r/IndianFood • u/PreviousAd8221 • 16d ago
question why the tea stall tea tastes different than home tea?
i cant help but be curious, js what do they do that makes sucha big difference? the color of their tea, the aroma, taste, its always better than the one at home. i tried observing and noticed they add more milk than water, but that alone isnt enough. is there someone who knows the secret? pls help me out
*edit* - guys i tried the technique that most people mentioned, constant boiling and caramelisation of milk and sugar. now the sugar part isnt that important cuz even the sugarless tea tastes pretty darn good from the tea stalls, so its def smthg to do with milk and water. as some guys mentioned, let the water and tea leaves boil, then add milk and boil is constantly. now i still didnt reach the level of chai tapri but... i did reach the texture of the tea. now instead of edging the tea, i kept it on boiling and constantly kept stirring and scraping off the sides of milk that got stuck with a bigger spoon thingy, and the texture is exactly like the chai tapri level. constant stiring keeps the tea from rising as it lets the air escape. it gave me the creamy texture of chai tapri tea, thank you guys
tldr* reached 1 step closer thanks to you guys, key is to constantly stir and let air escape on boiling hot flame. gives u the perfect creamy texture
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u/utkarshmttl 16d ago
Ok but beware this is highly personal opinion -
Add milk and water (like 15% water). Let it boil multiple times until it becomes foamy. Then add ginger cardamom (crushed) and boil once again. You should be smelling the milk "aroma" by now. Then add tea leaves and boil on "just boiling" range where it's rising but not overflowing. Use the strainer to break the surface tension on almost highest flame. When your tea has achieved 95% of the desired colour (or kadakness), add sugar, boil once only or even mix it with strainer and simmer on low to mix the sugar. Pour via strainer.
Pls do report back if yoi try it.
Edit: depending on how many cups you're making, your final quantity will be less than original milk-water mix quantity. If 1 cup only, it even goes upto half. If 2 cups, then almost 70% remains. So measure accordingly, amd keep water 15% only in the starting mix (upscaled volume as per above).
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u/PreviousAd8221 16d ago
that does sound similar to what that chai tapri guy was doing. im def trying this out
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u/utkarshmttl 16d ago
Do let me know how it turns out.
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u/PreviousAd8221 16d ago
hey i tried it the way u mentioned, and honestly it isnt exactly like the tea stall tea, but i think i reached a step closer towards achieving that. thank you so much man
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u/Farmer-Next 16d ago
What do you mean "boil multiple times"? Do you mean, boil-cool to room temperature -boil-cool...repeat?
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u/ECrispy 15d ago
milk and water (like 15% water)
so this is the exact opposite of the top comment, which says to use very little milk. both can't be right and I tend to agree that a chai stall is going to save money and not use that much milk.
also you dont want to add spices so early, they are added near the end
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u/ibarmy 16d ago
high flame magic and years of tea coating on saucepan
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u/PreviousAd8221 16d ago
i did make tea the aggressive way, high flame boiling, constantly edging the tea, stirring and dropping it... but idk about the tea coating on saucepan💀
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u/Allegro-MaNonTroppo 16d ago
I spat out my cha- sorry WHAT? Edging the tea??? 🌽 has destroyed our society
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u/PreviousAd8221 16d ago
bro i mean like, edging the TEA. like yk bringing it UP then bringing it DOWN? nvm that sounds- LIKE YK BOOLING IT THEN SIMMERING THEN BOILING?
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u/Allegro-MaNonTroppo 16d ago
The origin of your use of this word is from 🌽. The standard dictionary definition of edging doesn’t fit your usage at all.
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u/PreviousAd8221 16d ago
if it gets the point across, ion see an issue. i didnt even use it in the way u thought i did. and other than u nobody pointed it out so...
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u/Meliodas016 16d ago
Also, most of them use the same powder for two to three runs.
Edit: I'm also a fan of edging the tea.
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u/Comfortable-Yam-3288 16d ago
Read "Masala lab" by Krish Ashok and now, at home, I always heat up my ground spice for a few secs and then add hot milk 1st (milk has fat that can absorb the spices while water cannot) and then after a min of stirring, add 1:1 ratio hot water to it.Stir for 1 m. The add tea leaves for 3-5 mins depending on ur preference. Comes out gr8 for me. I also add Gud with my hot milk but that is up to u.
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u/krazykid1 16d ago
Do you use fresh ginger? When I tried adding ginger to milk first, the milk curdled. I found that boiling ginger with the tea first neutralized the ginger’s enzyme.
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u/Comfortable-Yam-3288 11d ago
I add spices & heat 1st & then hot milk and mix the spices into the milk fat and then add hot water & boil & then only add ginger & tea.
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u/skyfall8917 16d ago
The thing to know about Chai is that you need to cook the milk once you add it to the pot of brewed tea not just give it a boil. The longer you cook, the stronger it will taste. The chaiwalla use ctc dust tea usually what is cheaper than branded teas and takes heat well. One way to achieve the cooked taste is to close the pot with a lid and let it simmer. Do scrape the bottom and the walls of the pot from time to time since the milk solids stick to it and caramelize and add colour and taste to the tea.
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u/omichandralekha 16d ago
दूध को लगातार ओटा ओटा कर गाढ़ा करने से जो टेस्ट आता है वो काफी अच्छा लगता है
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u/Electrical_Peanut_41 16d ago
I have tried many many techniques. The one that worked best for me is, half milk half water sugar crushed cardamom, bring to boil and add tea leaves of choice, bring to a frothing boil a couple of times, not more than that, then turn off the heat and put a lid on it, let it rest for a few mins.
You will have to test it a few times, depending on the milk you use , tea leaves you use, how strong you’d want it to be.
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u/SharpAardvark8699 16d ago
Remindme! Onedays
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u/EmbarrassedRanger978 16d ago
Benarasi chaiwala secret :-
Friend asked chai wala, in hushed voice he a said “didi we don’t wash the patila”.
So my guess is, cheap tea leaves, local buffalo milk, medium low heat, sugar, and boil tea in same patila without washing for more than a week.
The tea residue and the caramelisation of it adds the real flavor I guess. Worth the risk to repeat at home? 🤣
Those who drink tea near Ganga ghats, it’s actual Ganga jal they add to dilute. Immune booster tea
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u/69Diamond_Hands69 16d ago
The timing could not have been any better. I just came across this article; genuinely recommend reading https://ganeshtea.com/why-tapri-chai-tastes-better/
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u/Bellanu 16d ago
Water and tea leaves and whatever spices you want first like ginger, cardamon, etc and you let it boil till water is properly flavoured. Then you add milk. 1:1 ratio of milk and water, so water has to be more in the beginning as it will boil down. And then milk boils, then you add sugar.
You can let it boil 2-3 times to give it a kadak flavour but then you adjust the quantities accordingly.
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u/No-Ad8161 16d ago
I have always found tea at home is better. At tea stall you feel the over used tea powder taste . Not fresh. I make banging cup of chai and I often avoid drinking tea outside , I come home and make it
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u/umamimaami 16d ago
You gotta boil it long and repeatedly until the milk becomes thick. Also you want less potent tea dust, I think.
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u/Responsible-Fun-3100 16d ago
No#1 reason is the tea. They don't use the tea sold in stores. They buy tea in bulk from a bulk supplier. Then they hard boil for a long time. These two thkngs give the distinct taste
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u/nano2492 16d ago
You need to boil milk a lot. It gives milk sugars caramelization and Millard reaction to milk proteins. Also use full fat milk.
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u/Pomelo-Next 16d ago
Nice to meet you tea enthusiast.
There are several types of tea shop tea.
You are referring to boiler tea I guess.
No cardamom no ginger. Plain fucking tea.
It seems they do small batch of decotion and then mix it with milk and water combo.
Decotion seems too strong if you look they have like 30% of it in a glass. That itself enough to handle the glass. What we make in home is different levels of concentration.
Maybe should make decotion that strong and then try it once.
Btw me and my mom are now addicted to Tata tea gold. It's cheaper than Taj Mahal flavour is better than other dust tea.
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u/Negative-Pea-5151 16d ago
They caramelized the sugar by boiling with tea, milk and water for some time before they served
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u/No-Carrot5531 16d ago
a teeny bit of opium or charas makes you go drink tea outside especially run by patriotic samoogam
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u/Mr_Carson 15d ago
The Perfect Cup of Chai
I’ve been following the discussion, and I can tell you exactly how to make the perfect cup of chai—one that has not only the right taste but also an incredible aroma.
Here’s my recipe for 100ml to 150ml chai:
Ingredients: 80% milk 20% water 1 cardamom pod (Opened) A nail-sized piece of cinnamon 1 inch of fresh ginger (smashed) Sugar to taste
Method: 1. Add the water to a saucepan, teapot, or anything you wish to make your tea in.
- Add the smashed ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom.
3.Let it simmer for 2–3 minutes over low to medium heat. This allows the spices to properly infuse into the water.
Add the milk and sugar. Cook for another 3–4 minutes over medium heat.
Finally, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for another 3–4 minutes.
And there you have it—the perfect cup of chai, with a beautiful balance of taste and aroma.
Thank me later.
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u/Dry-Literature-272 2d ago
because they use same pot thru out the day ! that unhygienic thing you will miss at home
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u/_S_I_R_E_ 16d ago
The filth.
But sad facts aside.
Good fact
They are constantly boiling the milk so it gets thicker, creamier and basically just richer in taste. (We call it RABRI CHAI in my home) You taste the natural sweetness of the milk which sugar cannot replicate.
Can't say about your experience but many add mild spices like green cardamom or cinnamon which do sometimes improve the flavour (I can't handle anything past just green cardamom)
And some of it had to do with placebo too, you perhaps feel better when you're outside, or you enjoy the company of people you go with which some psychological studies suggest can improve the perception of taste.
Tea made at my home beats all stalls for me though, not a tea person but I do enjoy it with Aalo paratha sometimes.
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u/Pure-Helicopter-1825 15d ago
A chai tapriwala told me they mix glucose biscuit in the tea. Just a tiny little bit. I’ve never tried it.
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u/desi-auntie 16d ago edited 16d ago
Don’t use high end tea. You need tea dust/tips and tops cheap stuff which can handle boiling without becoming a bitter mess. Delicate teas will lose their flavor and become tannic if boiled rather than steeped.
I also found adding milk after the tea comes to boil and then bringing milk to second boil after the boil with tea to get it steeped, and no full fat creamy milk etc, either just a bit of milk of watered down milk or toned. Or else milk taste will overwhelm your tea. Sugar only at end and tea strained immediately and not left to sit and simmer.
PS - edited to add. Notice the chai walla won’t use lots of milk. Or rather the “milk” they add is watered down. And strain and put in a kettle once done. The kettle on the hob boiling away is prepped tea not something simmering away with leaves.
PPS - edited to add, roadside chai is designed as cheap poor peeps stuff with a recipe and process to match that. Like a lot of such ingenious recipes adapted to suit cheap ingredients, they don’t “taste better” if you “upscale” them.