Irani chai is the strong, creamy, sweet tea served in Hyderabad's Irani cafes, usually with Osmania biscuits. This guide covers what makes it different from everyday chai, how it is traditionally made, and the two practical ways a café, canteen or kiosk can serve it the same way every time, from a manufacturer based in Hyderabad.
Irani chai is a strong black tea made rich and creamy with thickened milk and served sweet. It came to Hyderabad with the Irani cafes and is now part of the city's identity. Where everyday chai is a light, milky brew, Irani chai is bolder, thicker and more indulgent.
What it is. Strong tea, thick creamy milk, sweet. Where from. Hyderabad's Irani cafes. Served with. Osmania biscuits, bun maska. Two ways to make it in a café. Brew a strong kadak chai with milk, or use an Irani tea latte premix that already holds the milk and sugar.
Our Kadak Chai Flavoured Tea is a strong Assam tea dust built for this. The method printed on the pack: add 3 g of tea to 50 ml of boiling water, add sugar to taste, then 120 ml of milk; bring to a boil, simmer 3–5 minutes and strain. Use more tea for a stronger cup and richer milk for a creamier one.
When the tea has to taste the same on every shift, or there is no stove, a premix does the work. Our Irani Kadak Tea Latte premix already contains the tea, milk powder, creamer and brown sugar. The printed dose is 20–25 g of premix in 150–200 ml of hot water or hot milk, stirred until smooth. Hot water alone makes a creamy cup; hot milk makes it richer. It can also be poured over ice, or made into a bubble tea latte with tapioca pearls.
| Brewed kadak chai | Irani tea latte premix | |
|---|---|---|
| You add | Water, milk, sugar | Hot water or hot milk |
| Time per cup | Brew and simmer, 3–5 minutes | Stir and serve |
| Equipment | Stove and strainer | Kettle or hot water dispenser |
| Best for | Traditional tea stalls and cafes | Kiosks, offices, canteens, busy counters |
Irani chai sells best with something to dunk: Osmania biscuits, bun maska or khari. The same premix also makes an iced Irani tea latte for summer, and a bubble tea version with pearls for a younger crowd. For vending machines, see our Karak Chai Instant Premix.
Both products come in 1 kg packs, ten to a case, made at our FSSC 22000 certified plant in Hyderabad. Each keeps 12 months sealed. The latte premix contains milk solids; the kadak tea is tea only.
Irani chai is a strong black tea made rich and creamy with thickened milk and served sweet. It is the signature tea of Hyderabad's Irani cafes, usually served with Osmania biscuits.
It is stronger, thicker and sweeter. The tea is brewed strong, the milk is traditionally simmered until it thickens, and the two are combined only when the cup is poured.
Usually an instant premix that already holds the tea, milk and sugar, so a cafe can make Irani-style chai by stirring it into hot water. Our Irani Kadak Tea Latte premix is dosed at 20–25 g in 150–200 ml of hot water or hot milk.
Add 20–25 g of premix to 150–200 ml of hot water or hot milk and stir until smooth. Hot milk makes a richer cup. It can also be poured over ice.
Yes. With our Kadak Chai Flavoured Tea: add 3 g of tea to 50 ml of boiling water, add sugar to taste and 120 ml of milk, bring to a boil, simmer 3–5 minutes and strain.
Yes, it is vegetarian and Halal, and it contains milk solids.
We make kadak tea and Irani tea latte premix at our FSSC 22000 plant in Hyderabad and supply cafes, canteens and distributors across India.
Outside India? See export & international. Or email sales@theteaplanet.com.