Masala Chai

Tea in China and India is called chai of cha. The old phrase ‘a cup of char’ stems from this other word for tea. Travelling in India, you hear the singsong call ‘chaichaichai’ on a loop on the trains, where it is served in small home-made clay cups. The tracks are littered with shattered clay from disposed cups. Indian chai always sweet and milky.

Whenever I go to a festival, especially Glastonbury, I head for the chai teepee. Chai is a warming, fe