Introduction
The cold brew revolution has come for chai, and it is glorious. Masala Cold Brew Chai takes everything you love about spiced Indian tea — the warmth of cardamom, the bite of ginger, the complexity of cloves and pepper — and extracts it gently over long, patient hours in cold water. The result is something that hot brewing simply cannot replicate: a chai that is extraordinarily smooth, never bitter, with a clarity of spice flavour that reveals layers you never knew were there.
Cold brewing works because cold water is a more selective solvent than hot water. It draws out the aromatic compounds and natural sweetness from tea and spices while leaving behind the harsh tannins and bitter acids that hot water pulls aggressively. Your masala cold brew will be mellow, nuanced, and refreshingly drinkable straight from the glass.
The Story
Cold brew tea has ancient precedent in certain regions of Japan and Taiwan, where mizudashi (cold water brew) green tea has been made for centuries. In India, the practice of sun tea — leaving tea and spices in a jar of water in warm sunlight — is common in rural areas during summer. The modern masala cold brew is a meeting of these traditions: Indian spice complexity filtered through the patience of cold extraction.
In Mumbai's thriving café scene, and in the specialty tea bars of Bangalore and Delhi, masala cold brew has found an enthusiastic audience among a generation of chai lovers who want the flavours of home in formats that work for a hot, fast, urban life. A mason jar in the fridge overnight is all it takes. You wake up to chai that is ready to go — no stove, no simmering, no watching the pot.
How to Make
Step 1 — Combine tea and spices. In a large jar or pitcher (at least 1 litre), combine the tea leaves, crushed cardamom pods, broken cinnamon stick, cloves, peppercorns, sliced ginger, and star anise. The star anise is the secret weapon here — it adds a deep, aromatic bass note that rounds out the entire spice blend beautifully.
Step 2 — Add cold water. Pour 4 cups of cold, filtered water over the tea and spices. Stir briefly to ensure the tea leaves are wet and the spices are distributed. Do not add ice at this stage — you want the full volume of water for the right concentration.
Step 3 — Steep in the fridge. Cover the jar and place it in the refrigerator. Let it steep for a minimum of 8 hours and up to 16 hours. Longer steeping produces a more intense, concentrated brew. For a first attempt, 10–12 hours is ideal. Resist the temptation to open it and check — cold brew rewards patience.
Step 4 — Strain and sweeten. After steeping, pour the cold brew through a fine-mesh strainer or a cheesecloth-lined strainer to catch the tea leaves and spice pieces. Add your sweetener now and stir until dissolved — simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water, cold) integrates more easily into cold liquid than granulated sugar.
Step 5 — Serve. Fill a tall glass with ice. Pour the cold brew to about two-thirds full. Top with your choice of cold milk — whole milk for richness, oat milk for a modern plant-based character — or enjoy it neat, without any milk at all. Dust the surface with a pinch of ground cinnamon.
Tips & Variations
Concentration control: For a concentrate (which you then dilute with milk 1:1), use double the tea — 8 teaspoons to the same 4 cups of water. Concentrate stores better and gives you more flexibility in serving.
Spice swaps: Swap star anise for a small piece of dried orange peel for a citrus-forward cold brew. Add a vanilla bean split in half for a chai that tastes like dessert. A pinch of fennel seeds introduces a beautiful anise freshness.
Sweetener ideas: A tablespoon of date syrup (khajoor sharbat) adds a caramel-like complexity that pairs exceptionally well with cold brew's natural mellow sweetness. Brown sugar works beautifully too.
Masala cold brew lemonade: Mix the cold brew with fresh lemon juice and sparkling water for a desi Arnold Palmer that is wildly refreshing. Sweetened with honey and served over crushed ice, it is the perfect summer afternoon drink.
Layered presentation: Pour the cold brew into a glass of ice without stirring, then carefully pour cold milk over the back of a spoon to create a two-tone layered effect. Watch the milk cascade slowly through the amber tea — it is a small theatre of beauty.