this is very interesting, never thought that black pepper can be mixed in tea! I am very tempted to try that at home. Do you add milk/sugar in masala tea?
Not GP, but yes, people in India mostly add both milk and sugar to masala tea, i.e. it is not had with just tea and the masalas - IME, at least. Can't say specifically what is common in Gujarat, though, since I haven't been there except in early childhood a few times (with parents), and didn't drink tea then.
Sugar as per taste but milk is a must! I use 1:2 water:milk but you can vary it. About 1 tsp of masala per cup or mug. Typically you’d heat the whole concoction till the milky water rises once or twice. I don’t put in the tea (loose or tea bag) from the start as it tends to become bitter but it must still boil with the rest for a minute or two.
thanks, the information on the process to make the tea is super helpful. I was just going to ask about it, now things become much clear to me. 1:2 water:milk? man, that's a lot of milk. But I love milk, so that will be great. Also, I guess unlike what the Chinese normally do, there is no refilling hot water into the pot/mug to drink more, right?
I now use 1:3 or less especially when using whole milk, 1:2 or 1:2.5 when using 2% fat milk. Experiment and see what you like! There is no one true recipe!
Definitely no refilling with hot water! As the whole process takes time, I used to make 3-4 cups in the morning and take the remaining tea in a thermos to work.