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In Kenya, 'tea' usually means chai: strong black tea boiled with milk and sugar. It is drunk at breakfast, at mid-morning and in the afternoon, and it is the best way to taste the tea grown in places like Tigoni. Here is how to make it.
What you need (for 2 cups)
- 1 cup of water.
- 1 cup of whole milk.
- 2 teaspoons of loose Kenyan black tea (CTC granules), or 2 tea bags.
- Sugar to taste, traditionally 1–2 teaspoons per cup.
- Optional: a thumb of fresh ginger, crushed, or a pinch of chai masala.
Method
- Bring the water to the boil in a small pan. If using ginger or masala, add it now and simmer for a minute.
- Add the tea leaves and let them boil for a minute or two until the water is a deep reddish brown.
- Pour in the milk and bring it back up to just below the boil, watching closely so it does not boil over.
- Add sugar, stir, and let it simmer for another minute.
- Strain into cups and serve hot.
Why boil the tea?
Kenyan CTC tea is made to brew fast and strong, so it stands up to being boiled with milk. Boiling extracts plenty of colour and body, giving chai its rich, creamy taste. A gentle steep in hot water, as with a cup of English tea, gives a much lighter result.
Variations
- Chai ya tangawizi: with fresh ginger, popular on cold highland mornings.
- Chai masala: with a spice mix that often includes cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.
- Strungi: black tea without milk, sweetened with sugar.
- Chai ya maziwa: made mostly or entirely with milk, for an extra-rich cup.
Where to taste it
Almost every café and kiosk in Kenya serves chai. In Tigoni, a hot cup after a misty morning walk through the tea that grows it is hard to beat.
