Like most people in this city I have a great appreciation for a good cup of coffee. So much so that for many years this appreciation would result in 3 to 4 cups of the bean juice before noon. I could never have imagined starting my day with a cup of tea, even the black variety. There really is nothing like a hot cup of coffee first thing in the morning to make that 7am wake up call seem manageable. Whether it’s homemade or the perfect Americano at my favorite shop, coffee had always been what I relied on to get me through the morning.
The funny thing is that I was able to get away with consuming this clearly unhealthy quantity of coffee without experiencing any of the common side affects such as shakiness or headaches.
This daily coffee routine of mine went unchallenged until maybe a few years ago. What exactly happened is hard to say. What I can tell you is that it happened quickly and without warning. Suddenly, one morning after JUST 2 AMERICANOS my earlobes started to sweat and my heart appeared to be beating its way free from my chest. I thought I was having a panic attack, but it turns out that what I was experiencing was my body finally saying enough after the years of caffeine abuse.
As you can imagine this was a major let down. Never before had my body failed me this way. How was I supposed to function without my morning coffees? My productivity would certainly take a nosedive and I would probably never be my former self again.
Of course it didn’t take me long to discover that I could have one cup and still lead a fairly normal life and while this was better then giving it up altogether, I still felt like something was missing especially in the mid afternoon- you know, to avoid the 3 o’clock coma.
Enter Chai.
Sweet sweet Chai. Seriously people a good cup of Chai could change the world.
I was not an inexperienced Chai drinker and had in fact been enjoying it since I first tasted it in India many years ago. I had also on many occasions attempted to replicate the flavor I first tasted there and had some decent results, but nothing that ever came close to the real thing. I still don’t think that the real thing can be achieved with the ingredients available on this continent.
This recipe however, is the closest I have come and let me tell you it’s pretty close. I have to credit this to my husband who made this Chai for me when we first started dating. It was love at fist sight-both with the Chai and the husband.
Chai Tea Recipe – Serves 2
1 ½ Coffee Cups Cold Water
½ Coffee Cup Milk (I use 1% but the whole milk is probably the best)
10 Cardamom Pods
2 Cloves
10 Peppercorns
2 TSP Dried Fennel or 1 -2 Star anise
2 Black Tea Bags (I use Red Rose English Breakfast)
Brown Sugar to taste
Begin by pouring the water into a small saucepan. I measure mine in the coffee cup I’m serving it in. Split the Cardamom pods and extract the small black seeds inside. Add them to the water, discarding the green shells. Add the cloves, fennel, peppercorns and tea bags to the pot as well and turn the heat on to high. Bring this up to a boil and then turn the heat down a bit and let it boil slowly for 3-5 minutes until the mixture becomes a deep amber color. At this point add in the milk and allow it to come back up to a boil watching carefully so it doesn’t overflow. Once it starts to bubble add in the desired amount of sugar, strain, pour into two cups and enjoy!
I find that what makes Chai really really great is to make sure to boil it for an adequate amount of time as well as the ratio of water to milk. The mistake that I use to make with Chai was that I would never measured the water and milk to reflect this ratio. It really makes a difference! Also, I think that there’s a tendency to add too much milk, which results in a more watery tea, which doesn’t have the body and flavor that an authentic cup of chai demands.
This is making my mouth water! Now I can attempt to make chai as good as yours. Thanks for the recipe!