Masala chai’s journey from South Asia to America | Eater Chicago
"When it introduced the chai tea latte in 1999, Starbucks created a frothy, sweet drink promoted with taglines like "It smells like Christmas," and later spun that "cozy blend of chai spices" into gingerbread and other seasonal variants; as a result, I see Starbucks as both a gateway that introduced millions to South Asian–style chai and a source of frustration for people who remember brewing chai spiked with bold spices like black pepper, cardamom, and ginger." - Ashok Selvam
