Chai is tea with spices. Most people in the North West part of India, such as the Gujara and Maharashtra regions drink their tea with spices, milk and sugar. Traditional chai has ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom. Chai can ... be blended with lemon grass and fennel. Black pepper has appeared in some blends, but this is rare. All the blends of chai sold at Tea Laden do not contain black pepper, since this does not enhance the flavor or aroma of the tea.