I am a serious coffee drinker - and have never found chai to be particularly appealing. Until now!!
My daughters love chai, and I noticed it is really expensive to buy it at Starbucks. So I thought I might be able to make my own chai concentrate. And what I discovered was that (a) it is very easy; (b) it is a lot more affordable; and (c) when I can control the ingredients I love this stuff.
Just made a bottle for Daughter #2 (the Farm Queen) and I am now sitting here guzzling it down. Oops.
HOMEMADE CHAI RECIPE - concentrate
6 cinnamon sticks
20 allspice berries
7 green cardamom pods
15 cloves
25 black peppercorns
2 teaspoon of dried ginger
A bit of ground nutmeg
6 tablespoons of tea, or 6 tea bags
Sweetener of choice - approx 1/4 cup, my vote here is for honey
(the original recipe called for 1 T vanilla, but I don't like that so I leave it out)
Using a mortar and pestle, or whatever means necessary (I used the side of meat mallet on a cutting board), gently crack the spices (excluding the cinnamon sticks and ginger). Then, combine the cracked spices, the cinnamon sticks, the ginger, and 6 cups of filtered water in a pot.
Bring the water to a boil and allow it to slowly simmer for 25 minutes.
Strain the tea to remove all the spice and herb sediment. Then, mix in your sweetener.
Store the homemade chai concentrate in your refrigerator! To serve, combine the concentrate and milk at a 1:1 ratio. Use slightly less milk if you like a spicier chai. Add ice cubes if you want it chilled, heat the milk if you want it hot. I find cold is best for guzzling.