Chai Tea Recipe From Scratch

 

When tea becomes ritual, it takes place at the heart of our ability to see greatness in small things.

~ Muriel Barbery

Hey, Lovelies.

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 (both the writing and reading of them)!

One of the things I love about chai tea is the ritual of it. I love making the spice mix. I love steeping the tea, and pouring it into my favourite chai mug. I love being anchored in the smells and the taste, and I love the memories that chai evokes for me. It’s always a lesson in mindfulness, and that’s a good thing. Mindfulness anchors us in the moment, and it stills our worrying mind, creating a sense of spaciousness and ease.

I know there are lots of chai syrups and powders around, and they are great for the convenience. But 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 good, and you can tweak it to your own tastes.

I hope you enjoy this one!

Love, and heavenly scented beverages, Nicole xx

Ingredients For Chai Mix

  • 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 or 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg (use fresh if you can because the flavour is soooo good)
  • 1 tblspn dried ginger root or ginger powder
  • 1 cup of loose black tea leaves of your choice – they can be plain or a flavoured black tea, such as Early Grey or Vanilla

Method

  1. Crush the spices roughly in a mortar and pestle. You don’t need to grind them to a powder. Rough chunks are fine. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle you could place the spices in a ziplock bag, cover with a folded cloth and then bash the spices with a meat tenderiser, mallet, rolling pin, or even crush them under a heavy fry pan.
  2. Add the crushed spices and tea together and mix well. Store in an airtight jar.

How To Prepare Chai Tea

To make a cup of chai place one half cup of milk of your choice and one half cup of water in a saucepan and bring them to the boil. Then add one large teaspoon of the chai tea mix. (Sometimes, for variety, I add slices of fresh ginger if I have any to hand, and sometimes a curl of fresh orange rind or an inch of vanilla bean pod.) Chai is a personal thing, so you may need to play around with the quantity – it is also dependent on cup or mug size. Simmer for two minutes, or until you’re happy with the flavour. I do recommend making more than one cup at a time if you’re fond of chai and know you might go back for a second serving!

When the tea is to your liking 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 ♥

 

Hi! I'm Nicole Cody. I am a writer, psychic, metaphysical teacher and organic farmer. I love to read, cook, walk on the beach, dance in the rain and grow things. Sometimes, to entertain my cows, I dance in my gumboots. Gumboot dancing is very under-rated.
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