User:Parivachhani/sandbox

The term "chai" originated from the Hindi–Urdu word "chai", which was derived from the Chinese word for tea, cha. In English, this spiced tea is commonly referred to as masala chai, or simply chai, even though the term refers to tea in general in the original language. According to stories, it originates from modern India and said that the king created masala chai as an ayurvedic energizing and refreshing beverage. Numerous coffee houses use the term chai latte or chai tea latte for their version to indicate that it is made with steamed milk, much like that used to make a caffè latte, but mixed with a spiced tea concentrate instead of espresso. By 1994, the term had gained currency on the U.S. coffeehouse scene.

Consumption of tea in the Indian subcontinent

In 1788 British East India Company began considering uprooting seedlings of tea from China. British tea cultivators were eager to introduce Chinese tea and their techniques to India. Masala tea is a very popular beverage in the Indian subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka). Small, roadside businesses called chai walla, make and deliver tea to people's places of business in a chaidaan, a wooden or metal frame carrier for cups. In Southern India, however, masala chai is not popular; instead, tea mixed with milk and sugar is the normal 'tea'. In the metropolitan city of Mumbai, roadside tea stalls serve smaller cups of tea at a lower budget which is referred to as 'Cutting Chai', the term 'Cutting' referring to 'Cut' the full cup into two parts to reduce the cost of the cup of tea. Circa 2020, the cost of a 'cutting' cup of tea varies between ₹6 and ₹10 - a full cup costing ₹10 to ₹20.