Kolkata chai: Is Kolkata street tea the best in India?

Well what does chai tea actually mean? Well chai means tea, and tea means tea, so chai tea literally means 'tea tea' :)

Being a true blood Indian, I love chai as much as I love coffee, and my day always starts with a HUGE cup of chai. Every single day. In fact I love it so much that I always make it for my family too, partly because I feel I make the best chai possible (the secret is to add loads of ginger and a bit of Indian basil). Ah I digress...

A cup of Indian chai

Coming back to chai tea, I never knew this term existed till I was invited by my professor for a cup of coffee to Starbucks at the Stanford campus and I read it in the menu. I thought it was rather funny of Starbucks to call Indian tea by such ridiculous name. But I saw it everywhere, not just in US but also across cities in Europe. So now even when I walk on the streets of Barcelona, and my heart calls out for Indian tea, I go to a cafe and ask for 'tea tea' :)



But recently I was in Kolkata for an early morning walk, and bumped into a small nameless shop which made Indian tea (which is just chai) in the most elaborate and beautiful way. With a piece of jalebi in one hand, I took out my camera and clicked a few pictures and here is a photo-story on how Indian chai is made on the streets of the country. What's most interesting was the fact that he served us chai in small mud vessels called kullhad, which is way more sustainable and faster to degrade than plastic cups. Plus, it can be used only once so also more hygienic :)

Step 1: The process starts with laying the kullhads in line.

Step 1

Step 2: The sugar is poured as per the taste.

Step 2

Step 3: This is followed by pouring steaming milk in each kullhad.

Step 3

Step 4: The next step is to put pre-prepared concoction of tea in each cup. More or less is added based on the taste. Some prefer light while others prefer strong chai.

Step 4

Here is the chai concoction :)

Step 5: Using a mug the froth is created in the tea kullhad.

Step 5 - making some froth!

And finally, tea is ready to be served :)

My chai :)

By the way did you know that the term chai comes from the Persian word Chay, which originally comes from the Chinese word chá.