Decoding the Noon Chai, Pink Tea -by Maggie the Food Scientist, Austria

Kashmiri chai | gulabi chai | noon chai | sheer chai | pink chai
So many names for one drink: spiced green tea with milk. Hold up – green? That’s obviously not GREEN tee. Or is it?

I love salted teas, I love milk tea, but what I love most about Kashmiri chai is the science behind its preparation! 

The pink milk tea is a traditional drink from – you guessed it – Kashmir, where many households drink it almost every day. It is made with sabz chai (literally “green tea”), salt, baking soda, milk and sometimes slices of nuts sprinkled on top. There is no sugar in authentic Kashmiri chai. I added some anyway, because I like sweet stuff even more than salty stuff.
So how does it turn pink?  well! I am sure you’ve heard about pH indicators. They change their color depending on the pH (acidity or alkalinity) of the solution. You’ll be surprised to hear that there are many pH indicators that can easily be cooked up in your own kitchen! It’s not just beet juice. That list includes blueberries, turmeric, rose petals and… green tea! One often hears about alleged health benefits because of green tea’s high flavonoid and catechin content. It’s exactly those chemicals which cause the tea to turn pink. They are part of a substance class called polyphenols. Many of our lab indicators belong to that same class, one very similar indicator being phenol red, which is yellow under acidic conditions and turns magenta in alkaline solutions. The polyphenols in green tea work the same: They are yellow at a lower pH and once you add baking soda and make the water alkaline they turn a deep reddish brown. To get the nice pink color, one has to get the pH right, otherwise the mix gets too brown. Therefore, the exact amount of baking soda you are adding is essential. In the end the white milk lightens the red color to a pretty pink.

 

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Kashmiri chai | gulabi chai | noon chai | sheer chai | pink chai So many names for one drink: spiced green tea with milk. Hold up – green? That's obviously not GREEN tee. Or is it? . I love salted teas, I love milk tea, but what I love most about Kashmiri chai is the science behind its preparation! . . The pink milk tea is a traditional drink from – you guessed it – Kashmir, where many households drink it almost every day. It is made with sabz chai (literally "green tea"), salt, baking soda, milk and sometimes slices of nuts sprinkled on top. There is no sugar in authentic Kashmiri chai. I added some anyway, because I like sweet stuff even more than salty stuff. . . So how does it turn pink? I am sure you’ve heard about pH indicators. They change their color depending on the pH (acidity or alkalinity) of the solution. You’ll be surprised to hear that there are many pH indicators that can easily be cooked up in your own kitchen! It’s not just beet juice. That list includes blueberries, turmeric, rose petals and… green tea! One often hears about alleged health benefits because of green tea’s high flavonoid and catechin content. It’s exactly those chemicals which cause the tea to turn pink. They are part of a substance class called polyphenols. Many of our lab indicators belong to that same class, one very similar indicator being phenol red, which is yellow under acidic conditions and turns magenta in alkaline solutions. The polyphenols in green tea work the same: They are yellow at a lower pH and once you add baking soda and make the water alkaline they turn a deep reddish brown. To get the nice pink color, one has to get the pH right, otherwise the mix gets too brown. Therefore, the exact amount of baking soda you are adding is essential. In the end the white milk lightens the red color to a pretty pink. . . . . #nofoodcoloring #kashmirichai #noonchai #pinkchai #pinktea #pinkdrink #drinkpink #prettydrinks #ilovetea #teaoftheday #녹차 #茶 #녹차라떼 #matchalatte #greentealatte #milktea #masalachai #foodscience #foodscientist #kitchenlab #ingredientspotlight #apinchofmaggie #apomlab #apomingredientspotlight #naturalfood #foodmagic #티스타그램 #foodscienceblogger #홍차 #greentea

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