Robyn Sinéad's Blog

To truly appreciate this lovely tea, you have to understand a couple of things about tea.

First, this particular type, a blend of tea leaves and spices, is not called “Chai.” Chai is simply a Hindi word meaning “tea.” This, in turn, is taken from the Chinese word “cha,” which also means “tea.” Strictly speaking, what you’re really asking your barista for is “Masala spiced tea.”

This Cochin Masala Chai tea from English Tea Store is a superb blend of South Indian Masala spices. Superb with milk and sugar, this blend can be enjoyed with any Indian food, dark chocolate, aged cheddar, camembert or brie.

Oh, and the “Cochin?” The ancient city of Cochin is one of Southern India’s most important. It is for this reason that the city is sometimes referred to as the Gateway of Southern India. Cochin first came to prominence during the rule of the Portuguese around 1530.

One can imagine that because of this mix of cultures that Cochin subsequently became famous for a mixture of its own, Cochin Masala – a mixture of coconut, ground red chilies, dal, coriander, and turmeric. Traditionally this chai would be brewed using milk instead of water. The same effect however, can be created by brewing your tea in the usual fashion and adding warm milk.

Caffeine content: Medium – This tea contains natural caffeine found in the Camellia Sinensis family. A cup of black tea steeped in boiled water for 5 minutes will contain between 27 to 35 milligrams of caffeine. An equal sized cup of coffee will contain between 80 – 100 milligrams of caffeine. Caffeine quickly becomes soluble in very hot water. If you wish to reduce the caffeine level in this tea, briefly rinsing the tea leaves in extremely hot water will reduce the caffeine content between 25-50% with only a minor effect on taste.

Antioxidant Content: High – The longer you steep your tea the more polyphenols will be extracted. (Test results based on 5 minutes steeping time. Polyphenol percentages may fluctuate with lot, grade of tea, testing method, temperature of water and freshness of tea). More antioxidants are extracted from tea (Camellia Sinesis) the longer it is brewed. And the more tea is used, the greater the antioxidant benefit.

I found this particular blend not quite as spicy as some others I’ve tried; however, adding a pinch of ginger powder or fresh ginger plus a dash of black pepper made it perfect.