note - nothing on this page is official medicinal advice.

masala chai, the indian sweet treat disguised as a tea. i was introduced to it by my grandpa, who got it for me at a coffeeshop when i was 8 and forgot it had caffeine. 'chai' literally means tea and it comes from the chinese word from tea (cha), i'm sure you've heard that before, but here in the west it's often used in reference specifically to masala chai, and that's how i'll be using it here. i won't lie and tell you it has health benefits, because to me, chai is a treat. if you're having "healthy" chai without sugar and milk, then that's not chai, that's just spiced black tea, sorry to tell you that.

you can buy chai mixes, but it's more fun to prepare yourself, because you can fine tune the herbs to your own preferences. the best way i've found to prepare it is by heating up a pot of water with an assam teabag (darjeeling and nilgiri also work) to a boil, and adding spices and letting them simmer for a bit. then, turn off the heat and add a big spoonful of brown sugar and a splash of milk. then, stir for a bit, just use a strainer to get the spices out and enjoy!