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No. 125

Authentic Masala Chai - Loose Leaf Tea

Spiced Indian Black Tea

Our authentic loose-leaf Masala Chai balances bold Assam leaves with traditionally grown Indian spices for an invigorating blend packed with warming flavours.

From: Assam, India

Delivery Info

Shipping policy

 

 UK Deliveries

Method

Cost

Carrier

Transit time

Standard

£3.50, Free - over £35

Royal Mail

2-5 days, Tracked

Tracked

£6.50, Free - over £100

DPD

1-3 days, Tracked

Next-Working-Day

£9.95

DPD

Orders placed before 2pm, Delivered Monday - Friday, Tracked

Saturday

£15.00

DPD

Orders placed before 2pm, Saturday delivery, Tracked

 *Most deliveries will be made within the usual time frame, but some areas and services may experience delays.

 

European Deliveries


Currently, there are some delays with sending parcels to EU countries from the UK. This is due to the UK leaving the European Union. We will keep you updated with any notifications as they happen.

Please note that a tracking number is not provided for EU Standard deliveries. 

CUSTOMS CHARGES: All commercial goods arriving from the UK are subject to VAT, Import Duty and a handling fee in the country receiving the goods.

Method

Cost

Carrier

Transit time

Standard

From £5.50

Royal Mail

3-7 days, up to 21*, Not Tracked (Offered for orders less than £50 only)

Economy

From £5.50

Royal Mail

3-7 days, up to 21*, Not Tracked (Offered for orders less than £50 only)

Tracked

From £15.95

Fedex

3-5 days, up to 8*, Tracked

*Most deliveries will be made within the usual time-frame, but some areas and services may experience delays.

Customers Ordering From Ireland - Please Note: Due to recent restrictions we are unable to ship Chinese teas to Ireland at this present time.

 

Rest of the World

 

Method

Cost

Carrier

Transit time

Standard

From £4.00

Royal Mail

8-15 days, up to 30*, Not Tracked (Offered for orders less than £50 only)

USA tracked

From £15.00

Fedex

2-3 days, up to 7*, Tracked

ROW Tracked

From £18.95

Fedex

1-5 days, up to 5*, Tracked

 *Most deliveries will be made within the usual time frame, but some areas and services may experience delays.

 

International Buyers (Including EU) – Please Note:


Import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be before buying.

Customers Ordering From Ireland - Please Note: Due to recent restrictions we are unable to ship Chinese teas to Ireland at this present time.

If you have any questions, please contact us via sales@theteamakers.co.uk | 01322284923

*We aim to dispatch all orders within 1-2 days of receiving your request. However, this can vary during peak times and other conditions outside of our control. Therefore, the below estimates of shipping times have been provided by our couriers.

The origins of our Masala Chai Tea


One look at our Great Taste award-winning Masala Chai tea, with its large leaves and chunks of spices hints at the complexity to be found in this award-winning loose-leaf spiced tea. Packed with cinnamon pieces, cardamom pods, nutmeg, saffron, fresh ginger pieces and black peppercorn, our chai is an authentic Indian tea. Made from the finest quality Assam leaves and chai spices, it's the perfect daytime pick-you-up.

Strong and full-bodied, this authentic Indian chai blend offers a slightly malty flavour and an alluring aroma of fresh green cardamom, with delicate notes coming from the whole and ground spices; clove, cinnamon and black pepper.

First, there's that comforting aroma of warm spice rising from the amber-coloured infusion. Then there are the exotic, traditionally grown Indian spices on the palate – these are what make this famous black tea so wonderfully rich and exotically flavoursome. Finally, there are those strong and full-bodied orthodox Assam leaves. All of which combine to create an exceptionally calming, sweet and spicy chai loose-leaf tea, best enjoyed with milk and ideally drunk while curled up on a sofa with a good book!

Read about this history of Masala Chai tea


What is masala chai?


First of all, it is not entirely correct to say 'chai tea'. Chai is the name for tea in many parts of the world, so by saying 'chai tea', you're really saying 'tea tea'. As for its background, masala chai hails from India – or possibly Thailand, depending on your perspective. Regardless, its origins are claimed to go back thousands of years, when it is reputed to have been drunk as an Ayurvedic beverage at South Asia's royal courts.

Originally caffeine-free and made with a mix of spices and sweeteners for various ailments, the drink's evolution into masala chai really began with the British establishment of tea farms in India in the mid-19th century. By the 1900s, black tea leaves were being included in masala chai recipes as working-class Indians created their own version, sweetening it with milk for nutrition, adding a bolt of sugar for energy, and hawking it at street stalls across the nation.

Fast forward to the 1960s, and Western travellers began discovering it for themselves. And while fast-drink outlets have since adulterated the traditional drink with their abundance of overly sweet and artificial chai lattes, authentic Indian spiced black tea such as our Masala Chai remains a premium brew with a beautiful balance of intoxicating spices.

Need more convincing? Well, with those spices adding their own health-giving qualities to those of the antioxidant-rich Assam leaves, our Masala Chai comes with a raft of health benefits and is available as loose leaf or in for convenience our Triune tea bags. Add to that its feel-good factor and no need to use a spice grinder when making; everyone should have a caddy in their kitchen! Enjoy a cup of chai with your choice of your milk and sugar; cow, almond milk, soy milk or oat milk.

If you are in the mood to experiment why not add fennel seeds and star anise during the brewing process to develop the flavour.


Explore other spiced teas


If you are looking for another cosy tea for winter nights, try our Christmas Tea.  For warming, exotically flavoured infusions which are caffeine free, try our Chai of Madagascar or our Turmeric Spice herbal tea. 

Spiked with gorgeous pieces of spice, our Masala Chai needs to be seen! Show off yours in one of our glass tea pitchers or infusers.

Ingredients


Indian Black Tea, Ginger, Bay Leaves, Cinnamon, Green Cardamom and Cloves

Tasting notes


This tea offers a spicy aroma and deep amber infusion. A warming cup with cinnamon, cardamom notes and malty mouthfeel.

Region


The state of Assam is bordering the Himalayas and Bhutan on its northern boundary, and Bangladesh to the South . It is connected to West Bengal via the Siliguri Corridor, a 14 miles wide strip of land that links the Eastern states to the rest of India, above Bangladesh. The Brahmaputra River, which originates on the Tibetan side of the Himalayas, crosses the northern part of the state, carrying runoff from the high peaks.

Learn more about the Assam Region of India

In the Assam valleys, the River is fed further by abundant rainfall that flood the plains, before running through Bangladesh to the Ganges Delta. The climate there is generally humid subtropical (Cfa), with the year split between wet and dry season. The wet season, between April and October, is extremely wet, oppressive and overcast, with 100% humidity for over 4 months, and very little air circulation. Assam experiences the highest rainfall of all Indian states, with severe flooding is a common occurrence.

The dry season is warm and mostly clear, still with very little wind. Throughout the year, the temperatures typically range between lows of 11°C and highs of 31°C, with temperature rarely exceeding 35°C. The high levels of rainfall create a fertile wetland which is known for its exceptional biodiversity. The hillier districts towards the South of the state, with elevations of 600m, experience a temperate climate (Cfb), with milder temperatures. The rich soils of Assam are covered by forests, a mixture of tropical evergreens and deciduous forests, swamps and grasslands. Bamboo, orchids and ferns grow in abundance, There are numerous wildlife sanctuaries, protecting tigers, leopards, rhinos and elephants.

Assam is famous for its silk and, of course, its teas. Although a mere 280 miles from Darjeeling, India’s other famous tea-growing region, Assam produces a very distinctive tea, with rich, malty notes, contrasting with the Darjeeling muscatel and floral notes. Due to the differences in topography, the tea bushes of Assam grow in higher temperatures, in a soil that is rich in nitrogen and organic matter. The Camellia sinensis assamica thrives in these conditions, producing larger leaves with robust flavours.

How to brew

10g

10g

100°C

100°C

200ml

200ml

4 - 5mins

4 - 5mins

Authentic Masala Chai - Loose Leaf Tea has a rating of 4.8 stars based on 98 reviews.