Karak, Irani chai and masala chai are all strong black tea with milk and sugar, yet each tastes distinct. This guide compares where they come from, how the milk, sweetness and spice differ, and how a café can serve each one, brewed or from a premix.
Karak is the Gulf's strong, sweet, cardamom milk tea; Irani chai is Hyderabad's strong tea with thickened milk, served sweet; masala chai is India's everyday milk tea simmered with spices. All three are strong black tea with milk and sugar. What changes is how much milk, how sweet, and what spice.
| Karak | Irani chai | Masala chai | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it is from | Tea stalls of the Gulf, with roots in Indian and Pakistani chai | The Irani cafés of Hyderabad | Homes and tea stalls across India |
| Tea | Strong black tea, boiled hard | Strong tea, brewed separately | Black tea simmered with milk |
| Milk | Evaporated or full-fat milk, boiled in | Milk simmered down until thick, added at the cup | Fresh milk, simmered with the tea |
| Sweetness | Very sweet, caramel note | Sweet, creamy, almost a dessert | Sweetened to taste |
| Flavour | Usually cardamom; sometimes saffron or ginger | Tea and milk, little or no spice | A spice mix: ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, pepper |
| Served with | On its own, in small cups | Osmania biscuits, bun maska | Snacks, any time of day |
Karak takes its name from kadak, Hindi and Urdu for strong. It is boiled longer and served sweeter than most chai, and cardamom is the default flavour. Read more in the karak chai premix guide and the karak flavour guide.
Irani chai came to Hyderabad with the Irani cafés. The tea and the thickened milk are traditionally made in separate pots and combined in the cup, which gives it its rich body. Our Irani chai guide covers both ways to serve it.
Masala chai is the everyday spiced tea of India: tea, milk and sugar simmered together with a spice mix. Each home and stall has its own blend.
| Tea | How to serve it |
|---|---|
| Karak | Premix: Karak Chai Instant Premix, or the cardamom-flavoured chai premix |
| Irani chai | Brewed: Kadak Chai Flavoured Tea; premix: Irani Kadak Tea Latte |
| Masala chai | Brewed: Masala Flavoured Tea; premix: Masala Chai Instant Premix |
The instant premixes all use the same printed dose, 3 teaspoons (about 15 g) in 100 ml of hot water, and suit vending machines as well as counters. They come in 1 kg packs, ten to a case, made at our FSSC 22000 certified plant in Hyderabad.
Karak is boiled stronger and served sweeter, and is usually flavoured with cardamom alone. Masala chai is simmered with a mix of spices such as ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and clove.
Karak boils the tea and milk together and is usually flavoured with cardamom. Irani chai makes the strong tea and the thickened milk separately and combines them in the cup, with little or no spice.
From kadak, the Hindi and Urdu word for strong.
Yes. We make instant premixes for karak and masala chai and an Irani tea latte premix, each made with hot water.
We make karak, masala and Irani chai premixes and strong kadak tea at our FSSC 22000 plant in Hyderabad for cafés, offices, vending operators and distributors.
Outside India? See export & international. Or email sales@theteaplanet.com.