Karak is the strong, sweet milk tea of the Gulf. A karak premix puts the tea, milk and sugar in one powder so a café, office or vending machine can serve it with hot water alone. This guide covers what karak is, what goes into a premix, how to make it, and what to ask when you buy it in bulk.
A karak chai premix is strong black tea, milk solids and sugar in one powder, so a cup of karak is made by adding hot water: by hand, at a counter or in a vending machine. It gives the same cup every time without boiling tea and milk down on a stove.
What karak is. A strong, sweet, milky tea, the everyday tea of the Gulf. What the premix holds. Black tea extract, milk powder, creamer, sugar and brown sugar. How to make it. 3 teaspoons (about 15 g) in 100 ml of hot water, or straight into a vending machine canister. Packs. 1 kg, ten to a case. Ours. Karak Chai Instant Premix.
Karak is the strong, sweet milk tea served at tea stalls, cafés and offices across the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait. The name comes from the Hindi and Urdu word kadak, meaning strong, and the drink has its roots in the milky chai of India and Pakistan.
Made the traditional way, black tea is boiled hard with sugar, then boiled again with evaporated or full-fat milk until the cup turns a deep caramel colour. Most stalls add cardamom; some add saffron or ginger. What sets karak apart from everyday chai is how strong and how sweet it is: it should taste of tea first, through all that milk.
| Brewed on a stove | Premix |
|---|---|
| Loose tea, milk, sugar and spice, boiled and strained | One powder plus hot water |
| Several minutes of boiling per batch | Stir and serve, or press a button |
| Strength changes with the person making it | Same dose, same cup, every shift |
| Needs a stove, pots and fresh milk | Needs a kettle, hot water tap or vending machine |
| Suits a tea stall with a skilled maker | Suits vending, offices, kiosks and busy counters |
The ingredient list printed on our Karak Chai Instant Premix: sugar, brown sugar, non-dairy creamer, milk powder, black tea extract, permitted flavour and an anticaking agent (INS 551). The brown sugar gives the caramel note karak is known for; the milk powder and creamer give the body without fresh milk. It contains milk solids, which matters for buyers who avoid dairy and for some import rules.
Work out what each cup costs at your dose with our cost-per-cup calculator.
Most menus offer karak plain plus one or two flavoured versions. Alongside karak we make cardamom-, saffron- and ginger-flavoured chai premixes, and a masala chai: see the karak flavour guide for how to build a menu from them, and karak vs Irani chai vs masala chai for how the three teas differ.
| Ask the supplier | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Ingredient list and whether it contains milk | Taste, dairy questions and import paperwork |
| Dose per cup | Decides your real cost per cup |
| Shelf life and storage | Canisters are refilled from open packs; ours keep 12 months |
| Pack and case size, mixed flavours | Ours are 1 kg packs, ten to a case, flavours mixable within a case |
| Certifications | We make it at an FSSC 22000 certified plant with FSSAI, HALAL and APEDA credentials and US FDA registration |
| Own brand | We make premixes under your label: see private label |
Buying from the Gulf or South Africa? See our export pages for Saudi Arabia, the UAE and South Africa.
A strong, sweet milk tea served across the Gulf. The name comes from the Hindi and Urdu word kadak, meaning strong. It is usually flavoured with cardamom, and sometimes saffron or ginger.
Ours holds sugar, brown sugar, non-dairy creamer, milk powder, black tea extract, permitted flavour and an anticaking agent, so only hot water is needed.
The printed dose is 3 teaspoons (about 15 g) in 100 ml of hot water. For bigger cups keep the same ratio, or raise the dose for a stronger cup.
Yes. Fill the premix into the canister of a hot-beverage vending machine and set the dose to your cup size.
Ours contains milk powder and non-dairy creamer, so it contains milk solids.
Ours comes in 1 kg packs, ten to a case, and keeps 12 months in a cool, dry place. Reseal the pack after each use.
We make karak and flavoured chai premixes at our FSSC 22000 plant in Hyderabad for vending operators, cafés, distributors and own-label brands in India and abroad.
Outside India? See export & international. Or email sales@theteaplanet.com.