Fall is in full swing right now. The days are getting shorter, the temperatures lower and our cravings for a wide range of comfort foods higher.
Each year, we try and enjoy the season to its fullest, which includes getting out to experience the crisp fall air before it gets cold AF and snowy as hell. Recently, we went on a fall hike during one of the last mild days of the year and it was glorious. And when we got back we all had a serious craving for some chai tea. We, like many, sip on chai tea and chai tea lattes all year long, but there’s something about the fall season that demands we indulge in this spicy beverage more frequently. We know you know what we’re talking about.
I’ve personally been in love with chai since I worked at Starbucks in University (grande, half sweet no water Tazo chai please). If you’re unfamiliar, chai is a delicious blend of black tea and spices like cinnamon, ginger, pepper, and more. Sipping one is like living in flavour city, population one.
We’re very particular about our chai tea, as there’s a lot of brands who make it, but very few who do it well. To get the spices just right, we decided to start our chai tea latte making pursuit by making our own chai tea blend using ingredients we picked up at Bulk Barn. This way, we could fine tune the level of spices exactly to our liking (heavy on the ginger and pepper please!).
- 2 cups of water
- 1 tbs of loose leaf black tea
- 1 inch of fresh peeled ginger, cut into 4-6 smaller pieces
- 6 black peppercorns, crushed using a mortar and pestle
- 5 whole cloves
- 1 cardamom pod
- 1 star anise
- 1 tsp of honey
- 1 cup of steamed milk or milk alternative
- Small pot
- Strainer
- Milk frother (Nespresso has a great one you can buy here)
- Add the water, tea, ginger, peppercorns, cloves, cardamom and star anise to a small pot.
- Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour the contents of the small pot through a strainer so only the sweet sweet liquid remains. Discard the tea mixture and pour the liquid into a mug, add the honey and stir until dissolved.
- Steam and froth the milk or milk alternative using your milk frother. Add the milk to the tea mixture in your mug.
- Top with star anise and cinnamon powder as a garnish (optional, but beautiful).
