 Some of the "chai" "masala" spice mixtures, or "karha" and "Kashayam" (Kha-shā-yam) that are still in current use, are derived from ancient Ayurvedic texts.In the 1830s, the British East India Company became concerned about the Chinese monopoly on tea, which constituted most of its trade and supported the enormous consumption of tea in Great Britain around one pound (by weight) per person per year.British colonists had recently noticed the existence of the Assamese tea plants, and began to cultivate tea plantations locally.