If you are looking to try something new and unique, why not give Sheer Chai a try? Sheer chai is a traditional tea that is popular and a unique tea because of its beautiful pink color and delicious flavor. Our favorite weekend tradition is cozying up with a cup of Sheer Chai and catching up with family. We crafted the perfect cup by using Ariana Sweets’ premium Sencha green tea, cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods. Ariana Sweets sells only the highest quality Afghan products, bringing you a taste of home.
Want to make the most amazing Sheer Chai and make it the most pink you’ve ever seen? Follow our process!
We get it, making Sheer Chai can be quite intimidating. It’s really all about timing when you’re boiling the leaves and adding the baking soda to get that trademark pink color. If you overdo it, you’ll have a not so appealing color but if you don’t boil enough, you won’t have any color at all. It’s tough but we will show you pictures of what color you’re looking for when you’re making it.
To master this, you’ll need to get that timing right. Let it get to a gentle boil with the cinnamon stick and allow the tea leaves to fuse together with it. You may need to add additional baking soda as you go, just ensure you get the right color. Again, I will post a picture of the color you’re looking for. Don’t rush it. Just let it boil on low to medium while you watch. You’re not looking for a pink color here, but one thing you want to do, is watch the edges of the liquid and try and get that subtle pink hue. This tells you it’s ready. The actual pink color comes from combining this with the milk so be careful not to overdo it.
Once you achieve that color, you’ll want to cool it down so it does not cook any further. You can use ice cubes here to do that, but if you want to be cool, then you can use two bowls and go back and forth between the bowls.
The great thing about Sheer Chai is it’s similar to coffee. You can enjoy it hot or iced/cold. It’s such a great treat to enjoy in the morning or really, anytime! Don’t be afraid, you can make the best type of Sheer Chai too, just by following our easy step-by-step process.
Tips on Making The Best Sheer Chai and Achieving That Perfect Pink Color
High-Quality Ingredients: We highly recommend the freshest and highest of quality ingredients to making Sheer Chai. Get some high quality green tea, such as Ariana Sweets Sencha Green Tea. As well as their fresh Cinnamon Sticks and Cardamom. Using the freshest of ingredients will give you that perfect taste you desire.
The Bubbles Tell You Everything: Watch the bubbles as it’s boiling and adding baking soda. Remember, you may need to adjust your baking soda depending on how much tea leaves you’re boiling. The color change from Green to Pink tells you when it’s ready to stop boiling and strain the tea leaves. When you start seeing that pink-purple hue, you’re ready to go.
Strain Carefully: When you’re finished with the boiling process, strain the liquid and remove any solids as best you can. It’s not possible to get everything but do your best here. Use a spoon and smush the tea leaves to get more liquid out of them. Use something like a fine-mesh sieve to help you but we didn’t feel the need to do that.
Milk to Tea Ratio: This is all personal preference, but the balance between milk and tea will also tell you what color pink you will have. Less milk will give you a darker pink and a stronger tea flavor. More milk gives you less pink but more of a creamy taste. Experiment with this and get it to your liking!
Sweet Taste: Sugar will give you that sweet taste but adjust this to your liking. Some people don’t like as sweet and some people want it even sweeter. Adjust this to your preference and try to remember what you did so you can do it again next time! Sometimes we like honey with our Sheer Chai, and sometimes we like maple syrup. Just depends on you!
Sheer Chai Ingredients
- 3 cups Water
- 1/3 cup Green Tea Leaves
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 2-3 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1-2 tsp Ground Cardamom
- 1/2 gallon Whole Milk
Sheer Chai Instructions
To prepare this irresistible Sheer Chai, start by boiling water with a cinnamon stick. Add green tea leaves and let them soften.
Gradually sprinkle in baking soda until the bubbles turn pink.
Strain the liquid, then gracefully pour it between bowls to cool it down and intensify its gorgeous hue.
You can also skip this step and use ice cubes instead.
In a separate pot, heat up your milk and then pour the tea in.
Add sugar and ground cardamom, and mix it all together.
Adjust measurements to fit your preference.
Serve hot or over ice and enjoy!
STORAGE RECOMMENDATIONS
Refrigeration
Allow the Sheer Chai to cool down to room temperature before storing in Airtight containers for refrigeration. We highly recommend using airtight containers such as Skroam’s 10 Pack Glass Containers because glass is best! Typically your Sheer Chai can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freezing
For longer storage, you can freeze the Sheer Chai. In a freezer safe container of course. However, you can also use resealable freezer bags but leave some space at the top so it can expand properly. This can last up to 3 months but the texture will be weird so try and consume it as soon as possible.
Reheating
Reheat the Sheer Chai in a microwave or stovetop. Get it as warm as you prefer before serving. This is all a personal preference thing as some people love Sheer Chai hot, and some love it cold as an iced drink! Just keep in mind, the quality of the Sheer Chai will be altered here when reheating.
Follow these simple storage recommendations and you will get to prolong that shelf life and really enjoy it!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Not quite. They are different. Sheer Chai is also called Nun/Noon Chai. This is a traditional Afghan tea while Kashmiri Chai is usually found in Pakistan/India. They both have similar colors but different ingredients and flavor!
Typically you want to use Green Tea for Sheer Chai to get that perfect Pink color. However, this really is a personal preference. You absolutely can use Black Tea, but keep in mind that the flavor and color profiles will be vastly different.
Baking soda is the secret here! It turns the tea leaves pink while boiling them and helps soften the tea leaves also. There’s some science behind this. The pH balance gets changed which brings that pink color. This is what makes the Sheer Chai look so appealing!
Of course! Adjust your level of sugar. This is personal preference of course. You can also use alternative sweeteners such as sugar-free choices or Honey/Syrup. This will give it a different flavor but if that’s what you want, then go for it!
Yes! Everyone is different and we have seen plenty of people treat this as an iced drink. Serve it over ice and not only cool it down, but make it an iced drink. It’s good either way!
Want More Great Recipes like this? Here are some of our Go-To Recipes to pair with this afghan macaroni or just eat by itself
Kabuli Palaw, Afghan Brown Rice
LOVE OUR SHEER CHAI? GIVE US FEEDBACK
If you make our Sheer Chai, please leave a comment and/or rate the recipe! We’d love to hear your feedback. Also, don’t forget to tag us on Instagram! We love seeing our family’s favorite recipes being enjoyed by others!
Halfghan Kitchen Instagram
Sheer Chai – Afghan Pink Tea
Ingredients
- 3 cups Cold Water
- 1/3 cup Green Tea Leaves
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 2 – 3 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 – 2 tsp Ground Cardomom
- 1/2 Gallon Whole Milk
Instructions
- To prepare this irresistible Sheer Chai, start by boiling water with a cinnamon stick.
- Add green tea leaves and let them soften.
- Gradually sprinkle in baking soda until the bubbles turn pink.
- Strain the liquid, then gracefully pour it between bowls to cool it down and intensify its gorgeous hue.
- You can also skip this step and use ice cubes instead. In a separate pot, heat up your milk and then pour the tea in.
- Add sugar and ground cardamom, and mix it all together.
- Adjust measurements to fit your preference.
- Serve hot or over ice and enjoy!
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