Chai Tea

As summer is upon us I've felt myself moving away from my usual tea-drinking habits (2 or 3 cups a day). Wandering through some blogs I found in an Artful Blogging magazine I found this recipe from ArtandLemons. What I like about it is that you can also make it iced.

Chai Tea

Yield 4 servings

2 1/4 cups water

2 1/4 cups organic milk (whole cow, almond, or soy)

1/4 cup organic dark brown sugar (or more to taste)

2 cinnamon sticks

16 cardamom pods (crushed; place them in a small bag and gently crush them with a rolling pin)

1 star anise clove

1 teaspoon whole cloves

2-inch piece fresh ginger (sliced thin)

1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

2 tablespoons black or green tea leaves (I like to use 2 parts Darjeeling to 1 part Assam; or try Japanese Sencha Tea)

Combine the first 9 ingredients (everything except the tea) in a 6-quart pot and bring to a boil.

Remove from heat, cover and let mixture steep for 30 minutes. Return to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in the black or green tea leaves. Cover and let stand for 2 minutes.

Place a sieve over a pitcher or jar. Pour hot tea into the sieve to strain. Serve tea immediately, or let cool and serve iced.

(This recipe is inspired by “Chai” found in The Joy of Cooking).

Pick of the Week

Hot: Mango Ceylon Tea.
Cold: Iced Chai latte with two shots of espresso.
To Read with Coffee: The New York Times.
To Read with Chocolate Chips: Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi.
For Listening: Lisa Hannigan.