did you say 'chai-rista?'

My husband has coined a new term - chai-rista - because according to Pete, baristas cannot make a great chai to save themselves and he adds cafes need to employ chai-ristas to perform the task.

I agree finding a good chai when out and about is not an easy task, but as with the cult of coffee being what it is today in Australia, these things happen over time.

So, first of all dear Pete there already exists an equivalent term to the barista for the person who makes  chai and that is a chai walla as they are known in India. Not that I've been to India and enjoyed chai there but the whole westernisation of chai I'm sure is vastly different to the real thing.

For starters what we in Australia refer to here as chai is actually masala chai, spicy tea. The word chai literally means tea. I digress though, this post didn't start out as a crash course in the origins of chai, what we are in search of here is cafes and restaurants who honour the delightful cup of chai not by pouring hot milk into a powder or syrup - eeeek! - but rather by brewing a pot of spicy tea, perhaps even grating in some fresh ginger.

Where o where is this done in Melbourne? Sydney? Brisbane? city or country town....please share your favorite chai spots. One of my favorite places close to Melbourne is The Elwood General Store (5 Ormond Road Elwood) and on the Peninsula, The Peninsula Pantry (43a Wondaree Street Rye) serve Calmer Sutra chai a blend you can be confident equals a quality brew. Where is your chai of choice served?

home brew

Chai and I have had a long love affair. I can’t remember where we first met or who introduced us but I’m glad we met. I first wrote about chai in Epicure in 2004 well before it was so readily available in Melbourne’s cafes and supermarkets, (or teabags?!).

For the uninitiated, chai or masala chai as is its true name, is the wonderful spicy tea that originates in India. Made with black tea, spices such as cinnamon, ginger, cardomom, cloves and black pepper and sweetened with sugar or honey in India the recipe varies from region to region, family to family. A chaiwala is India’s equivalent of a barista.

Here’s my recipe for caffeine free chai that I brew each afternoon. I make it with rice milk that has a naturally sweet taste so there’s no need to add sugar or honey and the spices give me the pick-me-up without the caffeine edge.

Caffeine free masala chai

Serves 2

12 cloves

14 cardamom pods

2-3 slices fresh ginger (or as much grated ginger as you like)

1 teaspoon aniseed

1.5 stars of star anise

½ teaspoon cinnamon powder

½ cinnamon quill

½ nutmeg

1 teaspoon rooibos tea

1.5 cups rice milk

half cup of water

Place all spices in mortar and use pestle to gently grind and release flavours. Add milk, water, rooibos and spices to a saucepan and simmer over a gentle heat for 5-10 minutes depending on how strong you like the flavours to be.

You can adjust the quantities and add or leave out spices as you wish.

For me the making is as enjoyable as the drinking. Enjoy.