I have tried "chai-latte" a few times at different places and with regret. I cringe whenever I hear the words "chai" and "latte" being put together. The word "chai" is probably persian or urdu and "latte" is milk in a european language. If by definition chai already has milk in it then wouldn't naming a beverage "chai-latte" be redundant? But then again, history and Logic have nothing to do with what my taste buds say and what kind of drink really gets me.
Every tea drinker knows that chai is made traditionally by following a sequence of steps of which one or two can me modified to suit one's tastes but the fundamentals are the same. Water is first boiled to medium temperature in a kettle or saucepan and then tea dust is added to the boiling water. You then pour the right amount of milk into it and sugar can be added at any stage. The tea dust has to be of the right grain size, cannot be thick and leaf size or fine grained. The milk has to boil just enough so that the "raw" taste of the milk disappears and the tea does not get "burnt" either. One can add ginger, cardomom or even cinnamon for that extra taste. Agree that the Latte also comes in different flavors but the overall texture of a Latte does not even come close to a well made pot boiled chai.
Besides a chai can be had with pretty much anything dipped into it. Not just a biscotti but a regular tea biscuit,rusk, slice of bread or even a left over piece of Roti(YES). Imagine dipping a piece of roti in a latte.Hhhgg!! Enuf said.
Chao,
Time for me to have a Cup of Chai.
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