Tea or rather ‘Shay’ in Arabic - is probably as quintessentially an Arab drink as it is British. Arabic Coffee does have its place, but in many areas it’s tea that is the drink of hospitality. Lipton seem to have staked their place as brand leaders and a cup, with a yellow Lipton tag hanging over the edge is the normal way of serving it. That then begs the question, what does one politely do with the bag and tag before drinking (Prince Charles apparently didn’t know how to deal with a tea bag when it was served in his cup at the Oval Office so didn’t drink it) .

However in small Restaurants and ‘Coffee Shops’ loose leaf tea is brewed and served, often with ‘Masala’ (Hindi or Urdu for Spice) mixed in. Very nice and, I thought until now , not possible at home (my attempts were failures) .

So… the other day at somebody’s office the question came up “Tea? Ginger or Normal” – “Ginger of course “.  One sip later – “it’s Masala – where did you get it from” and so I have found my own source of ‘Wagh Bakri’ brand ‘Special International Blend Masala Chai Tea Bags’.

Chai - Hindi/Urdu; Shay- Arabic , and Tea apparently derive from ‘Cha’ in Mandarin and ‘Te’ in the Min-Nan coastal Chinese dialect.