My love for tea has been a frequent topic on the blog and on my social media (and even more so in my real life). I drink hot tea year round, usually multiple times a day. It’s always the right time for tea.
Years ago, I fell in love with chai. If there’s a chai on a cafe menu, I’m ordering it. I have tried most of the chai in Berkshire county (Tunnel City may be my favorite).
It wasn’t long before I discovered that I can make my own chai at home. I have been following this recipe for Chai Tea Mix from The Kitchn ever since. I’m sure there are other recipes out there that may be more authentic, but I like that the ingredients for this blend are fairly easy to obtain and it can be stored until you’re ready to use them. The recipe is very easy to double (which I often do) and/or adjust the ingredient amounts to your liking for more or less spice or sweetness. Additionally, I toast my spices on the stovetop in a skillet instead of turning on my oven. This allows me to keep an eye on how things are cooking and saves time.
These ingredients can be sourced at many supermarkets, but here’s where I get mine:
spices: cardamom pods, whole red peppercorns (optional), whole black peppercorns, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, whole cloves, cinnamon stick – local co-op like Wild Oats Market in Williamstown or shipped to me from Penzey’s Spices
chopped candied/crystalized ginger – the pieces in this kind from nuts.com are so small that they don’t need to be chopped before adding them to the tea mix.
loose black tea – This Tetley Premium Loose Leaf Tea (Amazon affiliate link) is a lot of tea, but we use a lot of tea around here.
Instead of using tea bags, I usually use these Finum tea filters (Amazon affiliate link) when I brew a cup. They keep all the solids out of the cup, reduce waste and can go into the dishwasher.
