I loved watching the chai makers at work. Of course the highlight of watching anybody prepare a batch is the chai pull, when the liquid would be sent between pots being poured from up high. It looks at first like the chaiwala is being extra… except nothing about their stands is extra. The real practical thing they’re doing is aerating the tea.
And it pays off.
The foamy creaminess of a legit Kolkata chai is unlike anything else.