Homemade Chai Tea Recipe (Hot or Iced) | Gimme Some Oven (2024)
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As you are reading this post today, I am happy to be snuggled up with a warm blanket at a blogging retreat in Park City, Utah. There is snow falling outside our door, good blogging friends are near, and I am happy to be nestling in for some much needed R&R.
I don’t know about you, but it seems like fall has gotten off to abusy start. Busy, busy, busy. Always a little more busy than I’d like. Always trying to work on that. I embarrassingly didn’t even realize that the leaves were changing in Kansas City until I saw it on Instagram!!
Still, the transition into fall is one of my absolute favorite times of the year, and I have been trying to take small moments during the day to pause and soak it up. I’ve learned that one of the small habits that seems to always help with this is to cozy up with a warm drink first thing in the morning or at the end of the day. There’s something about holding a steaming hot mug and then taking slow, thoughtful sips that is the essence of comfort and calm.
So today, I thought I would share with you a recipe for one of my favorite comfort drinks — homemade chai tea.
I first learned to love chai back in the day at — you guessed it — Starbucks. I instantly got hooked on the drink and all of those delicious spices, and began stopping by to order an iced chai almost every day for work. Then the $4 daily expense got a little ridiculous. So I learned to buy Tazo chai concentrate at the grocery store. Then (bonus!) I learned that it was sold even cheaper at Costco!
But after years of buying those mega 3-packs of concentrate, I began to get tired of theuber-sweetness of that brand of chai. I loved the spices, but the sugar was too much. So I finally learned how to make homemade chai.
My version is all based around making a chai concentrate so that you can refrigerate it and keep it around for multiple batches. All you need are a handful of spices and seasonings and about 20 minutes, and then you’ll have plenty of concentrate ready to make as much hot chai or iced chai as you’d like.
But the best part is that you can totally tweak the recipe according to your taste. If you really love the sweetness of the chai you get at Starbucks, by all means, add in more sugar and/or honey. If you like yours really peppery, add in more peppercorns. If you like yours really strong or really weak, that’s the joy of concentrate — you can control exactly how much flavor you get. Bottom line, everyone has their own preferences with chai, so with a homemade recipe you can make it your own!
With the holidays coming up, I’ll also add in that this is a perfect comfort food gift to jar up and give to your chai-loving friends.
Hope you enjoy!
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Homemade Chai Tea Concentrate
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Make homemade chai tea with this delicious and simple chai tea concentrate recipe.
Ingredients
Scale
12 cardamom pods, gently crushed
8 whole black peppercorns
8 whole cloves
4-inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced
4 cups water
4 cinnamon sticks
3 whole allspice (optional)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar (more or less to taste)
2 star anise
1 vanilla bean, sliced down the middle
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
4 black tea bags
Instructions
Bring all ingredients except tea bags together to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add tea bags and let steep for 5 minutes. Pour mixture through a strainer and reserve the liquid for concentrate, and let cool to room temperature.
Mix equal parts concentrate with water or milk to make chai tea. Or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to one week.
To Make Hot Chai Tea:
Combine 1 part chai tea concentrate with 1 part water or milk (cow’s milk, almond milk, soy milk, etc.), and stir to combine. Heat in a saucepan over medium heat until simmering, stirring occasionally. Or heat in the microwave until simmering.
To Make Iced Chai Tea:
1 part water or milk (cow’s milk, almond milk, soy milk, etc.), and stir to combine. Serve over ice.
Texture: Hot chai lattes have a creamy and comforting texture due to the addition of milk during the brewing process. The heat from the tea helps to meld the flavors together. On the other hand, iced chai lattes have a lighter and more refreshing texture, with the cold temperature providing a cooling effect.
Add 1 1/2 tsp loose leaf Chico Chai (any blend) for every cup of water in the container.Put the lid on and place it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, strain out the tea and enjoy!
Generally, this is somewhere between 200 and 212 degrees for 3 to 5 minutes. If your chai has a green tea base, it should be steeped at a lower temperature, somewhere around 170 to 190 degrees for 3 to 5 minutes.
A tip from my mom: fresh spices make the best chai. Always try and start with the purest version of each spice—like cinnamon sticks, whole cloves and cardamom pods. Plain white sugar is the most common sweetener for chai.
For chai blends with a black tea base, you want the water temperature to reach 200-212° and the steep time to be 3-5 minutes long. The steep times and temperatures will vary depending on the other types of tea leaves used.
It's often low in calories, making it a healthy substitute for sugary beverages such as hot cocoa or apple cider. Other potential benefits include: Lower blood pressure. The cinnamon in chai tea may prevent hypertension, especially in people with diabetes.
Iced chai and iced chai latte are refreshing and flavorful drinks, both perfect for a warm day. However, there are some differences between the two beverages, which we will discuss below. Iced chai is a cold drink made by brewing black tea infused with spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and star anise.
Bring 250ml of fresh spring water to the boil and add 4tsp of chai tea, brew for 4 minutes. On the stove, heat 250ml of milk of your choice (I use the Oatley Oat milk Barista blend) on low heat. Once brewed, add your tea infused water to the milk (tea leaves and all) and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Bacterial growth: Germs like fungus and bacteria thrive in leftover tea, leading to potential health hazards. 2. Food poisoning risks: Bacteria in tea, particularly milk tea, multiply rapidly between 41 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Reheating won't eliminate them, and milk tea may taste unpleasant with a grainy texture.
The best way to check if it is done is to watch for the color. The tea should turn a nice brown color. If it's pale, it's not done. But make sure it doesn't boil for too long, or it might become too concentrated and taste bitter.
Excessive chai consumption can sometimes lead to digestive discomfort for certain individuals. The strong compounds in tea, like tannins and caffeine, can irritate the stomach lining and lead to issues like acid reflux, indigestion, or an upset stomach.
So what exactly does the "Best by" date really mean when it comes to chai? This date is selected by the manufacturer to inform the consumer roughly when a product could be expected to remain in "peak" flavor or ideal condition. As a rule of thumb, in most cases this is specified as 2 years from the date of manufacture.
"Whole milk is the best for hot chai, as it contains a lot of natural fats that create a really creamy taste," Sanyal says. While whole milk is traditional for chai, you can really use any milk you like. Switch it up with non-dairy milk like almond, oat, or soy, or make your chai a little lighter with skim.
Chai tea is a loose-leaf style tea brewed in hot milk, usually with some honey or sugar to sweeten it up. While Chai lattes are often made with either a soluble powder or a syrup imitating a chai flavor.
Traditionally chai has sugar as the sweetener, and we do prefer ours with granulated or cane sugar, but feel free to try other sweeteners to see which one you like most.
To make a traditional Indian chai, first, boil your water and add tea leaves and spices.Reduce heat to a simmer and allow it to steep for about 3 minutes.Then, add milk, and boil once more. If you're seeking a creamier, more “cooked” tasting milk, then you can double boil it after adding the milk.
Staying hydrated with warm fluids can provide comfort during a cold, and the warm nature of chai tea may help alleviate congestion and provide some relief. However, for effective treatment, it is essential to follow medical advice, rest, and incorporate a balanced diet.
Introduction: My name is Tish Haag, I am a excited, delightful, curious, beautiful, agreeable, enchanting, fancy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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