What is better than a cup of freshly brewed tea to start the morning? Most people in Iran drink Persian black tea or chai as a morning ritual. Depending on its type, Persian chai may taste bitter, earthy, spicy, or aromatic. The way you brew Persian chai can greatly impact its flavor profile.
What Is Persian Chai or Persian Tea Made Of?
To make tea using the Persian method, you need loose-leaf black tea. This type of tea should be brewed in a teapot, allowing the leaves to steep and release their flavors gradually. Opt for high-quality, loose-leaf black teas like Ceylon, Assam, English Breakfast, Darjeeling, or Earl Grey. It is best to try different varieties to find the one that suits your personal taste.
Why You Will Love Persian Chai?
- Bold flavor: Persian tea has a bold and earthy flavor that is perfect for relaxing after a long day.
- Caffeine boost: Black tea contains a healthy amount of caffeine, which can provide a boost in energy levels, making it an excellent choice for a mid-day pick-me-up.
- Versatile: You can enjoy black tea on its own, or with a variety of different additions and flavors.
Persian Tea Ingredients
- Black tea: To make tea using the Persian method, you need loose-leaf black tea. Any high-quality type of loose-leaf black tea like Ceylon and English breakfast will work.
- Filtered water: Use good quality filtered water to ensure the best taste.
- Flavorings: If you like extra fragrant and flavorful tea, you can use additives such as cardamom pods, a small piece of cinnamon stick, dried rose petals, dried orange blossom, or a few threads of saffron. Try different combinations to find the one that best suits your taste.
Equipment
- Teapot: Choosing the right teapot has a great impact on the taste of tea. In general, the teapot should hold the heat well and not change the taste of the tea in any way. You can easily find teapots made of glass, porcelain, ceramic, cast iron, and stainless steel in the market. Cast iron and metal teapots are not my choice because they can have a negative effect on the taste of tea. Compared to ceramic and porcelain teapots, glass teapots retain heat for a shorter period of time. Considering these explanations, the most suitable choice would be teapots made of ceramic or porcelain.
- Kettle: You can boil fresh water in a stove-top stackable kettle or samovar (a metal container traditionally used to heat and boil water).
- Tea strainer: You can use a tea strainer while pouring tea into a glass to prevent tea leaves from entering the glass.
How To Brew Persian Chai?
- Heat the fresh and filtered water in a kettle until it reaches a boiling point.
- Add enough loose-leaf black tea into the clean teapot for each person (1 teaspoon per person).
- Pour hot water into a tea teapot to cover the leaves with about 2 inches of water.
- You can break a cardamom pod and put it in the teapot or use a small piece of cinnamon stick and dried rose petals.
- Cover the teapot with a lid and place it on the stove-top stackable kettle or samovar. Reduce the heat to low and let the tea brew for a few minutes. If you don’t have a samovar or stove-top stackable kettle, just steep the tea in boiling hot water for 5-10 minutes.
- Fill 1/3 heat-proof glass cups with freshly brewed tea. You can use a tea strainer while pouring tea into a glass. Fill the cups with boiling water.
- Serve Persian Chai with sugar cubes, Nabat (saffron sugar candies), or dates.
Expert Tips
- Brewing time is very important for the taste, color, the aroma of the Persian Chai. The same instructions can not be given, the brewing time depends on the type of tea. The types of black tea available on the market take about 3 to 15 minutes to brew. Many types of tea are best brewed at a temperature of about 80 to 85 degrees.
- You cannot brew a large amount of tea in a small teapot. Be careful not to fill the entire space of the teapot with water; the tea leaves should have enough space to expand.
- Store the tea leaves in a container with a tight lid and keep them away from spices, herbs, or strong-smelling foods because the tea leaves tend to absorb odor easily.
- Pour a teaspoon of black tea into the teapot for each person.
- For the best tea flavor, do not use previously boiled water.
- Black tea leaves tend to release their flavors and aroma quickly and may start to taste bitter if left in the boiling water for too long.
FAQs
How Long Does Brewed Black Tea Last?
It is best to enjoy freshly brewed tea. Brewed Persian tea, will only last up to a few hours (2-3 hours) before it loses its vibrant color, pleasant aroma, and rich taste.
What Is Chai Shirin?
Chai Shirin means sweetened tea. To serve Chai Shirin, put a little white granulated sugar or a piece of saffron sugar candy into the tea and stir until completely dissolved.
Did you like the Persian Chai? Leave your comment below and If you make this recipe, be sure to tag your photos #yummynotes 
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons loose-leaf black tea
- Filtered water
Instructions
Step 1
Heat the fresh and filtered water in a kettle until it reaches a boiling point.
Step 2
Add enough loose-leaf black tea into the clean teapot for each person (1 teaspoon per person).
Step 3
Pour hot water into a tea teapot to cover the leaves with about 2 inches of water.
Step 4
You can break a cardamom pod and put it in the teapot or use a small piece of cinnamon stick and dried rose petals.
Step 5
Cover the teapot with a lid and place it on the stove-top stackable kettle or samovar. Reduce the heat to low and let the tea brew for a few minutes. If you don't have a samovar or stove-top stackable kettle, just steep the tea with boiling hot water for 5-10 minutes.
Step 6
Fill 1/3 heat-proof glass cups with freshly brewed tea. You can use a tea strainer while pouring tea into a glass. Fill the cups with boiling water.
Step 7
Serve Persian Chai with sugar cubes, Nabat (saffron sugar candies), or dates.
