Cochin Masala Chai Tea - Tea Bags

Discover the Rich Heritage of Southern India with Cochin Masala Chai Tea Bags

The Cochin Masala Chai tea from English Tea Store is a superb blend of South Indian Masala spices. Superb with milk and sugar, this blend can be enjoyed with any Indian food, dark chocolate, aged cheddar, camembert or brie.

The ancient city of Cochin is one of Southern India's most important. It is for this reason that the city is sometimes referred to as the Gateway of Southern India. Cochin first came to prominence during the rule of the Portuguese around 1530. Their empire at the time was one of the world's most powerful and under their tenure Cochin developed into a very prosperous trading centre. After the Portuguese came Dutch rule in the mid-17th century, followed by the British, and finally, after Indian independence, Indian rule.

One can imagine that is because of this mix of cultures that Cochin subsequently became famous for a mixture of its own, Cochin Masala - a mixture of coconut, ground red chilies, dal, coriander, and turmeric. Cochin Masala is a cooking staple in Southern India and is used to flavor curries of all sorts. It is with high regard for the long history of this ancient city that we present this wonderful chai, one of India's most popular beverages. Traditionally this chai would be brewed using milk instead of water. The same effect however, can be created by brewing your tea in the usual fashion and adding warm milk.

Caffeine content: Medium - This tea contains natural caffeine found in the L. Camellia Sinensis family. A cup of black tea steeped in boiled water for 5 minutes will contain between 27 to 35 milligrams of caffeine. An equal sized cup of coffee will contain between 80 - 100 milligrams of caffeine. Caffeine quickly becomes soluble in very hot water. If you wish to reduce the caffeine level in this tea, briefly rinsing the tea leaves in extremely hot water will reduce the caffeine content between 25-50% with only a minor effect on taste.

Antioxidant Content: High - The longer you steep your tea the more polyphenols will be extracted. (Test results based on 5 minutes steeping time. Polyphenol percentages may fluctuate with lot, grade of tea, testing method, temperature of water and freshness of tea). More antioxidants are extracted from tea (L. Camellia Sinesis) the longer it is brewed. And the more tea is used, the greater the antioxidant benefit.