Rose chai is a creamy and floral Indian spiced black tea with rose water, cardamom, and fennel seeds for a sweet and delicate flavor that isn't overpoweringly rose-y.
Jump to:
- Ingredients
- Ingredient Recommendations
- Rose petals vs. rose water vs. rose essence
- Why rose water is the best for rose chai
- It is important to add rose water at the end
- Rose chai vs. other chais
- What pairs well with rose chai
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Rose Chai | Indian Rose Tea with Milk
- Other posts like this you may like
I tend to proceed with caution when a recipe calls for rose because if the flavoring is used in excess the dish can quickly taste like soap or potpourri.
Don't worry though! I've recipe tested this rose chai with numerous methodologies from using rose petals to including rose essence to finally come up with this sweet rose chai that makes me feel like dressing up in my finest summer dress and hosting a tea party with my girlfriends.
Ingredients
- Black CTC tea - It's important to use black CTC tea for a strong cup of chai. You can learn more about this type of tea, its substitutes, and why it makes the best cup of chai in this detailed blog post. However, if you want to skip right to the brand recommendation, I suggest Red Label for your chai needs.
- Fennel seeds - Mild licorice-y flavor.
- Cardamom pods - Warm and sweet taste that compliments the rose.
- Rose water - Gives a light, bright, and consistent rose-y flavor to chai. More on this ingredient down below.
- Water and Milk - I use a 1:1 ratio of milk to water in my chai for a creamy result. Tweak the ratio for your perfect cup.
Ingredient Recommendations
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Buy Now → Rose petals vs. rose water vs. rose essence
- Rose petals - Food-grade rose petals that are dried and packaged. There are so many different varieties of rose petals from dark rose to light rose, all of which have slight variations in taste.
- Rose water - Rose water is created by a distillation process where fresh rose petals are steamed and the resulting condensation is the rose water which has the rose's essential oils.
- Rose essence - Rose essence is a concentrated substance that is made with extracted rose oil and alcohol.
In terms of potency, rose petals are the most potent followed by rose essence and then rose water. Rose petals get stronger the longer they steep in liquid and rose water and essence can be made stronger with the quantity added.
Why rose water is the best for rose chai
Rose water is best for rose chai because it has the most subtle and nuanced flavor, leads to a consistent-tasting cup every time, and results in a chai that is well balanced.
When I've experimented with steeping rose petals, the chai would never be consistent. Steeping the rose petals for even a minute or two longer than needed can result in a chai that is too concentrated in rose flavor. In addition, rose petals are sold in bulbs, petals, and different varieties and each brand had a slightly different taste which resulted in different results every time.
Rose essence is more potent than rose water and a little splash extra can push the chai over into the sickly sweet category. Rose essence is second best when it comes to making chai. If you want to use rose essence, use about half the amount of rose essence to the amount of rose water called in the recipe.
It is important to add rose water at the end
It is important to add rose water to the chai once you have turned off the heat. This is because the essential oils in rose water diminish when exposed to long periods of heat. So make sure to add the rose water as the last step in your chai making process.
Rose chai vs. other chais
- Rose chai, although it has a couple of spices, really features the rose, whereas masala chai is made up of many spices.
- Rose chai uses rose water and crushed whole spices for a delicate chai whereas masala chai uses a chai spice blend to create a very spice-forward drink.
- Rose chai is milder and more floral and delicate compared to the spicier ginger chai.
What pairs well with rose chai
Rose chai is a delicate chai that I love serving at Indian tea parties or brunches. My two favorite things to pair with this tea are mini badam halwa croissants and cucumber and mint chutney sandwiches.
The badam halwa croissants are a sweet breakfast treat that has a traditional badam halwa or saffron almond fudge spread in the center and gets its flaky texture from store-bought mini croissants. The cucumber and mint chutney sandwiches are the perfect tea time savory snack with flavor packed in with spicy cilantro-mint chutney.
Frequently Asked Questions
Loose leaf CTC black tea or crush, tear, curl black tea is best for chai as it provides a strong tea flavor that can stand up to the spices in chai. Red Label black CTC tea is a brand I recommend.
Chai inherently is a creamy drink that is brewed with milk and spices. If you avoid milk because you are lactose intolerant, you can substitute lactose-free milk. Other alternative milks that are great in chai are oat milk and almond milk!
You can swap out CTC black tea, which is traditionally used in chai, for rooibos, which is a decaffeinated tea, to make a chai without caffeine. You can learn about making decaf chai in this blog post as well as the full recipe.
Follow the recipe below for chai but slightly reduce the amount of water to account for the ice that will dilute the chai later. Chai can be made up to a week in advance, filtered, and stored in the fridge until ready to be consumed. You can learn about making iced chai in this blog post along with a detailed recipe.
You can simply drink chai without sugar for a sugar-free chai. Alternatively, you can use unrefined sugar like jaggery or honey to sweeten chai.
Chai is served for breakfast as well as around tea time which is anywhere between 3:30pm to 5pm. But really, chai can be had at anytime of day. If you are sensitive to caffeine, either avoid chai late at night or substitute black tea with rooibos for a decaffeinated option.
Rose Chai | Indian Rose Tea with Milk
Product Reccs
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup water
- 5 green cardamom pods slightly crushed
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon loose leaf black CTC tea
- 2 tablespoons sugar plus more to taste
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon rose water
Instructions
- Bring 1 ½ cup water to a boil in a small saucepan on medium-high heat. Add 5 green cardamom pods (crushed), ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, 1 tablespoon loose leaf black CTC tea, and 2 tablespoons sugar; allow the spices and tea to steep together for ~2-3 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add 1 ½ cups whole milk and stir. Allow the milk to boil, foam, and rise, which should take 5-7 minutes. Once it starts to rise, turn off the heat. It is important to keep a close eye on the pot, or the milk may overflow. Turn off heat.
- Add 1 teaspoon rose water to the chai and mix. It’s important to add rose water once the heat is turned off, as the flavor of the rose diminishes with heat.
- Using a tea strainer, pour tea into cups, making sure to divide equally. Add more sugar to taste.
Notes and Tips
- You can substitute ½ the amount of rose essence for rose water
- Add rose water once the heat is turned off or else the flavor of the rose will diminish
Shri Repp
Floral but not too rosy chai with creamy milk
Stephanie
This combo is so lovely! I did add some extra cardamom and rose water. The fennel seeds are a must, they really do add to it!
Shri Repp
Yes! I love that you made this recipe your own by tweaking the cardamom and rose water taste to your liking. I always start with a little and then work my way up if I want it more floral. Isn't it crazy how the fennel really comes through and helps the other ingredients shine?
Noor
This was so good. I appreciate the simplicity as I didn’t have dried roses nor rose syrup in hand, just rose water.