Chai Tea Concentrate

A couple of months ago, I received an email from a friend that had moved far, far away to Minnesota. Since we worked together and she often accompanied me on my morning walk to Starbucks, she knew about my minor addiction to their Chai Tea Latte. She came across this recipe for making your own chai tea concentrate and was kind enough to share it with me!

Aside from the obvious cost savings, the great thing about making your own chai concentrate is how customizable the recipe is! You can adjust the flavors to suit your taste!! I prefer to have mine a little less sweet with a little more spice.

Play around with the recipe until you find what suits you and make it your own!

Those of you in metropolitan areas should have no problems obtaining most of these ingredients from your local grocery store chain or ethnic groceries. If you are in a rural area or are just finding it difficult to find some of these spices, I recommend Mountain Rose Herbs. They have the best selection quality of herbs out there. I use them for all my recipes including spa and body treatments.

Ingredients:

• 4 ½ cups water
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 1-2 Tablespoon chopped fresh ginger (Tip: I buy fresh ginger root and store it in the freezer.  When I need fresh ginger, I just grate out what I need and the rest of the root goes back in the freezer!)
• 7 whole cardamom pods (or about 80-85 cardamom seeds)
• 2 whole star anise pods (or 1 teaspoon anise seeds)
• 10 whole cloves
• ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 10 teaspoons green or black tea OR 10 tea bags
• 2/3 cups brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla

Bring the water to a boil.  Add the spices and the tea.  Remove from heat and let steep for 15-20 minutes (the longer the steep, the stronger the tea).  Strain the tea and add the brown sugar, honey and vanilla.  Stir until sugar is dissolved.

Mix equal parts of concentrate and milk, heat and enjoy!!  For the summer months, try it over ice for a tasty cool treat!

 

The original recipe my friend sent me can be located at http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen-blog/2011/01/step-by-step-amazing-spiced-chai-concentrate/.