What
is Chai Tea?
Chai,
pronounced with a long "i" as in the word tie,
is the actual word for tea in many countries. Chai tea is
quickly becoming extremely popular in the West as people
are becoming exposed to it as lattes in coffee and tea houses.
Chai
tea is a rich and complex beverage that has been savored
for centuries in many parts of the world, especially India.
In
its most basic form, chai is black tea that is brewed strong
with a combination of spices and is diluted with milk and
sugar.
The
spices vary from recipe to recipe, but usually consist of
cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, pepper and ginger. Chai tea
is traditionally consumed hot and sweet. The sweetness is
needed to bring out the full flavors of the spices.
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How
to Make Chai
Here
is a simple recipe to make chai yourself at home. This is
what you will need:
-
1
1/2 cups of water
-
1
1/2 inch stick of cinnamon
-
8
cardamom pods
-
8
whole cloves
-
1/4
inch fresh ginger root (sliced thin)
-
2/3
cup of milk
-
6
teaspoons sugar
-
3
teaspoons of
Darjeeling Tea  leaves
Place
water, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and ginger in a pot and
bring to a boil.
Cover
and lower heat to low setting and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add
milk and sugar and again bring to simmer.
Next,
add the tea leaves, remove from heat and cover.
Let
steep for 3 minutes and strain. Enjoy!
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Ready
to Brew!
These
ready to brew teas are already spiced and in bags or available
as loose leaf. This is my preferred method because most
of the time I just don't have time to brew from scratch.
For
an authentic tasting cup with spices that make your tastebuds
scream for more, you should try this Kashmiri
Chai. I love how you can buy a small sample or buy in
large quantities.
Easy
to Make Chai Tea
For
those times when you just want to add hot water, here are
some recommendations. For the ultimate in convenience, try
the powdered chai.
Oregon Chai Tea is my favorite. All you have to do is
add hot water or milk.
The
next is an even easier method. This is a liquid chai concentrate
and all you need to do is to add milk and heat. Here is
a great tasting
Tazo® Organic Chai Tea   Tazo
is the brand of tea served in Starbucks and I think it's
actually quite good.
Chai
Latte
I
just love a good chai latte! A chai latte is just the spiced
tea mixed with milk that’s steamed from an espresso machine.
I love the soft foamy texture the steamed milk adds to the
chai.
You
can get these at coffee houses, or if you can make them
yourself if you have an espresso machine. I have detailed
instructions on steaming (or
frothing) milk in the coffee section of this site.
You
can follow the above directions just don’t add the milk.
This makes a strong tea. Then add the steamed milk straight
from the espresso machine.
Practice
to make velvety steamed milk and use fresh ingredients.
This will insure that you make the perfect chai tea latte.
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