Gulab Ji Chai Wale, Jaipur

Gulab Ji founded this chai spot before independence, in 1946. It's a famous institution now, with multiple outlets, but the oldest and original one, which always has hustle and bustle, is located at Mirza Ismail Road (MI Road), right at the center of the city.

Like most of the famous iconic chai spots, this place also opens before 5am, serving piping hot, creamy milk tea.

The original Gulab Ji Chai Wale on MI Road, one of the oldest chai shops in Jaipur

What Fascinated Me First

What caught my attention at first glance were the holes in the table, intentionally made for keeping the chai glass there, so it doesn't fall. The only place I've seen doing this.

The iconic chai glasses in which the chai tastes a little better, set in the table holes at Gulab Ji

This is also a nice moment to talk about the iconic chai glass that India has: the short, thick glass that somehow makes the chai taste a little better.

Another popular way to drink chai is in the kulhad, a traditional disposable clay cup used to serve milk-based items, primarily chai. It gives a very nice earthy aroma to the chai, which many people enjoy.

Kulhad chai at Gulab Ji: the clay cup adds an earthy aroma that glass cannot replicate

The Chai Itself

India has multiple types of chai, but the most popular ones are made by boiling chai patti (tea leaves) together with either ginger (adrak) or cardamom (elaichi), and sometimes both. Milk is poured when there's a proper boil (ubaal) in the tea leaves.

The chai here, I'm unsure, included a mix of both adrak and elaichi.

The proportion of milk, as it's Rajasthan, was slightly more than water, what we call doodh zyada.

A close-up of the chai at Gulab Ji: creamy, milky, and properly Rajasthani

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Rating: 7.5/10. Pretty good chai and vibes.

Part of the Iconic Chai Stops of India series.