What are you actually drinking when you order a chai?
Chai means tea in Hindi. Masala means a mixture of spices. So masala chai, at its simplest translation, is spiced tea.
Tea, a handful of spices, milk and sometimes sugar.
That's really it. Yet, somewhere along the way, (particularly in cafés), chai became something else.
So Why Does Café Chai Taste So Sweet?
Convenience is part of the answer.
Syrups, powders and pre sweetened blends make it easy to produce café chai quickly and consistently. Some chai latte powders use tea extracts, instant tea or flavourings to create a concentrated flavour that dissolves easily.
Sticky chai typically combines actual tea and spices with a sweetener such as sugar syrup or honey. (More about the Ayurvedic take on sticky chai and heating honey in another post!)
Even with all the clever marketing, they're simply not the same as traditional masala chai.
Traditional chai starts with the tea and spices themselves. There is no need for "chai flavour" when the ingredients are the flavour.
And That's Where Mamma Chai Starts Too.
Good tea. Whole spices. That's the point.
When you strip chai back, there aren't actually that many ingredients to hide behind. Open a packet of Mamma Chai and you can see what's in it.
Our chai blends are made with organic tea and whole spices you can see, smell and taste. Ingredients that look like what they are. You'll find pieces of fennel and cinnamon, cardamom pods, cloves and seeds mixed through actual tea leaves. So their quality matters.
You won't find any extracts or flavourings, or spices like Nutmeg, Allspice or Star anise in our blends. Every spice is carefully selected to build layers of flavour and for their natural Ayurvedic properties.
It seems like such a small thing, but it's something I wanted from the beginning. If something tastes like cardamom, I want it to be because there's cardamom in it.
Good ingredients don't need to work very hard to taste good.
We Don't Pre Sweeten Our Chai Blends Either.
Your chai. Sweetness is your call.
That's one of the things I love about traditional chai. There isn't a single perfect cup.
Some sweet. Some like it hot and some like it cold. All the spice and tea benefits and authentic flavours, that part is on us. The rest is totally up to you to make it yours. Every one of our customers makes it a little differently. Some like it strong. Some milky. Some brew their chai slowly on the stove with milk, or steep them like loose leaf tea. Drink them black. Add plant or dairy milk. Add honey or sugar. Or don't add anything. The basic idea remains beautifully simple.
Where Mamma Chai Began
I started Mamma Chai when I was pregnant and looking for a healthier alternative to coffee.
I'd order chai lattes at cafés, but so many were made from sweetened powders, syrups or flavourings. I knew a lot of what was in the ingredients simply wasn't healthy. It was surprisingly difficult to find the kind of chai I was looking for, made with good quality tea and actual spices.
So I made it.
My Indian heritage gives me the chai I grew up knowing. My Ayurvedic studies influence the ingredients I choose and how I think about them. My background in medical science makes me careful about the health claims we make.
But at the centre of Mamma Chai is something much simpler.
I wanted to make really good chai and share it with as many people as I could to enjoy the flavours and benefits too.
Chai Doesn't Need Reinventing
We're surrounded by drinks promising to do more.
Protein coffee. Collagen water. Adaptogens. Brain-boosting sodas. Hormone-balancing everything.
Some of it is genuinely interesting. But I also think there's something to be said for knowing exactly what's in your cup.
Good tea. Whole spices. A pot on the stove.
Something warm and fragrant poured into your favourite cup.
And five minutes when nobody needs anything from you.
Back to real tea. Back to whole spices. Back to authentic, organic, soul warming chai. That's Mamma Chai.
Vashi
Founder, Mamma Chai