Chai Tea

[Dr Roadrash]

I am mostly an espresso drinker but my wife likes chai in the afternoon. She is getting a little sick of the starbucks chai runs. I have the espresso machine to steam the milk but was wonder about options for the tea. Both regular and decaf without creamer added already. Any suggestions on what is good?
Aaron

 

[smalltank]

my wife used to be a barista/cashier at Coffee Bean..she swears by their Chai Tea Latte's..Starbucks uses a powder..kinda gross...Coffee Bean uses real tea leafs

 

[MondoJ]

The last time I purchased Chai from Starbucks they were using Tazo liquid concentrate, which I found in the grocery store for less than the price of one tea from Starbucks. I have tried many recipes for chai but nothing comes close to the concentrate. I will be on the lookout for a coffee bean to try their chai.

 

[Kevan]

Make it on the stove the old fashioned way. There are tons of recipes out there, but use a good strong tea (CTC or "dust" is best for strength and body...full leaf tea usually sucks for chai unless you use it by the tablespoon), 1/2 stick of cinnamon, 2-3 cardamom pods (broken is best), 3/4 or 1-inch piece of ginger, and a dash of black pepper. And a clove or two if you wish. Boil this with however much tea you like (depending on strength) in 12 oz of water. Let it boil, then remove from heat or simmer on low heat for about 5 or 6 minutes.

At this point your tea base is ready, and if your wife likes the foamy steamed milk you can pour this in a cup, add sugar, and a shot of milk. But if you want to continue with the old fashioned way...

Add 8 oz of milk (at least 2%...preferrably whole) and let the mixture boil again. Remove from heat when it rises. Strain and serve with sugar to taste. This is enough for 2 servings.

Or if you want to try a mixed blend that you can make with this method, Rishi Tea makes the best one I've encountered. And I've tried A LOT. But now I just made my own from scratch.

 

[Dr Roadrash]

If you have an espresso machine this looks like the way to do it. I'm going to give this a shot. Thanks for the Rishi tea rec.
http://www.metropoliscoffee.com/university/training/index.php?HD#/chai-latte-method-of-production

Aaron

 

[malocchio]

Kevins recipe is right on the money,however,I would boil the spices and water gently for about 5 minutes,then turn the heat off and add the tea ,steep 3 minutes,strain ,add sweetener and / or cream to taste,and enjoy.Many Indian markets will have premaid chai spice ,chai "masala"...if it is fresh ,you will enjoy the premixed spices as well....I use a traditional ,but electric,samovar from Germany.The bottom vessel boils the water,sending steam to the top vessel that holds the tea,gently steaming ,but never boiling the tea.This locks in flavor,and can be steamed for hours without damaging the flavor or medicinal benefits of the tea..

 

[vreddy2000]

off topic..apologies...
but was curious if anyone knew about origins of the term "chai tea" why isn't it either just "chai" or "tea".
chai is not even a new term is it? i think the british brought it into common english 150 years ago.

my recipe..on stove top.
half a cup of water and half a cup of milk .. bring to boil.
if you like your tea strong ..steep tea leaves with above concoction from the beginning, if you like it mild add in the tea leaf after it comes to boil.

strain and serve.

adding the milk in with the water, makes it creamier. I like that better than the more traditional approach of boiling water and then adding milk and tea leaf.
if you want a pick me up,
add a slice of ginger to the water in the first step.

 

[malocchio]

I think the word chai originated in India,the word is used in all areas hat had Indian populations.

 

[AjaxLepinski]

I don't know if I'm about to speak heresy but, Twining's Chai is just as good as any Chai that you get in an Indian restaurant. I make a strong, half cup and then add a half cup of warmed milk.
I witnessed a Starbucks barista making their Chai with a powered mix - it's tasty, but a bit too sweet for me.

 

[Samurai-5]

Add Espresso to the Chai for a treat!

 

[Kevan]

I don't know if I'm about to speak heresy but, Twining's Chai is just as good as any Chai that you get in an Indian restaurant. I make a strong, half cup and then add a half cup of warmed milk.
I witnessed a Starbucks barista making their Chai with a powered mix - it's tasty, but a bit too sweet for me.

Twining's Chai has a good flavor and spice profile, but the tea base is too weak in my opinion. The best bagged chai I've had is Palanquin. Still a bit on the weak side in terms of tea, but the flavor will knock your socks off. No substitute for homemade however.

 

[AjaxLepinski]

Twining's Chai has a good flavor and spice profile, but the tea base is too weak in my opinion.

Agreed. I never thought about adding more tea to Twinings Chai. I have two boxes to use up and I think I'm going to add some loose oolong to it!
Thanks for the Palanquin suggestion and for posting your recipe. I'm going to to take your formula for a spin this weekend.
It looks like Palanquin isn't able to sell their tea online for the moment. Kevan, do you know if it's available elsewhere online?

 

[Kevan]

Agreed. I never thought about adding more tea to Twinings Chai. I have two boxes to use up and I think I'm going to add some loose oolong to it!
Thanks for the Palanquin suggestion and for posting your recipe. I'm going to to take your formula for a spin this weekend.
It looks like Palanquin isn't able to sell their tea online for the moment. Kevan, do you know if it's available elsewhere online?

I got mine from Amazon but I don't know if it's still available. It ships directly from England and they don't pack it well. It's the spiciest bagged chai out there by some stretch. Putting your nose in the bag will cause you to sneeze! Twinings Chai would have a winner in terms of flavor if they stuck English Breakfast in the bag instead of what they use (IMO)

As for the recipe...I didn't put the amount of tea there because I know everyone varies with how strong they take it. Just keep in mind that you're going to be steeping in 20 oz of liquid and it will reduce down to about 18 oz when it's done. Maybe 4 tsp to start? The recipe was first given to me by SWMBO (she's Indian) and I've tweaked it a little.

 

[galopede]

A friend of mine's son has just come back from a couple of months in India and the first thing he wanted was a "proper" cup of tea! Said all he could get there was chai!

Second thing he wanted was a steak and chips as the area he was in was all veggie!

Never heard it called chai tea. Perhaps that's an Americanism? Chai is tea. Here in Britain it became a cup of char, bit like your cuo of Joe for coffee!

Gareth

 

[AjaxLepinski]

I think "Chai" became synonomis with Spiced Tea here in America because, a lot of Indian restaurants popped up during the '80s and their menus called their Spiced Tea, "Chai" or sometimes "Indian Tea".
Twinings also packages Spiced Tea as Chai here in the US. Something interesting... my buddy is married to a wonderful Russian woman - the Russians call any type of tea Chai.

 

[Proinsias]

Yeah, 'chai tea' is a little odd. Much like saying 'tea tea', but as has been mentioned chai pretty much just means spiced over the pond from what I gather.

I like the stovetop method as mentioned above. Usually I use Assam tea, full cream Jersey Milk, set honey and give things a good whisk whilst still over a low heat before serving.

For a quick fix I like Yogi Tea, two tea bags in a small pot on the stove boiled for 5 mins or so then add cream/honey. Not actually any tea in these blends but they are fairly pleasant.

 

[ORGANIC MAN]

Have you tried Teavana? Its a store that handles only tea from around the world and they have quite the selections...I think I have a chocolate chai in my cupboard right now

 

[AjaxLepinski]

Here's a photo of Twining's Spiced Tea as it's sold in the US...

 

[lingawakad]

Regarding the naming conventions, i know that in Afghanistan, "chai" is just green tea, with or without sugar. In Iraq, it's typically black tea, again sugar is optional. In both places, sugar means half the cup is filled with sugar, then the chai is poured in. In Japanese, i believe "tea" is "cha," and in Thailand i know any kind of tea is called "cha" with adjectives to differentiate, i.e. black tea is "cha dam," iced black tea is "cha dam yen," sweet iced black tea is just "cha yen." I'll chalk "chai tea" up to tea ignorance this side of the pond

 

[nff]

i dont mind the odd chai latte.

how about some chai pr0nz

Cafe Style Chai Latte

Well this is my way of making a Chai latte.

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First add 1 1/2 teaspoons of chai tea to frothing picture

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Fill with milk until it reaches the bottom of the spout.

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Add one Tablespoon of sugar to desired cup

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Steam milk and tea untill 140-150f temp will continue to rise after steaming.

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Let steep for 1 minute.

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Strain and mix in sugar.

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Top with fresh nutmeg or any other condiment of your choosing like chocolate or cinnamon

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Enjoy your Cafe style Chai latte.