Chai Pilgrimage

Sweet is a taste that evokes a feeling of nurturing and love. It is interesting to know that the Sanskrit word for sweet, madhu, also means delicious, pleasant, charming and delightful.  Although many tea authorities think that sugar defiles the pure taste of tea, those who make masala chai know that it is a necessary ingredient to bring out the flavor of the spices.  And as far as tastes go, initiating each day with a sweet flavor on the palate, rather than the bitter taste of plain tea, invites a sweetness of experience throughout the day.

Nowadays, there are many options available when choosing your masala chai sweetener.  This is not an exhaustive list, but represents some of the commonly used tea sweeteners in the West.

Refined Cane Sugar – a.k.a. “the white stuff,” is by far the world’s most popular tea sweetener.  The great thing about sugar is that it draws out the flavors of the spices without adding any taste of its own. Although refined sugar is as white as new fallen snow, it is not as sattvic, or divinely pure, as it appears. The unfortunate consequence of the refining process is that virtually everything except highly concentrated sucrose has been stripped away.  Because there is nothing for the body to break down, the sugar immediately enters the blood steam, sending blood sugar levels soaring, typically followed by a sugar crash and burn.  This effect can be easily observed in a child’s temperament after they have eaten some sugary sweet candy.  Overuse is associated with many disorders including hyperactivity, depression, obesity, diabetes, compromised immunity and tooth decay, to name a few.  It is very addictive, so use in moderation and with caution.

Turbinado – Although it is sometimes marketed as a “raw” sugar, there is not much difference between this and the white stuff.  It does retain a trace amount of molasses, giving it its light brown color, but it is not as wholesome as evaporated cane juice, which preserves its molasses and intrinsic nutritional content. Turbinado is produced by taking the crystals from the evaporated juice and spinning them in a centrifuge, or turbine, hence the name turbinado.

Evaporated cane juice – This is the masala chai sweetener we use most often.  Sold under the name Sucanat (sugar cane natural), it is very similar to Indian jaggery.  It is created by extracting the juice from raw cane, heating it to reduce it to a syrup, then stirring it as it dries into dark brown granules.  It still retains its molasses flavor, color and, most importantly, its nutritional integrity, including minerals that naturally help to metabolize the carbohydrates.  Because it breaks down slower in the body, the blood sugar levels remain more stable, with less of the associated emotional roller coaster ride.  It does add some molasses flavor to your chai, but also provides a dark color, giving you a rich, brown chai without having to use as much tea.  This makes it the perfect sweetener for a “chai-less” masala chai, a sweet masala milk without tea leaves.

Honey – Honey has been used for millennia in Ayurveda and other natural healing traditions as a powerful medicinal.  It is utilized to treat cough, sore throat, asthma, bronchitis and ulcer.  Its antiseptic and antibacterial properties make it an indispensable external medicine for burns, wounds and staph infections.  Taken in conjunction with Ayurvedic herbal formulations, it acts as a vehicle to deliver the botanical medicinal properties deeply into the tissues.  It can do all this and sweeten your tea too!  When using honey as a chai sweetener, it should be added at the very end after it has been removed from the heat. Ayurveda teaches that raw, uncooked honey is a healing nectar, but if heated, it transforms and becomes a sticky, toxic substance that clogs the body’s channels. Used in chai, it does add a distinctive honey flavor, which varies depending on the variety of flowers from which the bees collected the pollen.

Maple Syrup – Although uncommon in India, and relatively expensive, pure maple syrup is our favorite masala chai sweetener.  It is produced primarily in Canada and also in the U.S.A.  Maple trees are tapped each year, the sap collected and boiled down into a concentrated syrup.  It takes about 40 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of maple syrup.  A natural sweetener with only the water removed, it contains manganese, zinc, other trace minerals and B vitamins. It does add a maple flavor to the chai, but oh, it is so delicious.

Agave nectar – Agave nectar is produced from a large, spiky succulent plant found in Mexico. The aquamiel, or “honey water,” as it is called, is the same liquid that is distilled to produce the alcoholic drink tequila. In recent years, it has become a popular substitute for sugar or honey. It obtains its sweetness from fructose, and therefore has a lower glycemic index than sugar or honey. It is sweeter than honey and has a thinner consistency, making it easy to squeeze out of a bottle. The lighter grades of agave nectar have a neutral flavor, so will not alter the taste of your masala chai.

It’s nice to experiment with sweeteners and how they combine with different varieties of teas and spices. What is your preference for sweetening your masala chai?