"Chai" means "tea" in Hindi. For Western civilizations, it is a tea flavor with dominant notes of cinnamon or cardamom. In India, chai is not a tea flavor; it is tea. What Westerners consider a highly sophisticated beverage is simply the standard way of preparing tea. Chai culture in India developed with British colonization. During this period, the British East India Company was booming, thanks in part to the high demand for Assam tea. Tea consumption in India increased, and Indians gave the typically British preparation (black tea, with milk and sugar) a more local flavor by adding spices such as ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.