on the way to work.
The Best Way to Drink Chai Tea
Keeping it simple is the order of the day. Use authentic ingredients, such as the well-known Darjeeling tea, recognizable by its dark-brown or black leaves.
To spice it up, add some ginger root, cardamom pods, a clove or two and a cinnamon stick. Sweeten your chai with honey, but avoid adding milk. Drink it hot or fairly warm and remember, drinking your chai this way lowers cholesterol too!
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