The weather is cooling off and I’d wager to say that many of you are enjoying the need for an extra blanket and sweater in the morning and starting to crave fall spices and warm drinks. If you take care of the blanket and sweater, I’ll help you out on the spice and drink front.
The word chai means tea. Here in the states, we call it chai tea. That means that we are actually saying “tea tea”, but we feel pretty cool saying it and let’s face it, nobody really cares. Many of us will order it at a coffee shop, but rarely brave to make it on our own at home, unless it is from a box. Coffee houses used to almost predominately make their chai from boxed concentrate, but there is a slow growing popularity for making it from fresh spices. I urge you to join this movement because making your own chai is not only delicious, it makes your house smell like you’re living inside a Christmas themed air freshener (naturally scented, of course). Plus, it’s way easier than you think.
Before I pass on my recipe to you, there are a few insider tips you should know. One is that the type of milk you blend it with will make a difference. Cow’s milk is considered to be sweet and cooling, so the spicy spices like ginger and cinnamon can be muted. If you are using a non-dairy milk (mylk), keep in mind that the thinner the mylk (rice and coconut thinnest, almond thinner than cashew or soy) the more those spices will pop. The other thing to know is that even though it kind of puts you in the spice snob category, you should always try to use whole, fresh spices. When you pull a powdered spice from a shelf, you may not not how long it was sitting or even where it was before you purchased it. Because it will dry over time, many of the volatile oils that give the flavor and therapeutic benefits will be decreased or even gone. In some cases, the spice may take on an entirely different quality. For example, dried ginger is more heating in our body than fresh ginger.
This recipe is what I use and I make it for the masses. Well, I make a fairly large batch and then bottle it up to use over time. It keeps really well when refrigerated and in theory, you could make a batch and use it for at least a week or more depending on your daily hankerings.
