Chai Tea Time

Way back in the day, I worked at Garden Street Café (in the Rhinebeck health food store). I loved that job…We’d listen to Scissor Sisters in the morning, wear bandanas, make avocado everything, and feed the juicer kale, beets, ginger, apple, and lemon all day. (Heaven!) Faith was a vegan dessert pusher who called everyone “babe”. She was like a human YOGI tea tab, rattling off words of wisdom like she was put on earth for that sole purpose. Melissa, covered in tattoos, would teach me the art of idyllic hummus and soup-making, and tell me about her wild chefscapes. If I could sum her up in a word, it’d be “cool”.   

Anyway, we’d cook up big pots of chai every day, and being that I worked there, I drank lots of it. I was reminiscing on these days and decided to make myself some chai.

Females are all about indulging when they’re upset or stressed…or pretty much experiencing any emotion for that matter. Am I right? Most grab for brownies or ice cream, I go for a chai tea latte…(and brownies and ice cream). Right, Noelle!? 

There are so many variations on masala chai tea, I got a bit overwhelmed…and ended up with a melting pot of spices and processes. The result was never the less, downright delicious.

Since there isn’t exactly a fixed recipe or prep method that’s considered “right” or “wrong”, It’s really up to you and what you like best. (A little more vanilla, a little less cardamon? Loose tea or tea bags? Almond, soy, or dairy milk?)

I went to Mother Earth in Kingston to gather the ingredients (I love that you can fill your own little baggies from the mighty wall of herbs and spices, dodging the pricey total you would be punched with if you bought a full spice jar of each). If you can’t get there, you should be able to find these spices at most health food stores, or an Indian food grocer in the city.  

It’s not one bit time-consuming and completely worth it because YOU know what you’re putting in it. Plus your house will smell delicious, which is always a plus. 

Did you know how good it is for you too?

Ginger, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and anise all aid digestion. Ginger kills off bacteria and helps blood flow; Cardamon remedies gas and stimulates appetite; Cloves have an anti-inflammatory effect; Cinnamon relieves nausea, has antiseptic properties; is beneficial for the heart, lungs, and kidneys, and aids insulin’s ability to metabolize blood sugar. HONEY (my favorite thing) is good for your everything.

Ingredients (Filled up 1 quart jar exactly)

• 2 star anise
• 10 whole cloves
• 1 tsp allspice
• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 short cinnamon sticks
• 1 vanilla bean pod (cut up, and scraped)
• 6-7 whole white or black peppercorns
• 2 cardamon pod opened to the seeds
• ½ cup honey

• 1 cup water 
•  1 quart milk (of your choice. I used almond) 
•   4 black tea bags
• Cheese cloth 

DIRECTIONS:

•   In a 2-qt pot, add spices to 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil; remove from heat; let steep for 5-20 minutes, depending on how strong a spice flavor you want.

• Add milk, tea bags, and honey to water and spices. Bring mixture just to a boil again and then let simmer from about 10-15 minutes, stirring constantly.

•   Remove from heat, add the tea to the mixture and let steep for 5 to 10 minutes to taste. (Option at this point - reheat to a simmer and remove from heat.)

•  Using cheese cloth, strain into a pot and serve!

 I wish I used soy milk because it’s my favorite add-in to chai, but I’m trying to stay away from soy milk and dairy (Minus all the cheese I consumed last night at Cheese 101; Blog post to come!). Almond milk also tends to look a little funky when heated because of the separation of the natural oils in the milk. It’s not bad…Don’t be scared. That said, If you have no issues with dairy or soy, I say go for it. I think the richness and taste of these 2 options would match the chai spice flavor best.  

Someone suggested cooking the spices in the water for longer to create a concentrated mix. Then pour the mix into an ice cube tray so it will keep longer. Anytime you want chai, you can heat up a pot of milk and throw some chai cubes in it. Brilliant!