Chai Tea ('mixed-spice tea') is a popular beverage throughout South Asia, originating in the early modern Indian subcontinent.
Chai is made by brewing black tea (usually CTC tea) in milk and water and then sweetening with sugar. Adding aromatic herbs and spices
creates masala chai, although chai is often prepared unspiced. The term chai originated from the Chinese word for tea, cha (see Etymology of tea) via the Hindi chai.
In English, this spiced tea is commonly referred to as masala chai, or simply chai, even though the term refers to tea in general in the original language.