Chai tastes are personal and the making of chai requires experimenting to discover the specific blend of spices that you like. Try chai at several Indian restaurants first to get a feel for your taste preferences, then try making chai from scratch--it's fun, fragrant, makes your kitchen smell great and is immensely satisfying. Once you try it, you'll want it again.
  Jan Routh - Recipe Editor

For maximum flavor Masala Chai should be fresh and very hot, slurped not sipped.
  Jagadisha

Freshness of spices is paramount for the best flavor. We frequently buy very small quantities of the spices that we like at the local health food store or an Asian-Indian grocery we go to. I would not recommend using any spice that is over three months old.
  Jan Routh -Recipe Editor

... the step of boiling the whole concoction until it foams up at least once is very important. Whole milk, or half & half, is also necessary to get that good film on top.
  Lisa Tsering

You must use black tea which has the strength to hold its own with the spices--green tea won't do. Also, interestingly, chai must be sweetened to bring out the flavor of the spices - chai is not very good unless it is sweetened. We use ordinary granulated sugar so no extra flavors are added.
  Jan Routh - Recipe Editor

By the way, skim milk works best in steamers if you want foam. If you don't want cappuccino foam, 2 percent or whole milk is better.
  Joanna Daneman

... sweetened canned condensed milk combines rich milk and sugar.
  Judith Favia

When you are feeling down and dull or cold and sick, a cup of strong Chai brewed with a small piece of Ginger, some pepper and some fresh mint leaves can give you an electric boost.
  Mustafa Fakhruddin P.

Chai is also somewhat medicinal. Our herbal books explain that ginger and cardamom aid natural digestion, cloves, pepper and cinnamon are warming, and we feel a sense of well being after drinking chai. Indian foods seldom bother my husband's delicate stomach.
  Jan Routh - Recipe Editor

To make your own chai masala grind all the ingredients in a spice grinder until fine. Remove into a glass bottle & store in cool, dark place. This blend stays fresh for about 6 months.
  Umesh Reghuram

The best tasting tea is got by mixing the so called dust tea and leaf tea. Dust adds strength, while leaf gives a distinctive flavor to it. And remember tea should never be boiled, it should be brewed.
  Krishnan Seetharaman

Various other spices/seasonings that I've found in chai recipes that can be used to make chai: licorice root, fennel seed, allspice berries, bay leaves, nutmeg, honey, brown sugar, maple syrup, orange peel, coriander, mint leaves, vanilla bean, lemon, and the list goes on...
  Jan Routh - Recipe Editor