Chai Green Tea

Sometimes when it is really cold outside all I want is chai tea, but I don’t want to bundle up to go somewhere to buy it. A few years ago I started making my own chai green tea and now I find that I prefer it to what I can buy at coffee shops.

This recipe is very simple and quick. Best of all you can make a big batch (I usually make a double recipe) and keep it the refrigerator and then warm it up on the stove or in the microwave when you want a mug.

When the chai tea is cooking the aroma is so wonderful. It smells like Christmas baking to me. I don’t think my recipe is traditional since I have tweaked it over time and added things that we like. Here is how I make chai tea.

Chai Green Tea
Makes 4 - 1 cup servings

Ingredients:

5 allspice berries
½ teaspoon whole peppercorns
6 whole cloves
6 green cardamom pods (or ½ teaspoon ground cardamom)
1 cinnamon stick (approximately 3 inches)
1 inch piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
1 orange, zest removed in strips (strips are easier to remove)
3 cups water
4 green tea bags (or other tea)
1 cup soy or almond milk (I use unsweetened almond milk)
agave or stevia, to taste

Directions:

Place the allspice, peppercorns, cloves and cardamom pod in your mortar and pestle and break up the spices to release their flavor. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle you can put all the spices on your cutting board and crush them with a rolling pin or the bottom of skillet.

In a saucepan combine the all the spices, orange zest, and water and bring to a boil. Simmer the liquid for 5 minutes and then turn off the heat. Add the green tea bags and steep for 10 minutes. I know most tea producers recommend a shorter steeping time but science has shown that you get the maximum EGCG from green tea that has been steeped for 10 minutes, so that is what I do.

After 10 minutes strain the beverage through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth or a damp paper towel. You can refrigerate the chai tea now and add the milk and sweetener when you are serving, which is what I do. I like to keep this in the refrigerator when the weather is cool. The flavor of this tea is so bold, and the aroma is intoxicating. It warms me up just smelling it.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 31.48
Calories From Fat (30%) - 9.41

Total Fat - 1.07g
Saturated Fat - 0.08g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 53.47mg
Potassium - 178.65mg
Total Carbohydrates - 6.23g
Fiber - 2.81g
Sugar - 0.11g
Protein - 0.61g

The nutritional numbers above assume you used unsweetened almond milk, and does not include a sweetener.

Comments:

When this is cooking the entire house smells like holiday spice. I adore the aroma of this tea.

This tea is equally good with orange pekoe or English Breakfast tea. When you use a black tea the resulting chai will be a more traditional light brown color, compared to the very light green color of my tea. Don’t let the light color of this tea fool you into thinking it has a mellow flavor. This tea packs a nice flavor punch, which is how we like it.

I have kept the tea base in the refrigerator for a week without any problems. It will probably keep longer than that, but we always drink ours quickly when it is in the refrigerator.

Unrelated note:

I need to get a few things done this afternoon. But I will be back late this afternoon with a couple of recipes. I hope you are all having a great day.