Chai

Shroom,
It's been some time since I made Chai
But as I remember I used
Fennel or anise seeds about a tablespoon
6 green cardoman pods
12 cloves (I know you don't like them )
a little sliced ginger root
a few black pepper corns
a couple bay leaves
6 or 7 cups of water
Boil for five minutes,then steep for 10 minutes

Then add 2 tablespoons darjeeling tea and boil then simmer for 5 minutes
then add 6 tablespoons honey or brown suger and a cup of milk

Shroom, If you don't like cloves perhapes a touch of allspice or mace?
cc

 

(Spiced Tea)
(serves 2)

1 pint water
A 1 inch stick of cinnamon
8 cardamom pods
8 whole cloves
6 fl. oz milk
6 teaspoons sugar (or to taste)
3 teaspoons any unperfumed, loose black tea

Put the water in a saucepan. Add the cinnamon, cardammon, and cloves and bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the milk and sugar and bring to a simmer again. Throw in the tea leaves, cover, and turn off the heat. After 2 minutes, strain the tea into two cups and serve immediately.


:lips:

 

This is my favorite beverage-I'm always changing the recipe though. Here is a rough list of what goes into mine:
Cardamom (the green pods)
Cinnamon sticks
Nutmeg
Pink Peppercorns
Ginger (freshly sliced)
Cloves
A Bay leaf
Fennel seeds
A Vanilla Bean(split and scraped)
Black Peppercorns
Sweetened condensed milk
Evaporated milk
Honey
Black Tea
Green Tea

I don't add all of these when making chai, obviously-chai made with sweetened condensed milk, and honey would be cloying. It's fun to play around with flavors and come up with unique brews. I even have a recipe around here someplace that calls for cumin.....

 

Mmm... gotta love Chai. I make it by buying it in a box at a natural foods store and mixing it with soy milk.

=)

~~Shimmer~~

(My favorite commercial kind is Chai Amore)

 

I just sampled "Big Train" brand Chai. Powder, add water. not to bad. not too spicy and a lot too sweet.
I used to get Yogi tea, it was Chai in vanilla, spice and green.
ahh, those were the days.........

 

My doctor has me on a decaf diet and I have to be very careful about coffee and tea. I start with Trader Joe's decaf chai mix, then add whatever I feel like that day. Always an adventure!

 

The best store bought chai I have ever had comes from Nub Chai. Easily.

You can buy their concentrates online. They've been a sort of underground favorite in the Bay Area for awhile, showing up at early-era dot com parties and the like. Far as I know they are stll going strong and elarging their offerings. You can also by their packs of spices and brew your own.
It's all organic, too.

They do retail and wholesale. Can you tell I just love them?


What nailed it for me though, was a night at Burningman in their tent out on the playa. They offered free nub chai the whole week long, it was a true oasis in the desert, down to the artistic fountain they somehow created out there in the middle of nowhere in the center of the tent. We sat around at 2 am on pillows drinking warm chai and sucking on sweet orange slices...oooh my oh my.

website for nub chai:
http://www.nub.com/nub_main.html
----------------------------------------------
SlaveGirl
http://www.restaurantslave.com

 

Their web site is still up and going strong. However, tried to purchase some tea - got message " This cart has been disabled." I don't know how to deal with handicapped carts, so I left a message and scrammed out of there.

 

abandoned shopping carts! I run away too,when things go wrong. I suppose you could always call them and order. It's really fabulous stuff.


SlaveGirl
http://www.restaurantslave.com

 

Anyone have an opinion about chai from coffee shops. These are all interesting ideas. I never thought of making my own chai. However, I can only compare them to the few I have tasted at the big coffee chains

 

For whatever reason, I enjoy Chai so much more when its made with soy milk. It adds a different dimension to the spices somehow, and I won't get it at coffee shops with regular milk.

~~Shimmer~~

 

I have a friend who is a food chemist (makes flavorings for big corporations) While at his work yesterday, we made chai according to capechefs recipe. Then we tried variations of Svadhisthina's. Both were very spicy, the second one was sweet. We then tried one of our own. A mixture of ideas from everybody sans cayanne. We both liked the black & green tea version with soy. Soy added a nutty finish that went well with the spicinesss.

After a couple of hours just playing (I know...too much time on our hands) many of my friends co workers walked in because of the odor. We were now making double and triple batches. The generan concenses was a preference for a slightly less kick (fewer peppercorns / cayanne),less sweet with soy drink. One gal tried a teaspoon of praline paste in hers. I thought is was great

 

HobNobs were first discovered by yours truly on a college trip to England and Scotland. I have found them in very few places in the United States, but there is nothing like it! And of course, Shroomgirl, you would know about them. Someday I will sell them in my international tea house.....

I believe I have used both vanilla soy milk and regular, although soy "drink" isn't the same quality. I don't water it down. And in the summer, iced chai is also grand. Vanilla soy milk makes it sweeter, so if you want it less sweet, use plain.

It's approaching the afternoon, and you're right. Chai does sound lovely.....

~~Shimmer~~

 

Most Canadian supermarkets have HobNobs, or at least they used to, so both of you can stock up when you go to the reunion next June! With the currency exchange, you'll probably get over 40% off.

 

What are HobNobs?