The World's Greatest Illustrated Chai Tea Recipe
Black tea
I came across this gem on Lucy Knisley’s blog and couldn’t resist reposting it here.
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Recommended Reading
The Story of Tea by Mary Lou and Robert Heiss is my go-to guide for anything tea-related.
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Michelle wrote on September 22nd, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Witty and fun! I love chai, though I admit, I’d probably be too lazy to prepare it myself. But I could fall back on this recipe if my favourite label is taken out of stores:)
Jason Witt wrote on October 7th, 2009 at 9:39 am
This artist is really impressive. It could almost be a commercial advertisement drawn here. I like it. There is a mistake, though. It says to stir “like constantly” for 30 minutes. They mean 30 seconds to a minute. Don’t slave over that pot of chai for a half-hour. Do try soymilk if you’re going to add any of that. –Teaternity
Kaori wrote on October 28th, 2009 at 11:23 pm
I love Chai and its soo much better for you than coffee…so I think it is. I will try this recipe but the “mistake” is a pretty big one, are you positive about this correction?
polly wrote on November 13th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
i don’t use bay leaf, i do use green cardamom (2-3 cracked pods per pot)and i add 4-5 whole black peppercorns. i also add nutmeg. i often use brown sugar instead of honey, but either one is good.
fyi – you can buy spices fairly inexpensively at ethnic grocers – i bought my green cardamom for 2.99 at a little indian store — i think it’s about an ounce of whole pods, not sure – it’s a couple of palms full of pods and more than i can use in two years (i keep my bulk spices in my fridge).
i bring water just to a boil and then pour into a glass coffee pot (buy old ones at thrift stores for making tea) which has the spices and tea bags in it. i take the tea bags out after about 5-8 mins, but leave the spices for as long as i feel like it.
polly wrote on November 13th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
oh yeah, i add a dash of turmeric, too. (all my spices are pre-ground except for the cardamom, cloves and peppercorns – i just throw those in whole) PLUS sometimes i add fenugreek seed (adds a maple-y flavor)
polly wrote on November 13th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
fyi — if you love chai, check out berbere seasoning – it’s one of my favorite spice blends (i buy pre-made but you could make yourself)
http://www.congocookbook.com/sauce_recipes/berbere.html