I am not a coffee drinker, unless it is heavily modified. My usual drink at Starbucks, etc. is an iced mocha. However, recently I tried the Tazo Chai Tea Latte, iced. Chai is really a category of tea that adds spices to black tea. While the exact spice can vary, the primary spice is cardamom. The recipe below is for a powdered spice mix which includes cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg.
The first time I added this mix to my tea, I just mixed it into the water. The result was a very grainy tea! On my next attempt, I drained the tea through a fine-mesh strainer, but the fine powder clogged the fine mesh. Finally, I decided to wrap the spice mix in a coffee filter. This worked wonderfully!
CHAI SPICE MIX
- 2T cardamom, ground
- 2T cinnamon, ground
- 1T cloves, ground
- 1T ginger, ground
- 1T nutmeg, ground
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Store in an empty glass spice jar.
ICED CHAI TEA
- 2 single-serve tea bags
- 1 1/2t chai spice mix
- 1 1/2C boiling water
- 1T sugar
- 1/4C milk
- To successfully use the chai tea mix, create a makeshift tea bag. Take a coffee filter and place chai tea mix in the center. Fold the bottom side over the spice mix. Fold the left and right sides over the spice mix. Fold down the top and staple.
- Seep the chai spice bag and tea bags in the water for 3-5 minutes. Remove and discard tea and chai bags.
- Stir in sugar until dissolved.
- Pour over ice cubes placed in a 16oz glass.
- Stir in milk.
Douglas G Pratt, 2013