Tuesday, October 11, 2011

{Homemade Chai Concentrate}

It is getting to be that time of year, Hot drink time of year that is :)
 You have no idea how excited i am about this. Living in Arizona my whole life, i always look forward to this time of year. It finally cools down & you can sit outside with a sweater on & not melt! 
In our Home, we drink a lot of hot tea & coffee year round, but this time of year calls for something special, that warms you a little extra :) We both really love Chai, especially homemade chai. We have tried a few chai recipes over the years but none of them have really stuck out to us as "repeat" recipes. I finally found one this year that we really, truly love, & i woudl like to share it with you. It is quite easy too, which makes it extra great!

 {Home made Spiced Chai Concentrate}
You will need: 
4 1/2 cups water
1 cinnamon stick
1 {3-inch} piece of fresh ginger, chopped
7 whole green cardamom pods
2 whole star anise pods
10 whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon orange zest
10 bags of black tea
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon vanilla
Prepare the spices and the tea, and set aside. 
In a mid sized pot, bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat. 
Add the spices and the tea bags, and allow the mixture to steep for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, strain the mixture into a  large bowl, discarding the spices. 
Add the sugar, honey and the vanilla, and stir until all have dissolved. 
Pour the mixture into a bottle or jar {However you want ot store it} and store in the refrigerator.
{To prepare a drink with this concentrate, you are going to use 1 part concentrate to 1 part milk.
This can be served Hot or cold.}
I like  it hot with a little bit of nutmeg on top :) 

Enjoy!



3 comments:

  1. Mmmm I'm going to have to try this Ashley!! Looks super yummy!

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  2. Yum!!! I have to try this! I absolutely love chai, but the store bought tea just isn't the same.

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  3. I completely agree! This recipe is actually really really yummy. I love it

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