How to Make Kadak Chai at Home: The Ultimate Strong Tea Guide

A good cup of kadak chai is one to remember. It is bold, full-bodied, strong enough to wake you up in an instant, and delicious. Many people, however, are often puzzled as to how to make a strong tea at home because their kadak chai is never as good as the one served at the neighbourhood tea stall.

If you have ever asked yourself how to prepare kadak chai, the answer is not merely adding more tea leaves and letting it boil longer. It is about making the right choice of tea, using the right amounts, and more importantly, brewing it the right way.

This kadak tea recipe will show you how to prepare traditional tapri-style chai at home with a lovely aroma and a strong taste.

Why Does Tapri Chai Always Taste Stronger Than Homemade?

All tea lovers must have gone through the ordeal of trying to replicate a cup of excellent kadak chai and failing miserably. You might have tried adding more leaves, boiling the tea for longer, and reducing the amount of water, yet your kadak chai tastes nowhere near that cup of ₹10 tea bought from your favourite roadside tea vendor.

There is just one simple reason for it. Tapri chai is not made strong by a longer boiling time. The ideal kadak chai recipe is reliant on three key elements:

• Selecting a strong CTC tea

• Maintaining the appropriate ratio between milk and water

• Implementing the most ideal brewing method

As soon as you can fulfil these three elements, you'll know how to make strong tea that tastes just like your favourite tapri chai.

Step 1 — Choose the Right Tea (This Is Where Most People Go Wrong)

Why CTC Tea Makes the Strongest Chai

The most important key in achieving strong Indian chai tea is the type of tea.

CTC (Crush, Tear, Curl) tea goes through a unique process to brew fast, giving intense colour and flavour. Unlike regular tea leaves, the CTC tea granules are designed to prepare tea with milk.

If you ever use orthodox or whole-leaf tea, you’ll never reach the authentic tapri-style strength with it. When looking for a true strong chai recipe Indian people are fond of, CTC tea should always be your choice.

Best Tea for Kadak Chai

If you would like to learn about the best tea for kadak chai, Hasmukhrai CTC Leaf is usually the answer. It’s an extra strong CTC tea that produces great-flavoured and colored tea, giving you the desired level of strength that one would expect from authentic roadside tea.

Step 2 — The Kadak Chai Recipe (Tapri Style)

Ingredients For Two Cups

• Two heaping teaspoons of Hasmukhrai CTC Leaf (or Society Dust Tea)

• 1 cup of water (150 ml)

• 1 cup of milk or cream (150 ml)

• Two teaspoons of sugar (to taste)

Instructions

1. Boil water in a pan.

2. Add the tea leaves to cold water before the flame is turned on.

3. Let it boil for one to two minutes until the colour starts to deepen.

4. Stir and mix the sugar.

5. Add in the full-cream milk.

6. Lower the heat and simmer for about three to four minutes.

7. Allow the chai to rise and fall twice or thrice without spilling over.

8. Strain and pour from a height for a frothy tapri look.

If you want to know how to prepare strong tea, this method helps a lot. When you start with cold water, it makes the tea come out stronger.

Step 3 — Pro Tips for Maximum Kadak

The 1.5 Times Rule

In the case of kadak chai, use about one and a half times the amount of tea that is generally used.

Less Water, More Milk

Chai prepared using tapri typically has to be about 40 per cent water and 60 per cent milk.

Too much water may lead to a very diluted end product.

Simmer, Don't Boil

After adding the milk to the mix, the heat has to be reduced for the chai to simmer for at least 3–4 minutes.

Simmering helps achieve the right consistency and flavour of the chai.

Use Full-Cream Milk

Full-cream milk is rich in fat and makes the chai thicker.

This is precisely why you get roadside chai that is thicker and tastier than homemade varieties.

The Pour-From-Height Trick

Once the chai has been strained, it should be poured from about a foot above the vessel.

This will instantly lead to a frothy layer of chai being formed.

Kadak Chai vs Masala Chai — What's the Difference?

The spectrum of chai is broad and diverse  beyond taste, explore the health benefits of black tea to understand why your daily kadak cup does more than just wake you up. You may find these two chai types being compared throughout the tea world, as people often confuse making kadak chai and masala chai. While kadak chai has a stronger taste due to the make of the leaves used, masala chai has aromatic spices added to the mix.

This table gives a complete overview of the two types.

Common Kadak Chai Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)

Conclusion

The kadak chai recipe is not just about putting an extra tea in it but also about ensuring quality CTC tea, preparation method, and sufficient time for the tea to brew.

Whether you are starting your day or just taking a break, you can expect the strong and rich taste every chai lover wants with a proper kadak chai.

If you go with Hasmukhrai CTC Leaf and the easy steps, you can make a real tapri-style kadak chai.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is kadak chai?

Kadak chai is a strong Indian milk tea made with CTC black tea leaves, full-cream milk, and sugar, which gives it great colour and taste.

Which tea is best for kadak chai?

A strong CTC tea is perfect to make kadak chai. Hasmukhrai CTC Leaf of Society Tea is exactly meant for strong preparation, whereas Society Dust Tea is also good.

How do I make kadak chai without it tasting bitter?

To avoid bitter kada chai, do not make tea on high heat but simmer after adding milk and use the proper amount of water and milk.

Kadak chai kaise banaye?

Put CTC leaf tea in cold water, heat it, and add sugar and full-cream milk and keep cooking for 3–4 minutes on low heat till the tea is brewed several times.

Can I make kadak chai using tea bags?

Tea bags do not give rich flavour, but using loose tea like Hasmukhrai CTC Leaf or Society Dust Tea would give the best kadak chai.