Looking for the right chai to buy

June 2, 2022 1:03 PM

There's an Indian restaurant I go to that serves the best chai and then I'll get a hankering for it for weeks after but don't have the wherewithal to make it from scratch myself. I know it won't be quite like homemade, but are there instant chai packets or mixes that are deep-flavored and full of spice?
posted by madonna of the unloved to Food & Drink (10 answers total)

Natures guru instant. Every flavor is delicious. Try the saffron, cardamom, lemongrass or ginger.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 1:58 PM on June 2, 2022 [1 favorite]

My experience (though it's not as if I've tried everything!) is that you're not going to get a lot of chai flavor from a tea bag. The best alternative I've found - for a middle ground between actually-from-scratch and from a teabag - is to make up a mug of sweet milky black tea and add a good pinch of a spice blend.
posted by Jeanne at 2:02 PM on June 2, 2022

I can't speak for this website as I buy it at a local store, but I like this stuff, half-sweet and spicy: Link
posted by cardboard at 2:10 PM on June 2, 2022

If you're near a Trader Joe's, their liquid chai concentrate is pretty good.
posted by kickingtheground at 2:17 PM on June 2, 2022 [1 favorite]

The Indian grocer near me sells QuikTea brand instant chai tea which is very flavorful.
posted by wondermouse at 2:31 PM on June 2, 2022 [1 favorite]

If I need it quick, I use 1 teabag of Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice and 1 teabag Trader Joes Scottish Breakfast. Brew together in the same mug for 3+ minutes, the longer the better. Add some half 'n half.

If I have time, I brew the chai blends from TeaBox in West Bengal. It's loose tea. You brew and strain. Incredibly good spice blends! They have a chai sampler of 10 blends. I love the Punjabi Masala and Kolkata Street.
posted by bat20703 at 4:22 PM on June 2, 2022 [2 favorites]

I've never felt the liquid concentrates are strong enough and just don't have the same spice. I really enjoyed Blue Lotus traditional Masala its a mix that you only need a tiny bit for flavorful chai.
posted by ljesse at 4:45 PM on June 2, 2022 [1 favorite]

Chai-Wallah is as close to Indian street chai as you are going to get.
posted by Xurando at 5:13 PM on June 2, 2022

Indian here. A very standard brand for my people is Brooke Bond Red Label, which you can find at the nearest Indian grocery store or online. Frankly, it's not the finest tea leaves, but it's the exact thing to satisfy a craving for a homestyle cuppa.
posted by splitpeasoup at 7:47 PM on June 2, 2022 [2 favorites]

A very standard brand for my people is Brooke Bond Red Label

And here we see the yawning chasm between chai in India (which is just tea, and hell yes, BB Red all the way) and chai in the west (which is sort of loosely based on masala chai, in that it often but not always contains tea, and spices, and sometimes a bunch of other stuff you'll never see in chai masala in India, and ends up like some sort of frappuccino Frankenstein's monster).

I can't recommend this article enough.
posted by some little punk in a rocket at 6:34 AM on June 3, 2022