I remember the day in 2014 I became addicted to chai tea. I had just finished the Larapinta Trail, a 139 mile-long walking track in the Northern Territory of Australia. (from east to west, with the eastern end at Alice Springs and the western end at Mount Sonder, one of the territory’s highest mountains. It follows the West MacDonnell Ranges, sometimes along the ridge line, other times on the plain below, in the West MacDonnell National Park. I had returned to Alice Springs and treated myself to a cafe where I sat pondering the menu and nursing my blisters. On a whim, I ordered chai tea, something I had never had before. It arrived as a steaming kettle of water and a sachet of fresh herbs and spices. It was ambrosia. When I returned to the US, I tried to source “good” chai tea and was disappointed with everything I tried. Being the scientist I am, I decided to experiment with recipes. I kept a notebook and with each batch, I fiddled with the formula.
What follow is the final product (the hot links are to Amazon), a concoction I drink almost every day. I even have a milk frother on the boat!
150 g chopped candied ginger
50 g star anise (broken into pieces by hand)
10 g dried bay leaf (crushed by hand)
50 g cinnamon chip
15 g whole allspice
50 g whole green cardamon
10 g whole black peppercorn
20 g whole cloves
I measure the ingredients with a small kitchen scale and usually make a double batch at a time.
Mix the spices and store in a ziplock bag (do not store with tea leaves).
Add to 4c water several tablespoons (to taste) of the spice mix and a couple of teaspoons of Assam tea leaves (to taste). Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer 5-10 minutes. In the meantime, steam unflavored and unsweetened Silk soy milk (I use a Breville Milk Café Frother). Remove tea from the heat. Add honey (I use Nates raw unfiltered honey to taste) and a teaspoon of vanilla extract (I use Watkins baking vanilla). Filter the spice/tea/honey/vanilla mixture. Note: throw away the precipitate at the bottom as it will make your tea bitter. I store the tea in a thermos. Add 2-3 times more tea than steamed soy milk (to taste) and mix. Spoon a little foam on the top.