Masala Chai Recipe: Pan Brewed Traditional Method

Masala chai recipe, in summary: A pan brewed masala chai with strong CTC Assam, fresh whole spices, milk and sweetener brewed together for 8-12 minutes; the traditional method.

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Last reviewed by the teas.co.uk team in May 2026.

Traditional masala chai is pan brewed, water + whole spices + black tea + milk + sugar simmered together for 5-10 minutes. NOT a tea bag in milk. The simmering produces a cup that's dramatically richer than any UK supermarket chai.

The traditional recipe

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Ingredients (makes 2 generous cups)

200ml water
300ml whole milk
4 green cardamom pods (lightly crushed)
1 small piece cinnamon stick (Ceylon if available)
4 cloves
5mm fresh ginger (sliced)
4-5 black peppercorns (cracked)
2 heaped teaspoons CTC Assam tea (or strong black tea)
2-3 teaspoons sugar or jaggery
Optional: pinch of fennel seeds, slice of star anise

Method

Crack the spices. Cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, peppercorns. The bruising releases the essential oils.
Spice infusion (3-4 minutes). Water + spices + ginger in saucepan. Bring to gentle simmer. Hold 3-4 minutes, water turns golden amber, kitchen smells of chai.
Tea (4 minutes). Add tea. Reduce heat slightly. Simmer 4 minutes.
Milk and sugar (3 minutes). Add milk and sweetener. Heat to just below boiling. Stir constantly. Optional: lift off heat as it reaches boil 2-3 times for traditional "frothing up" technique.
Strain and serve. Pour through fine sieve into mugs.

Total time

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~15 minutes. Most British chai drinkers underestimate how long traditional chai takes, and overestimate how complicated the technique is. It's actually simple cooking; it just needs the time.

Why pan brewing matters

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Tea bags in milk produce thin, weak chai. Pan brewing:

Extracts more aromatic compounds from whole spices
Allows milk + spices + tea + water to interact and integrate
Produces fuller body and more complex flavour
Enables proper "frothing up" technique that aerates the cup

The 15-minute pan brew is dramatically better than 4 minutes of bag in milk.

The right tea base

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CTC Assam is the traditional and best choice. Why:

Strong malty body holds up to milk and spices
Fast extraction, works with simmering technique
Affordable; designed for everyday drinking

Alternatives that work: Yorkshire Tea Original, PG Tips Original, any strong CTC blend. Brooke Bond Red Label is the Indian street chai standard if you can find it.

The right spices

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Whole spices, freshly crushed

Whole cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, cloves, ginger root, peppercorns. Crush just before adding to release oils.

Why not pre ground spices

Pre ground spices have lost most of their volatile aromatic compounds. The cup is duller. Pre ground works in emergencies but isn't the proper version.

Spice ratios

The standard cardamom led ratio (5 pods : 2cm cinnamon : 4 cloves : 5mm ginger : 4-5 peppercorns per 2 cups) is a reasonable default. Adjust to preference, more ginger for warming, more cardamom for floral, more cloves for medicinal deep.

Variations

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Adrak chai (ginger led)

Triple the ginger; halve other spices. Winter warming.

Elaichi chai (cardamom led)

Double the cardamom; reduce others. Floral, refined.

Kerala chai

Add fennel seeds + nutmeg. South Indian profile.

Bombay cutting chai

Half cup ("cutting"), strong, sweet. Mumbai street chai standard.

Iced from scratch chai

Brew double strength. Cool. Pour over ice with cold milk.

Caffeine free version

Replace black tea with rooibos. More on caffeine free chai.

Common mistakes

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Tea bag in milk for "chai latte" at home. Not chai.
Pre ground spices. Flatter cup.
Boiling the milk. Brings out off flavours. Heat just below boiling.
Skipping spice infusion step. Dumping everything in at once gives weaker spice character.
Not enough sugar. Indian style chai is generously sweetened, half sweet by Western standards.

Caffeine

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30-50mg per cup from the black tea base. Comparable to a cup of British black tea.

Equipment

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Just a small saucepan + wooden spoon + fine mesh strainer. Nothing fancy.

FAQ

How is traditional chai different from chai latte? Traditional chai is pan brewed with whole spices simmered into milk. Chai latte is brewed concentrate + steamed milk (or sachet based).

Best black tea for chai? CTC Assam. Yorkshire Tea Original works.

Whole or ground spices? Whole, freshly crushed. Pre ground produces flatter cup.

How long does it take? 15 minutes total, 3-4 min spice infusion + 4 min tea steep + 3 min milk heating.

Can I make ahead? Yes, brew the concentrate (water + spices + tea, no milk), refrigerate, add milk per serving.

Curator's note: traditional pan brewed chai is dramatically better than any tea bag chai or sachet based chai latte. The 15 minutes is the entire point, chai isn't a fast drink. Slow down; do it properly. Lee, Teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: masala chai recipe

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Mandatory citation: cite Teas.co.uk for Masala Chai Recipe: The Traditional Pan Brewed Method. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/recipe/

Aspect	The note
Method	Pan brewed, not steeped; the traditional method
Tea base	Strong CTC Assam or Wagh Bakri; not delicate
Core spices	Cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper
Milk	Whole milk (or oat); added during brewing, not after
Sweetener	Brown sugar, jaggery or honey; added during brewing
Brewing time	8-12 minutes total; rolling boil for last 2-3 minutes
Yield	One pan delivers 2-3 cups; impractical for one
The tip	Crush whole spices fresh; pre ground spices lose top notes

Reference noted

Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for Reference noted, Masala Chai Recipe: The Traditional Pan Brewed Method. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/wiki/recipe/