It’s Indian in origin, brewed from plain black tea with a little milk, spiced with cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, maybe some fennel seed, maybe some other things. As dcfud’s token vegan, I have my chai with soymilk, which should not have a flavor so strong that it overpowers the others.
Does anyone have a favorite chai recipe? Over the holidays I plan to experiment with making my own and am seeking advice. I’ll use loose black tea, of course
Chai to consider (or avoid):
Mudd House (1724 M St): Good chai, rich and not too watery, make sure they don’t use spoiled soymilk, which happened to me once.
Zebra Lounge (Wisconsin Ave and Macomb St): Terrible chai, thin, watery, no flavor. I bought a cup and didn’t bother finishing half of it.
Left Bank Cafe (4731 Wisconsin Ave): Good chai, a little more spiced than most, which is refreshing. Nice atmosphere as long as people aren’t conversing loudly–it’s a small place. Last time I visited, they were playing the Beatles and the Grateful Dead. Say what you will, I consider this a plus rather than a minus.
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23Dec
* , but am not sure about spice blends.* Whenever I use teabags instead of loose tea, I feel a little bit like a tool; this is not to say that I don’t use teabags all the time, it just feels the same as eating sushi with a fork. What if someone sees me?
5 Responses
Nice try, but you left out the very best of all:
JAVA GREEN. Anyway, I would love to treat you to a cup anytime. Once you taste, you’ll want to revise your chai rec’s pronto.
They also have fantastic coffes, teas and vegan meals.
http://www.javagreen.net/
Most Indian groceries sell a spice mix called tea masala. This isn’t garam masala which is meant for cooking. It’s a mix of spices specifically meant to be added to tea. I found a recipe for it just now online at http://coffeetea.about.com/od/hottea/r/masala.htm
INGREDIENTS:
4 tsp loose tea, usually black
1 piece of dry ginger
3 cardamom pods, crushed
3 whole cloves
1 piece of cinnamon stick
Milk and sugar to taste
PREPARATION:
Boil 2 cups of water, then add tea and spices. Boil for another half minute then remove from heat. Let sit for 1 minute. Strain out the spices and serve, with milk and/or sugar.
Never made the above myself as I have bought the mix at a grocery.
Thanks for the recommendations. I tried the recipe above, de-emphasized the cardamom just slightly, since it was so strong, and the chai came out quite well. I steeped the tea and spices a lot longer the second time, with improved results. Then I tried it with freshly ground fennel seed, which was ghastly. Ack. I am never doing that again. Just say “no” to improper fennel seed use.
Check out Natco Spiced Tea on http://www.natco-online.com
Its tea bags I know but its the best and most authentic spiced chai (masala chai) I have tried. Hugely popular with the UK Asian communities as it takes all the bother out of making it from scratch.
theres a great range of chai and other teas at http://www.theasiancookshop.co.uk/