# Having a problem finding...



## Steve2622 (Aug 10, 2011)

So I've been in Dubai for almost a month and a half now, I've just been joined by my wife who is a tea fanatic, we've spent the last week casually looking for Chai tea and failed miserably. Today we caved in and went to Starbucks and when I asked for Chai the guy looked at me like I'd asked him his waist size. Is there something we don't know? Is it a really specialist item here? Any suggestions welcome! Thanks guys!

Steve


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

Some of the supermarkets sell Twinnings Chai tea bags. Cafe Nero and Caribou Coffee sell Chai Tea Lattes. If it's the actual leaves you want to buy to brew your own, there are acouple of specialist tea shops around but I can't remember where. I'm pretty sure there's a stall in Dubai Mall.


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## Steve2622 (Aug 10, 2011)

Cheers Gav. We found a boat load of the Twinnings teas in the super markets just not the chai ones, it was those I used to buy in the UK. Shall have to try harder. Thanks for the tip on the coffee shops she will hunt down one tomorrow no doubt to get her fix. 

Steve


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

I think it was Geant in Ibn Battuta mall that I saw them (I bought a box myself so they're definitely around somewhere).


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## cami (Aug 11, 2010)

Steve2622 said:


> So I've been in Dubai for almost a month and a half now, I've just been joined by my wife who is a tea fanatic, we've spent the last week casually looking for Chai tea and failed miserably. Today we caved in and went to Starbucks and when I asked for Chai the guy looked at me like I'd asked him his waist size. Is there something we don't know? Is it a really specialist item here? Any suggestions welcome! Thanks guys!
> 
> Steve


you could try waitrose as well.

second, the arab (and not only) word for tea is _chai_, so the waiter was probably confused when you asked for "tea tea," especially if he'd never ever heard of a tea brand with that name.

lots of the arab people i know order "chai" even if they talk to a filipino waiter/waitress and are in a place such as starbucks or shakespeare's, and many menus have the word "chai" listed for what's supposed to be tea.

very interesting, linguistically speaking. thanks for bringing this up.


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## Blommja (Jun 30, 2011)

If you like tea be sure to check out the tea stalls in Dragon Markt... The real Chinese stuff


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## pamela0810 (Apr 5, 2010)

Actually the Hindi word for tea is "Chai". If I'm correct, the arabs call it "shai"....but I could be wrong.

What exactly is chai tea? Is it the Indian Masala tea which is basically tea with milk and some spices?


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## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

If its Indian tea you will find it in most Indian places. 
An indigenuous South Indian version is called "Karak Chai" and is very popular with locals and Asian expats alike; its found in most small restaurants called "......Refreshments" or ".....Cafeteria"
North Indian places tend to call it "Masala tea"

Most Petrol Stations also have something called "Cardamom tea", which is similar to Masala tea


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## pamela0810 (Apr 5, 2010)

Here's the recipe of how to make Masala Tea at home...

Bring water to a boil. Add tea leaves, ginger and cardamom and let it boil for a couple of minutes. If you want it stronger, let it boil a little longer. Then pour it through a strainer till approximately 3/4 of the cup and add milk. Rainbow (instead of milk) works best as it gives an added flavour. 

You're welcome!


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## Lita_Rulez (Nov 4, 2010)

If wifey wants her tea fix, but is willing to explore other flavors then "twinings chai" (which is black tea with cinnamon, cloves and ginger), I'd highly, highly recommend going to Salmontini in Mall of the Emirates. They carry "Thés Mariage Frères", which is a French luxury tea company.

They were dubbed "the world's best Darjeeling", appear in the top 10 tea brands worldwide, and their tea selections are served in the likes of the Ritz in Paris, Claridge's in London, and funnily enough, Japan Airlines First Class 

I had been bringing my teas back from Paris every trip, and was delighted to see salmontini decided to sell it here a couple of years back !

My favorite still remains the "Marco Polo" red tea, which in my opinion is worth the trip to the store all by itself.

.
..
...

Pamy, boil tea, seriously :frusty:


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## zin (Oct 28, 2010)

There's a shop in Festival City just behind Coldstone which specialises in all sorts of teas, you may want to check that out.


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## pamela0810 (Apr 5, 2010)

Hey, if you want to have "CHAI", then the tea leaves must be boiled. 

I have nothing against the tea place you mentioned, they nearly had their own store in Dubai but couldn't sign off on an exclusivity contract (insider information  ) but CHAI is an Indian version of tea and the way I have decribed it, is the right way to make it. Seriously!

Oh I forgot to mention, please add desired amounts of sugar for sweetness 

Also, especially for you Lita...I've uploaded a youtube video of me making the tea.


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

The FRENCH? Commenting on TEA? Sacre Bleu!


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## Lita_Rulez (Nov 4, 2010)

you, you ... 

:twitch:

.
..
...

You can not boil tea !!!

:rant:

Boiling tea is like drinking Sake cold, or Vodka warm : you can do it, you can even enjoy it, but once you have tasted it properly done, you realize what a waste it was !


(I was initially going to go with "it's like eating beef well done : you can enjoy it if you don't know better, but once ou taste it properly cooked, you'll realize what a peasant you were", but I don't feel like getting into a fight with half the Americans on the site this early in the day :boxing


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## pamela0810 (Apr 5, 2010)

Ahh...well done Beef with nice boiled tea! It's like Christmas


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## Lita_Rulez (Nov 4, 2010)

:frusty:


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## Steve2622 (Aug 10, 2011)

I fear I may have started some kind of mass forum fight  We shall try out all of the suggestions, herself has been researching recipes so will show her the youtube vid now. I thought it was coffee you don't boil and you had to boil tea to get the right flavour?


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## nm62 (Dec 11, 2008)

I am a tea lover too and i drink at least 5-6 cups on an average....
I really like the recipe pamela has given... that's the way we Asians make chai...


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## Lita_Rulez (Nov 4, 2010)

Steve2622 said:


> I fear I may have started some kind of mass forum fight  We shall try out all of the suggestions, herself has been researching recipes so will show her the youtube vid now. I thought it was coffee you don't boil and you had to boil tea to get the right flavour?


Neither should boil.

Temperature for the tea depends on the type of tea you are preparing, but the maximum temperature to use is 95°c :ranger:


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## pamela0810 (Apr 5, 2010)

We boil coffee in India too! (Where's that wall Lita? )

It's South Indian coffee and we call it Filter coffee and it's absolutely delicious! :spit: This lady definitely needs to change her nail polish but here's the video: 




Lita, you need to hang out with us Indians more and we will show you the RIGHT way to make tea and coffee!


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## Artrat (Jul 2, 2010)

nm62 said:


> ... that's the way we Asians make chai...


Japanese, Chinese and Koreans the world over are gasping in horror at this very moment


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

Ahhh.. glad to see other nationalities being told the way they do things is the wrong way  It gets old hearing it over and over hear that the american way is ALWAYS the wrong way even though the whatever nationality that is speaking to me stuff usually doesnt taste good to me so their way isnt the right way for ME.


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## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

Jynxgirl said:


> Ahhh.. glad to see other nationalities being told the way they do things is the wrong way  It gets old hearing it over and over hear that the american way is ALWAYS the wrong way even though the whatever nationality that is speaking to me stuff usually doesnt taste good to me so their way isnt the right way for ME.


The only tea that "y'all Texans" drink is ice tea anyway...


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## Lita_Rulez (Nov 4, 2010)

Artrat said:


> Japanese, Chinese and Koreans the world over are gasping in horror at this very moment


My thoughts exactly.

After all, the right temperature for tea is something I learned from Japan...


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## Lita_Rulez (Nov 4, 2010)

ccr said:


> The only tea that "y'all Texans" drink is ice tea anyway...


That's not entirely accurate.

They mostly drink Texas Iced Tea* (a mild variation on the Long Island Iced Tea, which was too strong for those "tough" stetsons...) !







*that every one outside Texas calls Mexican Iced Tea


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

Lita_Rulez said:


> That's not entirely accurate.
> 
> They mostly drink Texas Iced Tea* (a mild variation on the Long Island Iced Tea, which was too strong for those "tough" stetsons...)
> 
> *that every one outside Texas calls Mexican Iced Tea


I thought all tea was tea.... One doesnt have to differentiate a 'type'. You just order tea. And it damn well better be sweet tea that gets placed in front of someone asking for tea. If you dont want sweet tea, get out of Texas 

(I dont even drink tea) 

How does the arabic local tea stuff stack up against the indian, english, and other teas? I about have to gag myself to drink it but it is very offensive to not drink it (I have been told).


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## cami (Aug 11, 2010)

Lita_Rulez said:


> You can not boil tea !!![:QUOTE]
> 
> i second this. you destroy all the active flavonoids in the leaves if you boil it. you've got to boio the water, and then either immerse the leaves and keep them in water for under 1 min, or you pour the boiling water over a quantity of leaves, dry or fresh, which varies depending on the tea you want and the concentration you want. it's not advisable to put it in the fridge either once you made it.


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## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

Lita_Rulez said:


> They mostly drink Texas Iced Tea* (a mild variation on the Long Island Iced Tea, which was too strong for those "tough" stetsons...) !
> 
> *that every one outside Texas calls Mexican Iced Tea


For someone from Texas, I have never heard of Texas Iced Tea before... 

Or Mexican Iced Tea neither...


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## nm62 (Dec 11, 2008)

:roll::roll::roll:

i just cannot stop laughing!!!!:spit:

Oh my God!!!
India is going to make tea as a national beverage.... :ranger:
*
"Japanese, Chinese and Koreans the world over are gasping in horror at this very moment"* 

Now India will teach everyone how to make tea:tongue1:
i hope they do not need an oxygen cylinder or incubator 


Tea with milk, sugar and a dash of patriotism - The National


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## pamela0810 (Apr 5, 2010)

Did you actually read the article or did you just blindly post it having no idea what it's all about?

There is no reference of India teaching the rest of the world how to make tea. The article is about how to increase consumption of tea within the country itself.


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## nm62 (Dec 11, 2008)

yeah !!! 
i know the article does not say about teaching it!!!
i meant nationalism... they will own it as a national asset

Sorry forgot to add these lines....
i was relating it to this statement
"When you look at a tiger, you are not just seeing a tiger; if you know it is the national animal of India then you look at it differently. It will be the same with tea," said Mr Halder.


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## pamela0810 (Apr 5, 2010)

So if you know that the article has no mention about India teaching the rest of the world how to make tea then how did you reach that conclusion and make such a sweeping statement. You're just making yourself look silly, aren't you? 

Besides, did you read the statistics posted. We're one of the world's largest producers of tea, of course its a National asset. It is a major source of income for most parts of East India.


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## nm62 (Dec 11, 2008)

Okay pamela 0810 
you took this personally...
Sorry i did not wanted to offend any one... 

Beside that... i drink the same form of tea you drink... 
and more over both my parents are born brought up in India...

offcourse the country is known for its national asset and people look up to them to learn how to they use it... 
thats what i meant.... 
u have swept it away in other direction....


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## pamela0810 (Apr 5, 2010)

Now you're not making any sense. Too bad Pakistan is famous for something not so funny.


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## nm62 (Dec 11, 2008)

I have never been to pakistan nor to India...
i know pakistan is famous for terrorism and India is famous for regional racism...

believe me i did not wanted to offend you
:sorry::sorry::sorry:


Get :focus:


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## pamela0810 (Apr 5, 2010)

So now you're saying Indians are racist? Seriously, stop saying anything at all. Your profile says you're from Pakistan. Where are you from really?


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## nm62 (Dec 11, 2008)

Oh!!! 

you do not like my profile's nationality... 
that's the only reason u r arguing with me 
and not because of that above comment... 

okay... so you hate the flag next to my profile and not the above comment......

phew!!! i thought i had offended you from the previous comment....


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## pamela0810 (Apr 5, 2010)

Dude! Enough already. This is getting tiresome.


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## nm62 (Dec 11, 2008)

And sorrryyyy once again... i never wanted to offend any one


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

*stop squabbling!* Enough already 

How about we just accept that we're all expats and you guys happen to be expats in Dubai!!! - So you're both foreigners! Simples!

......... oh and Indians make amazing food. Personally I cant stand tea!

Jo xxx


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

nm62 said:


> And sorrryyyy once again... i never wanted to offend any one



Stop worrying about offending anyone - it can be a little tiresome and irritating that you keep apologising for doing so, which suggests that you think you are!. 

Jo


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