chai

Masala chai (; literally "mixed-spice tea") is a flavoured tea beverage made by brewing black tea with a mixture of aromatic spices and herbs. Originating in the Indian subcontinent, the beverage has gained worldwide popularity, becoming a feature in many coffee and tea houses. Although traditionally prepared as a decoction of green cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, ground cloves, ground ginger, and black peppercorn together with black tea leaves, retail versions include tea bags for infusion, instant powdered mixtures, and concentrates.
The term "chai" originated from the Hindi word "chai", which was derived from the Chinese word for tea, known as "cha". In English, this spiced tea is commonly referred to as masala chai or simply chai, though the term refers to tea in general in the original language. Numerous coffee houses use the term chai latte or chai tea latte (essentially meaning "tea tea latte") for their version to indicate that the steamed milk, much like a regular caffè latte, is mixed with a spiced tea concentrate instead of espresso. By 1994, the term had gained currency on the U.S. coffeehouse scene.

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