> Hi! I am really addicted to this tea I bought from "tazo" called
> chai. I know you can make it yourself. I am interested in trying to
> make my own mix for it in bulk, as it is quite expensive. Here is
> the list of ingredients: black teas from India and Sri Lanka,
> cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, ginger, star anise, natural flavors.
> You steep 1 tsp of this in 1 cup of water, then add soymilk and
> honey to taste. Anyone have any idea of the proportions?
>
> Rachel
I recently ran across a page devoted to chai on the Web, which
includes quite a few recipes. You can find it at:
http://www.sni.net/chai/
I enjoy chai and make it pretty regularly. I've never thought of
making a mix, but I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to figure out
the proportions of spice to add to the tea. I choose the spices and
their proportions each time I make it. A typical, if imprecise :),
method yielding 3 cups of tea would be:
Lightly crush approx. 1/4 tsp. cardamom seeds and 5 cloves.
Combine the spices with 3 rounded tsp. loose tea. I like the
pelleted Nirav brand in the bag, which should be easy to get from an
Indian market--any other loose tea, Kroger-brand (which I prefer)
or Lipton, should do. Bring 3 cups water to a boil and add a small
piece of ginger, chopped, allowing it to boil in the water for a
couple of minutes, for flavor. Take the water off the heat, then
add the tea/spice mixture. Cover and let it steep for about 8
minutes, then pour off the tea, through a strainer if necessary (the
pelleted Nirav tea sinks to the bottom, so it doesn't need
strained). Serve with milk and sweetener of your choice.
Adapting this basic recipe to your needs shouldn't be hard. If you
would like to use star anise and cinnamon, you can crush them and add
them to the spice/tea mixture (you'll have to play with the amounts).
You might prefer to add dried ginger to the spice/tea mix, rather
than use the fresh ginger--I'd suggest trying 1/8 tsp. ground ginger
per 3 cups water in that case. If you do choose to make a mix, you
might consider using ground cloves (perhaps coarsely ground in a
coffee mill) for more uniform distribution when you go to measure the
mix out for use. The spice proportions for a larger quantity of mix
shouldn't be difficult to determine from the basic recipe--for
example, to a dry cup of tea, you might add 4 tsp. crushed cardamom
seeds.
I'm sorry this post has been long-winded, but I hope you find it
helpful! :)
Rachel B.
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