I’m a big believer in self-nurture. And you already know that I am also an embracer of the small things in life. For me, one of those small pleasures is to sip tea, and a good chai is in a class of its own – spicy, sweet and soul nourishing.
Chai goes well with journalling, morning pages, soul work, creativity, and books!
It’s easy to make a tea mix up, and store it in a jar ready for those moments when you need a chai fix. I promise it will taste better than any syrup or powder.
Crush roughly in mortar: 8 whole cloves, 3 cinnamon sticks, 10 cardamon pods, 1 tspn peppercorns, 1/2 tspn fennel or anise seeds – or go crazy and do 1/2 tspn of each, 6 star anise, 1 grated fresh nutmeg kernel, 1 tblspn dried ginger root or ginger powder. Then add to one cup of loose tea leaves – I like Earl Grey or a smoky tea. If using a smoky tea I then add a tablespoon of lavender and mix through. Store in a jar.
To make a cup of chai (and I never drink just one) I place one cup of milk and one cup of water in a saucepan and bring them to the boil. (Yes, you can use soy, if you prefer.) Then I add two large teaspoons of the chai tea mix. Chai is a personal thing, so you may need to play around with the quantity – it is also dependent on cup or mug size. Then I simmer for two minutes, or until I’m happy with the flavour. Sometimes, for variety, I add slices of gresh ginger if I have any to hand, and sometimes a curl of fresh orange rind or an inch of vanilla bean pod. Strain into a cup and enjoy. If you have made extra it still serves to strain the tea mix out so that it doesn’t become tannic and bitter. Always add a little sweetener to your chai tea. It helps accentuate the flavours. I use honey, which imparts its own special magic. Experiment. It’s fun! Enjoy ♥
I’ve never yet managed to properly recreated the wonderful chai I had in Pakistan but I’ll give your recipe a go, and I like the idea of storing it in a jar so that it’s there any time. In the past I’ve just made it to order, which is a bit of a faff when you’re desperate for a cuppa!
Oops, I mean recreate.
Nicole, I have just blended and stewed my first Chai. I ground all the ingredients, it was very easy to do. I then made my first mug and half (I too like more than one). I used the 2 large teaspoons full as you recommended and added enough honey to suit my tastes. The flavours were amazing. It was amazing, I could taste the different spices all over my palate. It was a little like wine tasting – beautiful blend, long lasting flavours during and after sipping the Chai.
Thank you, will have to taste test more!
Thanks so much for this review, Tracy! This is also great as an iced drink, but sadly I rarely seem to have any left by the time I remember that…
Thanks for the recipe for the Chai Nicole. I was at the supermarket and remembered your blog, so I pulled it up on my iphone and bought all the ingredients so I can blend and make at home today.
Tracy
Yum! I can smell it from here 🙂