Pot chai and microwave chai | How the aroma comes out, and how to choose

The conclusion, in three lines.
· The pot simmers; the microwave is closer to steeping. The layers of aroma that come out are different.
· One pot pack makes 500-700 ml; the microwave makes a single 220 ml cup. Choose by how many people and how much time.
· Neither is above the other. Using one on weekdays and the other at weekends tastes best.

The extraction is different

In a pot, the spices and tea leaves go on the heat from cold water, then milk is added and warmed again. The temperature is high and the time is long, so even the heavy aromas, cassia, clove and star anise, can come down. The texture is thick on the tongue, and the finish is long.

In the microwave it is short, inside a mug. What comes forward first is light and clear: cardamom, magao (maqaw), timur. The same blend, and yet the aroma at the head of it changes places. That is the interesting part, isn't it.

The volume is different

The Chai Spice Pack, for the pot, makes 500-700 ml per pack, which is two or three mugs. Being able to decide the strength yourself is part of what the pot is good for.

CHAInstant makes 220 ml per pack, exactly one mug. Unrefined red sugar is already in the blend, so all you need to have ready is hot water and milk.

Effort, and the washing up

With the pot, you will be washing the pot and the strainer. In exchange, there is a stretch of time when the kitchen fills with the smell of spice. We would like even that bit of effort, simmering the chai, to be part of the pleasure.

The microwave takes one mug. It fits between the other things you do while getting ready in the morning.

How to use each

A weekday morning, before heading out: the microwave, so CHAInstant.
A weekend, drinking with someone: the pot, so the Spice Pack.
Days when people gather, or when you want the aroma at full stretch: the pot again.

The people who keep both to hand are, in fact, the ones who drink the most chai.

The core of the taste does not change

Pot or microwave, the same twelve sit underneath: cassia, cardamom, magao (maqaw), clove, Fennel Aknabi, ginger, tonka bean, star anise, Tellicherry black pepper, timur, nutmeg, coriander. Using Taj Mahal Tea leaves from Brooke Bond in India, and adding a pinch of rock salt, is common to both.

The aroma blueprint, assembled to the 0.01 g, is the same either way. Only the vessel and the heat differ.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Which is the more proper one, pot or microwave?
A. For the thickness of the aroma layers, the pot. But the microwave is not a simplified version. The spice blend is the same, and it is the short extraction that raises those clear aromas. Choose by what you are after.

Q. Doesn't it come out weak in the microwave?
A. It is designed on the basis of 220 ml per pack, so keeping to that guide will not leave it weak. If it still falls short, reducing the milk slightly is the quickest fix. And CHAInstant packs one tea bag with spice and tea leaf to a degree we have not seen anywhere else. We hear from plenty of customers who brew a single one twice, or make more than 220 ml in a slightly larger heatproof vessel. Please enjoy it however you like.

Q. When does the milk go in when using a pot?
A. Simmer the spices and tea leaves from cold water, and add the milk once the colour and aroma have come out properly. After that, keep the heat low enough that it does not boil over. Detailed quantities and times are given via the QR code on the package.