Late afternoon tea, is something that we really enjoy in our home. Some favorites are; cafe con leche "coffee with milk" , Mate con Leche "Infused Yerba Mate with milk and lately; "Spiced Chai Latte". This is something new to our palate, that we just discovered a few weeks ago. We found the recipe in a magazine, and while experimenting with different spices and learning how to make this fragrant and delicious tea at home, we finally found the perfect blending spices that work amazingly great together.
The spices use to make chai are full of antioxidants properties and it has been used in India for centuries, to enhance the immune system and improve digestion. This tea is more than just delicious, it can also bring health benefits. So I created this practical 101 Chai Making guide for you, packed with everything you'll need to know to start enjoying this healthy beverage at home.
''HOW TO MAKE CHAI AT HOME''
101 practical + easy guide
101 practical + easy guide
The base for a super delicious Spiced Chai include two simple ingredients:
1> Regular tea and
2 > Spices!
INGREDIENTS:
TEA:
1 or 2 Tea Bags (depending how strong you like your tea. You can use Regular Tea, Black Tea or Decaf. Regular Tea.)
SPICES TO BREW:
2 Cinnamon Sticks,
4 Green Cardamon pods
2 Whole Cloves
1/2 a vanilla bean, scraped
1 Piece of Fresh Ginger (about 2 cm long and 1 cm thick), optional
LIQUID:
3 C. Cold Water
PREPARATION:
STEP 1: Open the tea bag(s), cut it open and set aside.
STEP 2: Take the cinnamon sticks and break into smaller pieces, by doing this, cinnamon flavor and aroma will enhance.
STEP 3: Then lightly smash the green cardamons. + Peel ginger and cut in half. + Scrape seeds out of the vanilla bean and keep the bean. + Keep cloves whole.
STEP 4: In a medium saucepan add the 3 cups water, and empty the content of previously cut tea bag into the water. Then add all the spices and bring to a boil over medium- high heat.
Now, once water + tea + spices mixture start boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 8-10 minutes. When ready and using a fine strainer, strain into cups and sweeten as desired.
TO MAKE CHAI LATTE:
Once chai is ready, bring some milk (plant base or regular milk) to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over the chai.
NOTE:
This liquid quantity makes 2 large cups of chai. It can be served warm or cold as an iced chai latte. And if you like to spice up a little more this chai latte you can add a couple of whole peppercorn grains too.
And now you can relax and enjoy your homemade Chai latte!