In India, chai is a generic word for tea. There, the drink is so popular that chai carts run by chai wallas, or experts, can be found on every street. Given that I am an absolute chai hound, I have pounded the pavements of Santa Fe in search of the best homemade chai. Upon my findings, I discovered that Santa Fe has its own fair share of local chai experts, and I spoke with four of them.

The Chocolate Maven

As vices go, drinking chai is a good one. Studies show that tea contains powerful antioxidants, and may even lower cholesterol and high blood pressure, plus prevent certain cancers. But, for chai devotee Dharm Khalsa, owner of the Chocolate Maven, the main appeal of this tea is its ability to draw people together. "Food is all about sharing, going back to the cave days." Khalsa says, "So even if you don't have time to share a meal, you can at least share a chai."

Since the 1980s, Khalsa has been going to Northern India, where he tasted chai for the first time. "It is my favorite flavor on the planet. When I first tasted it in India, I thought 'How can anything be so good and so cheap?' "

At Chocolate Maven, Khalsa says he is trying to recreate a chai reminiscent of the kinds found in India. He adds that he doesn't quite understand this "goulash" of spices found in American chai. His version contains only four ingredients: fennel seeds, cardamom, good tea and turbinado sugar. He stresses that the type of sugar is important, as it is in India, where it was a "lovely, cakey sugar, with more of a molasses content."

Milk is the alloy of chai, and at Chocolate Maven, they use the steam wand on their espresso machine rather than boiling the milk — either soy or cow's milk, depending consumer preference. Khalsa is such a chai enthusiast that he even offers chocolate chai and chai cookies. A 12-ounce regular chai at Chocolate Maven is priced at $2.50.

Dish n' Spoon Café & Gifts

Sancho Soeiro, who owns Dish n' Spoon Café & Gifts with his wife, Anna, first got hooked on chai thanks to an Ayurvedic doctor in Albuquerque, who made him a version meant to optimize health. Ever since, Soerio has been experimenting with that basic recipe, which was made with 14 different spices. After sipping from the frothy mug of chai Sancho handed me, and inhaling the pungent cardamom grated on top, I asked him if he might like to share his secret chai recipe. "Nope," he said without missing a beat.

He was, however, willing to divulge his method. "I boil the spices on low for one hour; then (boil) another hour with the tea leaves. I add the milk after this." Another sip confirmed that he has fine-tuned his recipe to perfection. A cup of chai at Dish n' Spoon Café & Gifts is priced at $3.25.

Jambo Café

Ahmed Obo, owner of Jambo Café, says that in his birthplace of Lamu Island in Kenya, chai is a social beverage. "When we take off from work to have lunch, we may have a chai afterward and walk with a friend, both being good for the circulation."

At Jambo, Obo makes his brew every morning and lets it sit out for a day. He boils his spices — fresh ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, black pepper, among others — for a half hour. He then adds Mamri black tea from India and simmered milk. In the time spent speaking to him, I saw three people order iced chai drinks to go — clearly, he has developed a winning recipe. A 16-ounce cup of chai at Jambo Café is priced at $2.95.

Annapurnas's World Vegetarian Café

Yashoda Naidoo, the owner of Annapurna's World Vegetarian Café, makes her chai exactly as it was made in her childhood home in India: using high quality black tea, whole spices and fresh ginger. "Chai is the Sanskrit word for tea, and in India it is traditionally served hot, sipped in smaller quantities. For Ayurvedic purposes, we would drink masala (spiced) chai from 6 to 10 in the morning, then have a less caffeinated version at teatime, from 3 to 5 p.m.

"We make our chai, here at Annapurna, as part of a healing cuisine, according to the three doshas of the body; the four seasons; the five elements; and the six tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, astringent and pungent."

Indeed, for Naidoo, making chai is more of an exact science, as the quantities of warming or cooling spices is adjusted according to the season. She stresses that you should not boil chai too long because it will release the chai's tannins and make it taste bitter. This attention to balance and detail is justly rewarded, Naidoo says, because 15 percent of the café's sales are from chai drinks. A 16-ounce cup of chai at Annapurna's World Vegetarian Café is priced at $3.95.

CHAI SPOTS

• Chocolate Maven, 821 West San Mateo Road, 984-180, www.chocolatemaven.com.

• Dish n' Spoon Cafe & Gifts, 620 Old Santa Fe Trail, 983-7676, http://www.dishnspoon.com.

• Jambo Cafe, 2010 Cerrillos Road, 473-1269, www.jambocafe.net.

• Annapurnas's World Vegetarian Cafe, 1620 St. Michaels Drive, St. Michael's Village West Shopping Center, 988-9688, www.chaishoppe.com.