What milk tea spiced with masala originated in the Indian subcontinent?

What milk tea spiced with masala originated in the Indian subcontinent? Masala chai is the answer.

Masala chai combines black tea with milk, sugar, and aromatic spices. Common additions include cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper, although recipes vary widely by region and household. “Chai” simply means tea in several South Asian languages, while “masala” means a spice mixture.

Tea plants grew wild in Assam, but tea became a popular everyday drink in India largely during British colonial expansion and early-20th-century marketing. Street vendors and railway-side chaiwalas helped spread the strongly brewed, milky style that became associated with masala chai.

A common mix-up is “chai tea,” which literally means “tea tea.” Café chai lattes are modern Western versions, often made from concentrate and steamed milk; they are related to masala chai but do not define the traditional drink.