How do Indians drink their tea?

[PrincessTigerLily]

I am wondering how Indians drink their tea. I know they drink a lot of it, and they are the world's second largest producer/exporter of tea.

I enjoy tea now and then, as a change to my coffee, and I usually drink it the way that British people do--with milk added to it. (But I don't usually add sugar, as many of them do.)

I know that chai tea is from India, and I think that the directions on our American boxes tell how they would drink that, but I am wondering how authentic that is. I believe they add milk and sweeten it. I actually like chai this way, because I think the spices are drawn out by the sugar. This is the only tea I add sugar to, and is actually one of my favorites, though I tend to drink it more in the winter.

So, how do Indians drink their tea? Do they add milk and/or sugar to it all the time, like the British, or only certain types like chai? And will they laugh at me for drinking it differently?

 

[rootle]

I'm not an expert on the matter, having never actually made tea the Indian way although I have drunk it several times. I think what they do is that they actually prepare the tea with milk on the stove, rather than make it with water and then add the milk to it. They definitely add a lot of sugar to it and often add spices like cardamom. Tea is available almost everywhere I've been to in India and is usually very cheap, I'd recommend having lots of it.

 

[Indianexplorer]

Normally, we do add milk and sugar both. In some of the rare cases only it is made as black tea without milk and sugar specially for health reasons.

Under normal circumstances, we add:

• Sugar
• Milk
• Water
• Sometimes spices such as cardamom for extra flavor as well
• Ginger (optional)

Depending on the exact taste which you need, you can vary the proportion of each ingredient.

It is made in India in a variety of ways depending on which spice you want to add to enhance the flavor or to give it specific properties like ginger is added to help you in fighting off the cold by giving extra heat to the body and so on.

 

[art_and_yoga]

Have you looked at visiting a tea plantation? Should you go, I'm sure they would happily make your drink in a traditional way if you asked. There are many other tea tours offered in India. One of the most well known tea brands, Darjeeling, offers a tour of their facility. It's located near the Himalayas. Also nearby is Gorumara National Park, where you can see Indian rhinos and leopards.

 

[rz3300]

Oh yes, it is certainly everywhere you turn over there. I was actually not a big tea drinker before I traveled there and I can say that it did have a big influence on me drinking more tea now. It was not something that I immediately picked up, but I can credit it with being the start of it. Anyways, yes, they do like to add a lot of things to the tea, particularly sugar and sometimes milk too. I still like mine plain, but they really know how to mix it and they are delicious if you get the right one. I am craving a cup right now.

 

[iamawriter]

Picking the right brand is the first step for those connoisseurs of tea. We both being particular there was no limit how far we have been to pick the right brand. Finally we landed on the Lopchu whole leaf tea. We got the taste when we were holidaying in Darjeeling. For years we enjoyed its goodness until we no longer could get supplies. Reluctantly it is Taj tea now but not blended. I like tea and just tea with no other flavours added. But today whole leaf tea is not available.
Some use tea bags which are dipped in hot water to which sugar and milk is added. We like the old method. Let water just boil but not overboil add tea leaves and put off the flame immediately without letting the tea leaves to cook in it. Wait till the leaves settle down. Strain out and then add sugar and milk. I like the tea to have biscuit colour and yes biscuit colour (lol)