Does the water you make chai with actually matter?
Yes for black tea, much less for chai. Hardness dulls the cup and reboiled water flattens it, but milk covers most of the difference.
Category: Brewing
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How to make chai for a crowd without ruining it
Scale the tea and the water, but hold the timings. The mistake that ruins a big pot is boiling it longer because it looks like it needs it.
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Ginger, elaichi and masala: what to add to chai, and when
Hard spices need the water-boil stage. Aromatic ones lose their smell if they boil too long. Most good Indian chai has ginger, sometimes elaichi, and nothing else.
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Why is my chai bitter, and how do I fix it?
Almost always because it was boiled too long. The good compounds come out in the first three minutes; the harsh ones come out after that.
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Why does tapri chai taste better than the chai you make at home?
Almost every answer online blames your spices. It is usually not your spices. It is the pot, the milk and the heat, and most of it you can copy.
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What kadak chai actually means, and how to get it
Kadak means strong, not bitter. The two commonest ways of chasing it, more patti and a longer boil, both make the cup worse.
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How much chai patti per cup, and what a cup actually costs
One level teaspoon, about 2 to 2.5 grams. That is 400 to 500 cups from a kilo, and under two rupees of tea in a cup of chai at any sensible price.