Let’s have some chai.??

I genuinely don’t trust people who say they “don’t like chai.” Like Howw..??😭

Coz chai, at least in Indian households, is not just a drink.

— It’s warmth. It’s routine. It’s comfort. It’s home.

Happy? Chai.️️ ☀️ Sad? Chai.😔 Guests arrived? Chai.👨‍👩‍👧 ️Family drama? Extra strong chai.🤦 Small celebration? Chai again.🥳

Somehow every emotion in desi households gets processed through boiled milk and tea leaves.

And no matter how many cafés I try in the US, nothing ever fully matches the feeling of chai back home.

Especially chai thelas.

God, I miss chai thelas.

Standing outside in evening traffic, slightly sweaty weather, random people talking nonsense around you, tiny cup warming your hands while life somehow feels simpler for five minutes.

Coffee shops here feel too polished.

Chai feels alive.

And honestly? I’ve tasted so many “world teas” at this point — matcha, herbal teas, fancy café chai lattes pretending to be authentic — but absolutely nothing tastes like the chai my baba makes.

Nothing.

Maybe because the flavor was never just chai.

Maybe it was love, routine, familiarity, and years of home quietly boiling together in one saucepan. 🤍