Doodh patti or black tea: What's your favourite cuppa?

In India, chai is an emotion, a conversation starter, a mood lifter, a must for gossip sessions, important meetings, and the one thing you need after a tiring day. So, when the Indian Council of Medical Research recently advised that people should reduce tea consumption and also avoid milk in tea, chai lovers were left heartbroken. For Tea Day today, we asked celebs how they like their chai –black or doodhwali. While a majority spoke about the benefits of black tea, milk tea also had its fair share of fans. While their tea preference may be different but the sentiment that chai is for the soul, perhaps not as much for the body resonated with all.

What’s chai without milk?

Ammy Virk, Divya Dutta, Anshul Chauhan, Leena Singh, say, 'What’s chai without milk?'

I was raised on the ritual of having chai in the morning, with biscuits or parathas. When we go to someone’s house, mehmaan nawazi is incomplete if we don’t ask, “Chai piyoge”. My favourite is doodh wali masala chai. My mom always had black tea. While I have struck a balance between the two versions, I never drink a kept chai, and have it fresh. Chai brings me to life and if I see a dhabey wali chai, I cannot resist it
— Divya Dutta

Like a true Punjabi, I like my tea with whole milk. At our place, we have the traditional doodh patti (tea in milk), a typically ancient Punjabi cha recipe. With more health awareness setting in, maybe tea without milk is better but so far, I can’t imagine tea without milk. My way of having tea is tea leaves boiled in milk, without water, with ginger slices and shakkar added in it
— Ammy Virk

For me, certain things are for the soul and not the body and a hot cup of masala chai is one of them. I can imagine coffee without milk but not chai. I love my chai with half milk, half water, some ginger and black pepper— Anshul Chauhan

I am a tea addict and end up having it sometimes thrice a day. Honestly, I can’t imagine my tea without milk. Tea without milk is not a tea to me. I enjoy having chamomile tea, green tea also, but nothing beats a milky chai. That is the only thing I am addicted to
— Leena Singh
Just a dash of milk

Just a dash of milk for Rajniesh Duggal, Shibani Kashyap and Freddy Daruwala

Chai is like a celebration for us. I brew the chai masala with cardamom, cinnamon and ginger. Then I put the tea leaves, I brew all of it together and in the end, I just add a dash of milk. But I don’t brew the milk along with the tea. Brewing the milk with the tea causes harm. It is very light and works like magic for the throat
— Shibani Kashyap

I love my chai kadak and with very little milk. Chai is nothing without a bit of milk. In the last couple of years I have been having chai with almond milk and it tastes just right too. For me, the right way of making chai is paani ubalo, add 2-3 ground elaichi. Let it boil and then add tea. Once it smells right, add 2-3 spoons of milk and your tea is ready
— Rajniesh Duggal

I personally prefer my chai with only a dash of milk. It gives me the color, taste and most importantly the feeling of chai. Chai is not only a drink or a refreshment for me, it’s a feeling… it’s an emotion and chai time is one of my favorite times of the day. Being a chai lover, I’m very particular about the way my chai is prepared. In my house chai is either made with mint flavor or ginger flavor but there has to be a flavor. During monsoon I prefer ginger chai
— Freddy Daruwala

Black tea is healthier

We are a land of kadha, which later evolved as chai. So all these organic teas that we hear of, green tea, jasmine tea, are a form of kadha. I think tea is best to have without milk. I always prefer having it without milk and I like having organic tea or green tea
— Kailash Kher

I have always preferred black tea, green tea and chamomile tea. I have always preferred having my tea without milk, I think it is more refreshing
— Mandira Wirk

I don’t add milk to my tea. Tea without milk retains a higher concentration of antioxidants. Tea without milk can aid in weight management and promote metabolic health. Moreover, drinking tea without milk can support cardiovascular health. Herbal and green teas, in particular, are known to soothe the digestive system — Ritu Beri

I drink two-three cups of tea a day and I like it without milk. I prefer my morning English breakfast tea with some cookies. Any actor who comes to my room on the set knows ki Aasif bhai ke room mein achchi chai milegi. They mostly have milk tea, so ginger tea, cinnamon tea and masala chai are always stocked up in my makeup room
— Aasif Sheikh

I stopped adding milk to my tea 20 years ago. With the passage of time, I realised the benefits of not taking milk. I drink black tea and that too minus the sugar. It refreshes me amid a hectic day. Sometimes I also take lemon tea
— Arjun Bijlani

Roasted Darjeeling tea is my favourite, but without milk or sugar, as only then you get the right flavour. My morning starts with two hot cups of tea on my balcony. For the past 22 years, I never had milk tea. Tea loses its original flavour and aroma when you add milk
— Parambrata Chatterjee

I am a tea person, but it has to be Darjeeling first flush, without milk or sugar, as it’s good for your health. I also love green tea and chamomile tea because they rejuvenate me. For the past 10 years, I haven’t had milk tea as I get acidity if I have that. Darjeeling tea has to be brewed for just the right time, so I use an hourglass as a timer. To me, the flavour is very important, as it can uplift one’s mood
— Paoli

For me a perfect cup of chai is the best way to start the day. The perfect chai is prepared with milk, spices and little sugar or no sugar. It has digestive benefits if you add cardamom, ginger. I am abstaining from dairy products now, so have switched to black tea
— Charu Parashar

I lost the taste for milky tea or even coffee with milk years ago. Besides black tea, I also have green tea daily and both these teas have good effects on the health. Occasionally I like my tea flavoured with jasmine or tulsi. Irrespective of the season, green tea always works for me
— Sara Khan