Chai is everywhere and can always be
Whichever part of India you visit, the chai masala is waiting for you everywhere. In a plastic cup by the side of the road, just in front of the train station of New Delhi. In a porcelain cup in the most luxurious restaurants. And in people's homes, both in the city and in the countryside. Every family has its own recipe. But it is the herbs anise, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and peppercorns that give this milk tea the typical taste. And sugar. Lots of sugar.
Chai is everywhere and always can. In the morning to start the day, in between as a break, or on the way to the train: even hurried travellers have time to pick up a cup of tea. However, the most appropriate time for chai is when there is a visit. No visitor leaves the house without tea. And before you know it, you're sitting in a tailor's chair with a cup of chai masala in the yard of an Indian family.