Chai

While 'chai' simply means 'tea' across much of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia, the English-speaking world uses it to refer specifically to masala chai, the spiced milk tea that is India's national beverage. An estimated 1 billion cups of chai are consumed daily in India alone. The traditional method involves simmering loose-leaf CTC tea (typically Assam) with water, whole spices, and milk, then straining into cups — a process that extracts robust flavor impossible to achieve with bag-steeping. Every household, chai wallah (street vendor), and region has its own spice formula: Kolkata chai emphasizes ginger and cardamom, while Kashmiri kahwa uses green tea with saffron and almonds. The chai wallah's rhythmic pouring between vessels — pulling the tea — aerates and cools the liquid while creating the characteristic froth that tops each clay kulhar cup.